This just in-
it does appear Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as head of LucasFilm after 14 years. She is not retiring as some outlets are reporting. Rather, she is returning to producing, which she has done across her 50-year career for little franchises like “Star Wars,” and “Indiana Jones.”
Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan will be taking Kennedy’s place. Filoni will serve as President and Chief Creative Officer, with Brennan as Co-President.
“My love of storytelling was shaped by the films of Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas. I never dreamed I would be privileged to learn the craft of filmmaking from both of them,” Filoni said. “From Rey to Grogu, Kathy has overseen the greatest expansion in Star Wars storytelling onscreen that we have ever seen. I am incredibly grateful to Kathy, George, Bob Iger and Alan Bergman for their trust and the opportunity to lead Lucasfilm in this new role, doing a job I truly love. May the Force be with you.”
“Lucasfilm has played such a meaningful part in my life,” Brennan said. “It’s a community of inspiring storytellers with a rebel spirit like no other, and I am honored to join Dave Filoni in leading us forward. I have been so fortunate to learn from George Lucas, Kathy Kennedy and Alan Bergman and have unwavering faith in Dave’s creative vision for the next chapter in this storied studio’s legacy.”
It’s worth noting Kennedy chose her successors, and has been planning this shift for at least two years, as she told Deadline:
“Two years ago, I went to Bob and Alan to figure out what the transition plan would be and I made the recommendation that it be Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, the latter of whom has been running the business alongside me. She comes out of ILM 16 years as the general manager and then transitioned into being the general manager for Lucasfilm. She has been my key financial partner, my business partner running the company. Dave is the perfect person to transition, but he hadn’t made a movie and I worked very closely with him beginning with Rogue One to get him a feel of how live-action works. His background is animation, as he worked with George on Clone Wars. He’s very talented and immersed in Star Wars. He and Pablo Hidalgo are like the walking encyclopedias inside the company. They always have the answer when you ask, “Hey, can I do this with a lightsaber?” Or, “What colors were the sabers?” Or anything else you need to know with what has come before. Dave has now spent all of the seasons of Mandalorian working with Jon Favreau, who’s been a great mentor to him. And then he went off and did Ahsoka, which came from some of the stories he was telling in Clone Wars. He was able to create the Season 1 of Ahsoka, and now he’s just finished directing some of Season 2, and writing all the episodes. He finished that in October. But my point is we’ve been talking about this for two years.”
You can read the official report from StarWars.com here.
