Kathleen Kennedy Shuts Down Retirement Rumors: More Star Wars Films on the Way!

A few days ago, a report went viral claiming that Kathleen Kennedy was preparing to retire as the head of Lucasfilm. Speculation about her successor quickly spread, with Dave Filoni and Kevin Feige among the most notable potential candidates.

However, Kennedy has now addressed the rumors directly, making it clear that she is not retiring—at least not anytime soon.

The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring. 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. What’s happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both Bob and Alan about what eventual succession might look like. We have an amazing bench of people here, and we have every intention of making an announcement months or a year down the road. We are in lockstep as to what that’s going to be, and I am continuing. I’m producing the Mandalorian movie right now, and I’m also producing Shawn Levy’s movie, which is after that. So I’m continuing to stay at Lucasfilm and looking very thoughtfully with Bob and Alan as to who’s stepping in. So that is all underway, and we have every right to make that announcement when we want to make it.

Kennedy also said that while there is an internal process happening regarding leadership at Lucasfilm, she cannot confirm or reveal any details about who might be considered for a key role, such as Dave Filoni. She emphasizes that this is a normal part of how large, publicly traded companies operate when it comes to making deals and official announcements.

In other words, while discussions may be happening, nothing has been finalized, and there’s no unusual situation at play.

She also rejected the idea that there is any “chaos” surrounding Lucasfilm’s leadership transition. She insists that everything follows a clear, well-established plan that has been discussed for years. She acknowledges that she won’t be leading Lucasfilm forever and that succession planning is a natural part of the process.

She also points out that when she took over from George Lucas 13 years ago, the job was very different—there was no streaming, and Lucasfilm wasn’t involved in as many projects as it is now.

Since then, the responsibilities of the position have expanded, making the process of choosing a successor even more important. However, she reassures that there is already a strong team in place to handle both the business and creative aspects of Lucasfilm’s future.

Chaos? There has never been any chaos because we know exactly what the plan is. And we’ve been talking about it, as I said, nonstop for the last couple of years because for obvious reasons — I’m not going to be here forever. George 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.

As you may know, Kennedy has been widely blamed by fans for many of Lucasfilm’s perceived shortcomings. However, she clarifies that her eventual retirement is not a dismissal or rejection.

She firmly denies the notion that she is being pushed out of Lucasfilm, calling the claim entirely false. Kennedy emphasizes that all major decisions at Lucasfilm are made in close coordination with Disney, with full transparency between both parties.

She also makes it clear that Disney is not sidelining her but is actively involving her in the process of selecting her eventual successor. Rather than a forced exit, she describes the transition as a collaborative effort, reinforcing that she remains in control of Lucasfilm’s leadership for the foreseeable future.

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