After a 13-year tenure, Kathleen Kennedy has officially stepped down as president of Lucasfilm, the Disney subsidiary responsible for the Star Wars franchise. Her departure marks the end of the first post-Disney era that began when Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012.
Under Kennedy’s leadership, Star Wars expanded into a major global entertainment brand with blockbuster film sequels, standalone movies like Rogue One and Solo, and several high-profile TV series including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka and Andor.
Some of the franchise’s releases during her leadership sparked mixed reactions from audiences, most notably The Last Jedi, which received strong critical acclaim but divided fan opinion.
Kennedy’s responsibilities have now been passed to Dave Filoni, who will serve as Lucasfilm’s president and chief creative officer, alongside Lynwen Brennan, who will act as co-president focusing on business operations.