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 claimed that the veteran film producer planned to retire at the end of her contract this year, having previously considered stepping down in 2024. While Variety reported that a source close to Kennedy dismissed the story as "pure speculation," The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the report.

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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. 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 further emphasized her commitment to filmmaking, 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."

While Kennedy acknowledged that Lucasfilm intends to announce a succession plan "months or a year down the road," she confirmed her ongoing involvement with the company. This includes producing the upcoming Mandalorian movie and a Star Wars film directed by Shawn Levy, known for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Kennedy's comments suggest that while she is planning to step down from her role as president of Lucasfilm, she has no intention of leaving the company or retiring 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."

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." During her tenure, she has overseen the production of the new sequel trilogy (Star Wars Episodes 7-9) and spearheaded the franchise's expansion into streaming with series like 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 have been divisive, and films like Solo: A Star Wars Story faced financial losses.

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