Kathleen Kennedy has long been a lightning rod for controversy in the Star Wars fandom. She even became the subject of a South Park special proclaiming that “Everything is Kathleen Kennedy’s fault,” an attitude that perfectly sums up some of her most vocal critics. Now, Kennedy has announced the end of her time as Lucasfilm president. She’ll be replaced by two co-presidents; George Lucas protege Dave Filoni (in charge of creative direction), and ILM stalwart Lynwen Brennan, who’ll run the business side.
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Kennedy was appointed by George Lucas himself as he prepared to sell Lucasfilm to Disney. “It didn’t upset us,” Disney CEO Bob Iger recalled in his autobiography The Ride of a Lifetime, “but it did come as a surprise, just as it surprised Kathy to learn that the company she was agreeing to run was about to be sold!” Iger saw this as one final way for Lucas to ensure someone he trusted was in charge of his legacy, and Disney respected that judgment. So what does her departure mean for the future of Star Wars?
George Lucas’ Protege Is Now Running Star Wars’ Creative Direction
George Lucas’ influence certainly isn’t going to lessen after this restructure. Dave Filoni has always been seen as Lucas’ protege, given he worked so closely with Lucas on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. That said, it’s important to remember that Filoni is far more than just a continuation of Lucas, and he has his own perspectives on the franchise. Many of Filoni’s opinions – often treated as definitive because of his background – differ to Lucas’, sometimes only in subtle ways. So we should always recognize that Filoni is his own man, as he would admit.
We’ve gotten a sense of what Filoni’s leadership will look like through the various Star Wars TV shows, where he’s served as something of a guide and mentor to showrunners like Jon Favreau. Filoni’s long experience with Star Wars means he understands the attraction of deep lore, although he sometimes struggles to balance this in terms of making a series accessible. Given his Clone Wars background, Filoni naturally knows how to appeal to the core prequel audience, but he’ll need to step beyond that to align with Disney’s Gen Z priority.
Don’t expect Filoni’s signature style to define Star Wars from this point on, though. He’s always stressed the importance of collaborative leadership, insisting his previous role as Chief Creative Officer was purely to help other creatives realize their visions. “The creative of the particular story, driving it, is kind of the most important thing,” Filoni insisted in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “At best you’re Obi-Wan, and everyone coming in is going to make their trench run, and you’re just trying to get them to let go and trust their instincts, and trust the process, and do what they’re doing.”
Why Dave Filoni Is Sharing His Role
Filoni is sharing his new position with Lynwen Brennan, an ILM veteran with vast leadership experience. The role of president has expanded over the last decade, to the point where it’s increasingly felt impossible; this has led several studios to experiment with co-presidents, and Lucasfilm is simply the latest to do so. Brennan’s administrative skill will keep Lucasfilm organized, ensuring everything runs smoothly, while Filoni will be able to play to his creative strengths. It’s reasonable to assume Filoni will remain the “public face” and “mouthpiece,” given his love of fan engagement.
Brennan is generally seen as something of a powerhouse, recipient of a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Hollywood’s Visual Effects Society. She initially worked with ILM on Jurassic Park, before joining in an entry-level position for The Phantom Menace, and has since risen through the ranks. Since 2015, Brennan has served as Lucasfilm’s general manager – responsible not only for ILM, but for the day-to-day running of all Lucasfilm’s businesses. She’s familiar with every aspect of the transmedia franchise, making her perfect for the co-president role.
Star Wars’ Future Is Already In Motion
Speaking to Deadline as part of an exit interview, Kennedy revealed she identified Filoni and Brennan as her replacements two years ago. It’s no coincidence, then, that all Lucasfilm’s film plans began to change at that point; projects announced at Celebration 2023 were put on the backburner in favor of some whole new films. The Mandalorian & Grogu was announced in January 2024, Jonathan Tropper began work on scripts for Star Wars: Starfighter in July of that year, and Simon Kinberg was commissioned to write a new trilogy four months later. The new era has already begun.
Kennedy took over at a time when Lucasfilm didn’t have a development pipeline, a major reason Lucasfilm became known for its behind-the-scenes drama. She’s clearly been working with her successors to ensure they don’t face the same problem, and both The Mandalorian & Grogu and next year’s Starfighter completed filming without any accounts of creative conflict or budgetary issues – definitely a good sign. Kinberg is expected to hand over scripts to Lucasfilm in March, suggesting the first film in his trilogy will be next.
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.
The importance of TV is diminishing, with Disney realizing the original Disney+ vision hasn’t paid off. Major Disney studios have been ordered to ramp up theatrical releases, with a reduced number of Disney+ TV shows as a result; only one live-action Lucasfilm series is currently known to be in production (Filoni’s own Ahsoka Season 2). There’s a sense in which the golden age of Star Wars TV is probably over, but that’s likely a good thing, as it will allow more time for quality production and should prevent the brand becoming diluted. Still, we should expect announcements for 2027 releases soon.
Don’t Expect Development to “Go Into Hyperdrive”
THR has speculated that development will “go into hyperdrive under the new leadership,” but the reality may well be very different; Disney is now wary of brand dilution, so expect things to be careful and methodical. The Mandalorian & Grogu is essentially a whole new model for Lucasfilm, a studio that has struggled to keep costs under control; it’s a low-budget continuation of Star Wars’ most successful Disney+ TV show, and it won’t break box office records, but the low costs mean it will surely make a profit before becoming a hit on streaming. If it works out, expect more of the same.
The real goal will be to make Star Wars an event again, of course. Starfighter is a first attempt, an exciting project that will release as part of Star Wars’ 50th anniversary celebrations and notable for its Gen-Z-friendly cast. Looking beyond 2027, there will surely be stumbles along the way, but Filoni and Brennan are starting from a stronger position than Kennedy was when she stepped in as president. Hopefully it won’t be long before the two begin to discuss their own creative vision in more detail, and we get more of a sense of what’s coming next.
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