Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has firmly 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. The report also mentioned that Kennedy had previously considered retiring in 2024 but delayed the decision. While Variety dismissed these claims as "pure speculation" through a source close to Kennedy, The Hollywood Reporter corroborated Puck's story.
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Kennedy has now personally responded to these speculations. According to Deadline, she is collaborating with Disney CEO Bob Iger on a succession plan after 13 years at the helm of Lucasfilm. Star Wars Rebels creator and current Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni is reportedly a leading candidate to succeed her. However, Kennedy was emphatic in her statement: “The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring.”
She further emphasized her dedication to filmmaking, stating, "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 confirmed plans for a future announcement regarding her succession, she assured that she will continue her role at Lucasfilm. Her current projects include producing the upcoming Mandalorian movie and a Star Wars film directed by Shawn Levy, known for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Kennedy acknowledged that her eventual departure from the presidency is on the horizon, but she is not leaving the company or the movie industry. She said, “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.”
Kathleen Kennedy at the launch of Disney+ Star Wars show the Acolyte. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Get
ty Images for Disney.
Kennedy also refuted any suggestions that she is being "pushed aside" or "in need of being replaced," stating, "that was absolutely not the case" and "could not be further from the truth." Her tenure has seen the launch of the new Star Wars sequel trilogy (Episodes 7-9), as well as the expansion into streaming with shows 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 some, such as Solo: A Star Wars Story, were financial disappointments.
When directly questioned by Deadline about stepping down as Lucasfilm boss this year, Kennedy replied that she did not know "at this stage," but emphasized that any decision would be "100% my decision." She did not confirm whether Filoni would take over her role.
