Kathleen Kennedy Addresses Retirement Rumors, Reveals Star Wars Succession Strategy
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has responded to recent reports about her retirement plans, firmly stating that she has no intention of retiring. Earlier this week, Puck News claimed that Kennedy, a veteran film producer, was set to retire at the end of her contract in 2025. The report also mentioned that she had considered retiring in 2024 but delayed the decision. While Variety labeled the story as "pure speculation," The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the report.
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In her response to Deadline, Kennedy clarified that she is working with Disney CEO Bob Iger on a succession plan, acknowledging that Star Wars Rebels creator and current Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni is in a strong position to succeed her. Despite this, she emphasized, "The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring."
"I will never retire from movies," Kennedy added. "I will die making movies. That is the first thing that’s important to say. I am not retiring." She confirmed that Lucasfilm plans to announce a succession plan in the coming months or a year, but she will continue to stay 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 that while she is planning to step down from her role as president of Lucasfilm, she is not leaving the company or the film industry. "I’m not going to be here forever," she stated. "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."
When asked directly by Deadline if she would step down as Lucasfilm boss this year, Kennedy responded that she did not know "at this stage," but assured that any decision would be "100% my decision." She did not confirm whether Filoni would take over her role.
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