Kathleen Kennedy Says ‘Star Wars’ Fans With “Enormous Expectations” are the Low Point of Her Lucasfilm Presidency

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Kathleen Kennedy stepping down as president of Lucasfilm has been expected for some time. As she passes creative leadership to Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, she’s been looking back on her time overseeing such a massive franchise and considering her future. In a recent interview with Deadline, Kennedy identified the biggest challenge she faced as a small group of fans who consistently criticize the franchise for not living up to their high standards.

Having led Lucasfilm for over ten years, Kathleen Kennedy has experienced many challenges, but she identifies the constant negative reaction from some Star Wars fans as her biggest frustration. Specifically, she feels criticized for both failing to satisfy everyone and for not simply rehashing old storylines.

One challenge is that a small but vocal part of the fanbase has very high expectations and wants more of the same. If you deviate from that, you’re likely to disappoint them, and it’s hard to avoid that completely, as you can’t satisfy everyone. The best approach is to focus on telling compelling stories while staying true to the core values and spirit that George Lucas originally created in Star Wars. He built those important values and messages into the heart of the franchise.

Throughout his career, my main goal has been to maintain the joy, hope, and entertainment value of his work, and I wouldn’t alter that approach. I stand by all of our past decisions, recognizing that different people will naturally have varying preferences. However, those preferences won’t change the reasons behind my choices or the collaborators I selected.

Kennedy’s remarks bring to mind the negative reaction to The Last Jedi. While director Rian Johnson is a highly skilled filmmaker, the choices he made in the second Star Wars sequel film were so controversial that he faced significant backlash and was effectively sidelined, despite originally being chosen to create his own Star Wars trilogy.

‘Star Wars’ Fans are Also the High Point of Kathleen Kennedy’s Tenure at Lucasfilm


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It’s tempting to dwell on the negativity often found on social media, especially when a few individuals have a large audience to voice complaints. However, Kennedy isn’t criticizing the majority of Star Wars fans. This is clear from how she spoke about her time as president of Lucasfilm, stating:

One of the most rewarding things has been discovering how much people love Star Wars. Whether it’s the original movies or the newer shows, most people I meet – both inside and outside the entertainment industry – are fans. When I started working on this, I quickly realized we were entering a unique period. It had been over a decade since a Star Wars movie had been released, but the legacy of the films as some of the greatest ever made still resonated strongly.

Stepping into this project meant facing really high expectations. But we also knew we had to create fresh characters, broaden the scope of the story, and consider who we were making it for. That’s what I aimed for, and what I believe everyone I worked with over the past ten years also focused on. One of the biggest successes was attracting a new audience, and I think we successfully introduced compelling new characters – and we’re still doing that.

While Kennedy is stepping down as head of Lucasfilm, she’s not leaving the Star Wars universe entirely, as she’s open to producing future projects. With Dave Filoni, a key creative force in Star Wars, now in charge, the franchise is entering a new era that will likely have both exciting successes and challenges in the years to come.

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2026-01-16 16:21