Lucasfilm’s head of the Star Wars studio, Kathleen Kennedy, has resigned.
Lucasfilm revealed on Thursday that Kennedy will step down as the studio’s president after 14 years of service, following months of conjecture.
She will be replaced by General Manager Lynwen Brennan and Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni of the studio, who will resume full-time producing, including the next Star Wars films Grogu and The Mandalorian, as well as Star Wars: Starfighter.
The executive stated in an exit interview with Deadline that the transition plan has been in the works for two years and that she is now prepared to produce a greater range of films, possibly in collaboration with her husband Frank Marshall.
“I told everybody I would stick around a bit longer than I had intended, but I am so ready to go off and have the chance to make lots of films,” she stated. “I want to work on more films and have the chance to return to making a variety of films the way I used to. I’m excited to collaborate with Frank on some projects once more.”
George Lucas, the film’s creator, named Kennedy president after Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012. She oversaw the creation of the most recent Star Wars trilogy, two spin-off prequels, and television series such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and The Mandalorian.
She produced films like Jurassic Park, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Twister, The Sixth Sense, and the Indiana Jones franchise—the latter of which was a Lucasfilm property—prior to working for the company.
Kennedy stated in a December interview with Deadline that she wasn’t officially working on any other producing projects because she was exclusive to Lucasfilm until January.
The 72-year-old went on to say that she was “open” to making any Star Wars films that were being developed while she was employed.
“Certainly in the things that I’ve been involved in, and the filmmakers that I’ve been working with, I’d love to see those through if I could,” she said. However, I’m not requiring any of that. Sincerely, I’m attempting to assist the incoming team and empower them to make the choices.”
