Now Is the Perfect Time To Make Amends for Kathleen Kennedy’s Biggest Star Wars Regret

by

Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm, has a major regret regarding the direction of Star Wars that could still be fixed. Disney’s management of the franchise hasn’t been smooth, to say the least. When Disney bought Star Wars from George Lucas, the company was benefiting from the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, built by Kevin Feige. This created high hopes for Disney’s plans for Star Wars, as it had been a long time since fans had seen new stories from that universe, and a new company taking over promised fresh content in a world they loved.

Reviving the space opera and making it appealing to today’s audiences turned out to be more difficult than expected. While some projects, like Andor, were highly praised, others sparked disagreement. As Kathleen Kennedy’s tenure at Lucasfilm ended, she openly reflected on her time leading the incredibly popular franchise, and shared one specific regret.

Kathleen Kennedy Admitted To Regretting Solo: A Star Wars Story

In a 2026 interview with Deadline, Kennedy reflected on her time at Lucasfilm and admitted to some regrets. While she defended her choices overall, she felt the production of Solo: A Star Wars Story was problematic, not necessarily the movie itself, but how it was made. She specifically noted that Alden Ehrenreich faced a difficult challenge taking on such a famous role. Though she thought he performed well, Kennedy believed the timing of the prequel wasn’t ideal, stating they “did it too soon” conceptually.

Released in 2018, Solo: A Star Wars Story was the second standalone film in the Star Wars franchise, following Rogue One. The film, starring Alden Ehrenreich, was directed by Ron Howard, but he took over after the original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, were removed during production. This happened during a time when many big-budget movies were facing public disagreements between the filmmakers and the studios, leaving audiences with a released version and a separate, unreleased cut.

Kathleen Kennedy, the head of Lucasfilm, later expressed regret about the timing of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which served as an origin story for Han Solo. She realized that replacing Harrison Ford in the role was simply impossible. Released in May 2018—less than three years after his character’s death in The Force Awakens—the film came too soon for fans still mourning the loss. Instead of being an enjoyable adventure, Alden Ehrenreich’s portrayal of a young Han Solo served as a painful reminder of Ford’s tragic exit.

The Current State Of Star Wars Makes It The Perfect Time To Do Solo 2

Kennedy was spot-on – Alden Ehrenreich did a remarkable job as Han Solo, especially considering how strongly Harrison Ford is associated with the character. Despite some problems with the movie’s story and speed, Ehrenreich’s performance was a highlight. He was the best part of Solo: A Star Wars Story, and deserved another chance to play the role. Now, with the current direction of Star Wars, he’s getting that opportunity.

Even though Kathleen Kennedy has moved into a different role, the new leaders at Lucasfilm – Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan – should think about making a sequel to Solo. The first movie showed that Han and Chewbacca often found themselves in the rougher, more dangerous parts of the Star Wars galaxy. Solo introduced a lot of compelling characters who weren’t connected to the Jedi or Sith, like Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), a young Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), Dryden Voss (Paul Bettany), and Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke).

Rather than focusing on the glamorous side of the galaxy, these stories delve into its grittier, more hidden corners. We’re seeing this change with shows like Andor and Maul: Shadow Lord, and it will continue with the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie. A continuation of the Solo story would be a great fit for this trend – offering a lot of exciting possibilities without disrupting what we already know about the Star Wars universe.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/the-mandalorian-grogu-can-break-a-21-year-star-wars-curse-disney-has-been-trying-to-since-the-force-awakens/embed/#

Read More

2026-03-12 22:15