Kathleen Kennedy recently addressed speculation about her retirement from Lucasfilm, confirming she is staying with the studio. She discussed succession planning with Disney executives but emphasized she is not stepping down soon. Updates on upcoming Star Wars films, leadership changes, and Lucasfilm’s strategy continue to emerge.
Kathleen Kennedy says she’s looking for a successor but not retiring from Lucasfilm
Kathleen Kennedy has confirmed that her retirement from Lucasfilm is not happening anytime soon. In an interview with Deadline, she stated, “I am not retiring. I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies.”
She explained that she has been working with Disney CEO Bob Iger and co-chairman Alan Bergman on a long-term succession plan but emphasized, “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.”
Kennedy is currently producing The Mandalorian & Grogu and Shawn Levy’s upcoming Star Wars film. She confirmed that Levy’s project, reportedly starring Ryan Gosling, will be the next theatrical release after The Mandalorian & Grogu.
Addressing speculation about a chaotic transition at Lucasfilm, Kennedy said, “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.”
Regarding her successor, Kennedy acknowledged that internal candidates are being considered but refused to name anyone, stating, “There’s just an internal process that goes on inside a large corporation and a publicly held company.”
She emphasized that Lucasfilm’s strategy is aligned with Disney’s, saying, “Everything that we do inside of Lucasfilm is in lockstep and in communication with Disney. The communication has been completely collaborative as you would expect.”
Kennedy also confirmed that multiple Star Wars projects are in development, including films from James Mangold, Simon Kinberg, and Taika Waititi. She said, “To play it safe, I’d say three or four right at the moment,” adding that managing talent schedules is a key factor in project timelines. When asked about her continued involvement, she said, “I don’t know if I’m going to say that, but yeah, it’s possible.”
