Kennedy Denies Retirement, Reveals Star Wars Succession Plan

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has addressed recent reports about her potential retirement in 2025. Earlier this week, Puck News reported that the veteran film producer was planning to retire at the end of her contract this year, after previously considering a 2024 retirement. However, while Variety dismissed the story as "pure speculation," The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the report.

Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie and TV Show

20 ImagesKennedy has now responded directly to these claims. According to Deadline, she is collaborating with Disney CEO Bob Iger on a succession plan after 13 years in her role, with Star Wars Rebels creator and current Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni reportedly in a "strong position" to succeed her. Despite this, Kennedy firmly stated, "The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring."

She further emphasized her dedication to the film industry, saying, "I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies. That is the first thing that’s important to say. I am not retiring."

Kennedy acknowledged that Lucasfilm intends to make an announcement about succession "months or a year down the road," but she will continue her role at Lucasfilm. This includes her work on the upcoming Mandalorian movie and a Star Wars film directed by Shawn Levy of Deadpool & Wolverine fame.

While plans for Kennedy to step down from her presidency at Lucasfilm appear to be in motion, she made it clear that she is not leaving the company or retiring from the movie business. She remarked, "I’m not going to be here forever. George [Lucas] asked me 13 years ago to step in, and now I’m looking at who’s going to replace me. And as I said, we have a bench of people internally to handle the business, the creative side. The job has grown also since I stepped in. There was no streaming, there weren’t a lot of the things that we’re involved in right now going on. So it has grown."

Kennedy also refuted any suggestions that she was being "pushed aside" or "in need of being replaced," stating that such claims were "absolutely not the case" and "could not be further from the truth." Her tenure has seen the release of the new sequel trilogy (Star Wars Episodes 7-9) and the launch of Star Wars' streaming era, including shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Andor, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte. While films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens were major successes, others such as Solo: A Star Wars Story faced financial challenges.

When Deadline directly inquired whether she would step down as Lucasfilm boss this year, Kennedy responded that she did not know "at this stage," but affirmed that any such decision would be "100% my decision." She did not confirm whether Filoni was lined up for the top job.