Kathleen Kennedy said she felt “a bit of relief” after stepping down as Lucasfilm president, reflecting on 14 years leading the Star Wars studio during an interview at Bloomberg’s Screentime event in Los Angeles. The former studio chief said the job of following George Lucas was an “incredible challenge”.
The comments were reported by IGN. The Hollywood Reporter also covered Kennedy’s conversation with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Brad Stone. Kennedy stepped down from the presidency in January and has since returned to producing.
Kathleen Kennedy on balancing Star Wars fans
Asked about the difficulty of serving longtime fans while attracting a broader audience, Kennedy described the tension between protecting what people value and making something new. The franchise, she said, has been around for 50 years, and finding that balance is the hardest part of making a new story within it.
“I suppose there’s a bit of relief. These jobs are not easy and stepping into something like that that George [Lucas] had created was an incredible challenge.”
Kathleen Kennedy, via The Hollywood Reporter
She said executives have to listen to fans “without making that be a referendum”, while giving filmmakers room to bring their own ideas to the galaxy. The Hollywood Reporter described her tenure as drawing both backlash, particularly around The Acolyte, and praise for Andor.
Asked about regrets, Kennedy did not name a specific project. She said no film-business run produces a perfect hit every time and that she values the post-mortems that help a studio understand what worked and what did not. She said she remained proud of the work made during her tenure.
Kathleen Kennedy’s 14 years at Lucasfilm
Kennedy became Lucasfilm president in 2012, after George Lucas chose her to lead the company. Disney acquired the studio that year. The official transition announcement describes her departure as a move back to full-time producing after 14 years at the top.
Her own examples of work she was proudest of included relaunching the theatrical series with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and overseeing Andor and The Mandalorian. Lucasfilm’s announcement credited her tenure with the expansion of the franchise across films and television; it says The Force Awakens and Rogue One each passed $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Several projects discussed during Kennedy’s tenure never reached production, while released films and series drew sharply different responses. She said she learned from post-mortems rather than expecting every film to land. Tbreak has previously covered Andor’s streaming audience, one of the series she named among her proudest achievements.
Kennedy also discussed the difficult personnel decisions associated with running a major studio. Asked about the removal of Phil Lord and Chris Miller from Solo, she said, “Well, that really only happened once, thank god.” The Hollywood Reporter has separately reported that Tony Gilroy was brought in to complete Rogue One alongside Gareth Edwards during reshoots.
Filoni and Brennan lead Lucasfilm as Kennedy produces
Lucasfilm announced in January that Dave Filoni would become president and chief creative officer, with Lynwen Brennan as co-president. Kennedy said she was returning to producing rather than leaving filmmaking. She remains attached to Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, which is due in 2027.
That puts the handover in practical terms: Filoni leads creative decisions at the studio, Brennan shares the presidency, and Kennedy can continue developing individual films without running Lucasfilm’s day-to-day operation. Tbreak has reported on the Starfighter story and its “wrong side of the galaxy” premise.
Kennedy’s comments leave the franchise’s argument over what fans want unresolved. She described it as a balance rather than a formula, and the people now leading Lucasfilm will have to make that calculation across the next wave of films and series.
What does a post-mortem mean in filmmaking?
It is a review of a completed film or production, looking at what worked, what did not and what the team can learn for its next project. Kennedy said she values that process.
What did Kathleen Kennedy produce before Lucasfilm?
She was a longtime Steven Spielberg collaborator and co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Spielberg and Frank Marshall. Her credits include E.T., Back to the Future and Jurassic Park.
Does leaving Lucasfilm mean Kennedy is leaving Star Wars?
No. She has stepped down as studio president but remains involved as a producer on Star Wars projects, including Starfighter. She is no longer responsible for running Lucasfilm day to day.
Who leads Lucasfilm after Kennedy?
Dave Filoni is president and chief creative officer, while Lynwen Brennan is co-president. The official announcement assigns Filoni the creative leadership title and names Brennan as co-president.
