Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced her departure from the production company after 14 years. The change of hands in leadership was apparently inevitable, even though Kennedy led the Star Wars franchise into the highly successful galaxy that it is today. So, why did she leave Lucasfilm?
“It has been a true privilege to spend more than a decade working alongside the extraordinary talent at Lucasfilm,” Kennedy said in a public statement in January 2026. “Their creativity and dedication have been an inspiration, and I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished together. I’m excited to continue developing films and television with both longtime collaborators and fresh voices who represent the future of storytelling.”
Here’s what we know about Kennedy’s departure and what this means for the company going forward.
Kennedy — who has no direct relation to the late former President John F. Kennedy or his family — is a film producer. She is the co-founder of Amblin Entertainment, Steven Spielberg‘s production company, and made a name for herself by working as a producer on Spielberg’s box office classic E.T. the Extra Terrestrial.
As the leader of Lucasfilm, Kennedy has overseen production on multiple Star Wars hits, including the sequel trilogy, Rogue One, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka and The Acolyte.
Kennedy didn’t specify the reason behind her exit, though it’s been in the works for quite some time. During a February 2025 interview with Deadline, the producer clarified that she was “not retiring” from the film industry, but she was “talking” to Disney CEO Bob Iger and co-chair Alan Bergman about “eventual succession.”
“The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring. I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies,” Kennedy said at the time. “That is the first thing that’s important to say. I am not retiring. What’s happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both Bob and Alan about what eventual succession might look like.”
