A Disturbance in the Force: What Kathleen Kennedy’s Departure Means for the Future of Star Wars

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Kathleen Kennedy has often faced criticism from Star Wars fans, even becoming the focus of a recent South Park episode that jokingly blamed her for everything. Now, she’s stepping down as president of Lucasfilm. Two people will take her place: Dave Filoni, a longtime mentee of George Lucas, will oversee the creative side, and Lynwen Brennan, an experienced leader from Industrial Light & Magic, will manage the business operations.

As George Lucas prepared to sell Lucasfilm to Disney, he personally appointed Kennedy to lead the company. Disney CEO Bob Iger wrote in his memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime, that while it wasn’t unwelcome, the timing – learning the company was about to be sold while agreeing to run it – surprised Kennedy. Iger believed this was Lucas’s way of ensuring a trusted leader would safeguard his creation, and Disney honored that wish. Now that Kennedy is leaving, what does this mean for the future of the Star Wars franchise?

George Lucas’ Protege Is Now Running Star Wars’ Creative Direction

George Lucas’ impact on Star Wars won’t diminish with this new structure. Dave Filoni has long been considered Lucas’s apprentice, having collaborated closely on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. However, Filoni is much more than just someone carrying on Lucas’s work; he brings his own unique vision to the franchise. While his opinions are often seen as authoritative due to his history, they frequently diverge from Lucas’s, sometimes in nuanced ways. It’s important to remember that Filoni is an independent creative force, a point he himself would emphasize.

Through shows like The Mandalorian, we’ve seen how Dave Filoni leads – he’s acted as a guide and mentor to other show creators, like Jon Favreau. Because he’s worked with Star Wars for so long, Filoni deeply understands the appeal of its detailed history, though he sometimes finds it challenging to make shows easy for new viewers to enjoy. Having worked on Clone Wars, he’s naturally good at attracting fans of the prequel films, but to meet Disney’s focus on younger audiences (Gen Z), he’ll need to broaden his approach.

While Dave Filoni is known for his distinct style in Star Wars, he won’t necessarily be imposing it on future projects. He’s consistently emphasized the value of teamwork and has always seen his role as supporting other creators’ ideas. In an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Filoni explained that the most important thing is letting the story’s creator lead the way. He described his role as more of a mentor – like Obi-Wan Kenobi – helping others confidently pursue their vision and trust their instincts.

Why Dave Filoni Is Sharing His Role

Dave Filoni will be sharing leadership of Lucasfilm with Lynwen Brennan, a long-time executive from Industrial Light & Magic with a strong background in management. The president’s job has grown significantly in recent years, becoming almost too much for one person. Several studios have started using co-presidents to address this, and Lucasfilm is following suit. Brennan’s organizational skills will help keep things running efficiently, allowing Filoni to focus on his creative work. Given his enthusiasm for connecting with fans, Filoni will likely continue to be the main public representative for Lucasfilm.

Known as a leader in her field – recognized with both a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Hollywood’s Visual Effects Society – Brennan began her career with Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) on Jurassic Park. She later joined ILM in an entry-level position for The Phantom Menace and quickly advanced. Since 2015, she’s been Lucasfilm’s general manager, overseeing the daily operations of all Lucasfilm companies, including ILM. Her comprehensive understanding of Lucasfilm’s interconnected storytelling makes her an ideal choice as co-president.

Star Wars’ Future Is Already In Motion

So, I was reading an interview with Kathleen Kennedy over at Deadline, and it’s all starting to make sense now. Apparently, she actually identified Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau as her successors about two years ago. That explains everything! It’s no surprise that Lucasfilm’s movie plans started shifting right around then. Remember all those projects announced at Celebration 2023? They’ve kind of taken a backseat. Instead, we’re getting completely new stuff. Like, The Mandalorian & Grogu movie was announced in January 2024, Jonathan Tropper started writing Star Wars: Starfighter in July, and Simon Kinberg is now working on a whole new trilogy – commissioned just four months after that! Honestly, it feels like a new era for Star Wars has already begun.

When Kennedy arrived at Lucasfilm, the company lacked a solid plan for developing new projects, which contributed to a reputation for internal struggles. She’s been working to prevent those issues from happening again, and recent productions like The Mandalorian & Grogu and the upcoming Starfighter finished filming smoothly, with no reports of creative disagreements or budget problems – a positive trend. Kinberg is scheduled to submit scripts in March, indicating that the first film in his planned trilogy is likely to be the next project.

In her exit interview, Kennedy gave an update on several other upcoming Star Wars films:

  • Taika Waititi and Donald Glover have both handed in scripts for their films, and Kennedy believes these two projects are “still somewhat alive.”
  • James Mangold and Beau Willimon have completed a script for their “Dawn of the Jedi” film, “but it is definitely breaking the mold and it’s on hold.”
  • Kennedy specifically mentioned the abandoned project The Hunt for Ben Solo, with a script submitted by Steve Soderbergh, Adam Driver, and Scott Burns; “It was just great,” she noted. “Anything’s a possibility if somebody’s willing to take a risk.”
  • She remained curiously silent about Daisy Ridley’s return and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s “New Jedi Order” film, both announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023.

TV is becoming less of a priority for Disney, as their initial plans for Disney+ haven’t quite worked out as expected. Now, Disney’s main studios are focusing more on releasing movies in theaters, which means fewer TV shows will be made for Disney+. Currently, only one live-action Star Wars series – Season 2 of Ahsoka – is confirmed to be in development. While the peak of Star Wars television might be behind us, this could actually be positive. It will give creators more time to focus on quality and help prevent the brand from becoming overexposed. We can anticipate hearing about projects slated for release in 2027 in the near future.

Don’t Expect Development to “Go Into Hyperdrive”

I’ve been reading over at THR, and they’re suggesting things at Lucasfilm are about to really speed up with the new team in charge. But honestly, I think it’ll be more cautious than that. Disney’s learned its lesson about stretching brands too thin, so I expect a slower, more deliberate approach. What’s really interesting is The Mandalorian & Grogu movie. It feels like Lucasfilm is trying something new – a smaller, more contained story. They’ve had trouble with budgets lately, and this seems designed to keep costs down. It probably won’t be a blockbuster, but because it’s cheaper to make, it’s almost guaranteed to turn a profit before it even hits streaming. If this model works – and I think it could – I’m predicting we’ll see a lot more Star Wars stories told this way.

Honestly, what everyone really wants is for Star Wars to feel special again, like a big event. This new game, Starfighter, seems like a good first step – it’s coming out for the 50th anniversary and they’ve clearly cast actors who appeal to a younger audience. Looking ahead, there are bound to be some missteps, but I think Dave Filoni and Kathleen Brennan are starting with a much better foundation than Kathleen Kennedy had when she took the lead. I’m really hoping they’ll start sharing their bigger ideas soon so we can get a clearer picture of where they’re taking the franchise.

Did Lucasfilm make the right decision? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-16 16:41