Kathleen Kennedy Addresses Retirement Rumors, Reveals Star Wars Succession Plan

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has responded to 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 this year, having previously considered stepping down in 2024. While Variety dismissed the story as "pure speculation," The Hollywood Reporter corroborated Puck's claims.

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20 ImagesAddressing the speculation directly, Kennedy told Deadline that she is collaborating with Disney CEO Bob Iger on a succession plan after 13 years in her role. Star Wars Rebels creator and Lucasfilm's current chief creative officer, Dave Filoni, is reportedly a strong contender for the position. However, Kennedy firmly stated, "The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring."

She emphasized her passion for filmmaking, declaring, "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 acknowledged that Lucasfilm intends to announce a succession plan in the coming months or a year, she affirmed her commitment to continuing at Lucasfilm. Her ongoing projects include producing the upcoming Mandalorian movie and a Star Wars film directed by Shawn Levy, known for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Kennedy's comments suggest a planned transition from her current role as Lucasfilm president, but she is not stepping away from the company or the film industry. She remarked, "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/Getty Images for Disney.Kennedy also refuted any suggestions of being "pushed aside" or "in need of being replaced," calling such claims "absolutely not the case" and "could not be further from the truth." Under her leadership, Lucasfilm has navigated the new sequel trilogy (Star Wars Episodes 7-9) and ventured into the streaming era 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 have been major successes, others, such as Solo: A Star Wars Story, have faced financial challenges and mixed reception.

When asked directly by Deadline about stepping down this year, Kennedy responded that she didn't know "at this stage," but emphasized that any such decision would be "100% my decision." She remained non-committal about Filoni taking over her role.