Kathleen Kennedy Addresses Retirement Rumors, Reveals Star Wars Succession Strategy

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has addressed recent reports suggesting her retirement in 2025. Earlier this week, Puck News reported that Kennedy, a seasoned film producer, planned to retire at the end of her contract this year. They also mentioned that she had considered retiring in 2024 but delayed her decision. While Variety dismissed the story as "pure speculation," The Hollywood Reporter corroborated the report.

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

She added, "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 announce a succession plan "months or a year down the road," but emphasized she is "continuing to stay at Lucasfilm." She will be involved in producing the upcoming Mandalorian movie and a Star Wars film directed by Shawn Levy, known for Deadpool & Wolverine.

It appears that while Kennedy is preparing to step down from her role as president of Lucasfilm, she has no plans to leave the company or retire from the film industry. 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."

Kathleen Kennedy at the launch of Disney+ Star Wars show the Acolyte. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney.Kennedy also firmly rejected any notion that she was being "pushed aside" or "in need of being replaced," asserting that such claims were "absolutely not the case" and "could not be further from the truth." Under her leadership, Lucasfilm has produced the sequel trilogy (Star Wars Episodes 7-9) and spearheaded the franchise's streaming ventures, including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Andor, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte. While films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens were massive successes, others like Solo: A Star Wars Story were less profitable and stirred controversy.

When Deadline directly asked Kennedy if she would step down as Lucasfilm's president this year, she responded that she didn't know "at this stage," but assured it would be "100% my decision." Kennedy also did not confirm whether Filoni was lined up for the top job.