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Kathleen Kennedy Addresses Retirement Rumors, Reveals Star Wars Succession Strategy

by Christopher May 05,2025

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has firmly addressed recent reports suggesting her retirement in 2025. Earlier this week, Puck News stated that the veteran film producer was set to retire at the end of her contract this year, having previously considered stepping down in 2024. While Variety dismissed the report as "pure speculation," The Hollywood Reporter corroborated Puck's claims.

Amidst the swirling rumors, Kennedy herself has now responded. According to Deadline, she is actively working with Disney CEO Bob Iger on a succession plan, with Star Wars Rebels creator and Lucasfilm's current chief creative officer, Dave Filoni, reportedly in a "strong position" to succeed her. However, Kennedy was unequivocal in her statement: "The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring."

Kennedy further emphasized her dedication to filmmaking, stating, "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." She confirmed that Lucasfilm plans to make an announcement about her succession "months or a year down the road," but she is "continuing to stay at Lucasfilm." This includes her involvement in producing upcoming projects like the Mandalorian movie and a Star Wars film directed by Shawn Levy of Deadpool & Wolverine fame.

While it appears that Kennedy is preparing to eventually step down from her role as president, she made it clear that she is not leaving the company or retiring from the movie industry. She reflected on her tenure, saying, "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 firmly rejected any notion that she is being "pushed aside" or "in need of being replaced," asserting that such claims are "absolutely not the case" and "could not be further from the truth." Her time at Lucasfilm has included overseeing the new sequel trilogy (Star Wars Episodes 7-9) and the launch of Star Wars' streaming ventures, such as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Andor, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte. While some projects like Star Wars: The Force Awakens were major successes, others, like Solo: A Star Wars Story, were less financially successful and sparked debate among fans.

When directly asked by Deadline if she would step down as Lucasfilm boss this year, Kennedy responded that she did not know "at this stage," but affirmed that any decision to step down would be "100% my decision." She remained non-committal about whether Filoni would take over her role.