Kathleen Kennedy To Exit Lucasfilm by the End of The Year

After being the head of Lucasfilm for 12 years, news outlets like The Hollywood Reporter (via Puck), are saying that Kathleen Kennedy will step down at the end of the year.

In October 2012, when George Lucas went to Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, to sell Lucasfilm and ILM to Disney, one of the only things Lucas asked for during the short negotiation was that Kathleen Kennedy replace him as the head. When Iger quickly agreed and announced the sales price of $4 billion, the new era of Disney/Star Wars began.

Kathleen Kennedy had been a successful producer for several years, working on films like The Color Purple, the Back to the Future series, the Gremlins series, and Signs. But it was her relationship with George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg that cemented her as one of the top producers in Hollywood, helping bring Indiana Jones to the big screen, and several of Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated films. She has 8 Best Picture Oscar nominations for her works with Spielberg.

So, it didn’t come as shocking news that George Lucas trusted her to take on the mantle as the head of his life’s work. Shortly after the sale to Disney, Kennedy announced that Star Wars would be returning to the big screen. 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, as of the printing of this article, is the 5th highest-grossing film, with a global box office of $2.071 billion.

The relationship Kathleen Kennedy has had with Disney has been a success. The six Star Wars films and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, together have grossed over $6 billion. And that does not include all the merchandising. She also was a vital part of bringing Galaxy’s Edge to both the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. Giving millions of Star Wars fans a chance to meet their favorite characters in real life, fly the Millennium Falcon, and escape from the First Order.

But her legacy will be remembered for her efforts to bring Star Wars to the small screen through Disney Plus and some of the decisions she has made as the head of a major franchise.

We can’t discuss Kennedy’s time as the head of Lucasfilm without discussing the fan reactions to The Last Jedi, her changing directors of Solo: A Star Wars Story, and the removing of Colin Trevorrow from writing and directing the last film in the Skywalker Saga.

The production of The Last Jedi went off with no major issues. In fact, before it was released there were reports that Lucasfilm were going to have Ryan Johnson direct a trilogy of films. So, when the film was released in 2017, everyone involved had high hopes. The film did make $1.332 billion however it was divisive amongst the fans, with most of the blame falling on Johnson’s shoulders.

This was around the time when online content creators began to monetize hate while talking about film and television.

The fandom’s major issue, however, came with the announcement of the Han Solo origin movie. Phil Lord and Chris Miller were hired to direct a Lawrence and Jon Kasdan-written script. This film was a struggle from the beginning, with many fans asking why it was even happening in the first place. Then, several weeks into production Lord and Miller were removed as directors, replaced with Ron Howard. Reshoots, production costs, and a looming release date made fans feel even more that such a film was not needed.

People get fired from jobs all the time, but when it happens in the Star Wars Universe, the internet is lit abuzz. Bob Iger has stated in several interviews that he was the one pushing for the set date of the Solo release, forcing the film to not be as fleshed out as they had hoped. This, coming off the mixed reception to The Last Jedi and releasing only weeks after Avengers: Endgame led to Solo: A Star Wars Story being the first Star Wars “flop” at the box office in 2018.

Shortly thereafter, Kennedy removed Trevorrow from Episode IX leading to a mad scramble to get a director and script together, and the death of Carrie Fisher put the film behind the eight ball in the public’s eyes.

Filmmaking is a village working to complete a vision. There are hundreds of people operating together to get a movie made (producers, directors, writers, actors, set designers, clothing department, and even catering). If one of those departments struggles, it often means the film never makes it to the theater on time or even at all. This is amplified to a million when you put Star Wars on the project.

Kathleen Kennedy understands this very well. Fans, on the other hand, don’t. Many fans have unfairly pointed their hatred of the Disney era of Star Wars directly at Kennedy, forgetting that she is also responsible for several well-received shows and movies like, The Mandalorian, Andor, The Force Awakens, and recently, Skeleton Crew.

She has been an amazing leader for Lucasfilm. Thousands of people work for Lucasfilm and ILM and there has never been a word of her being a bad leader or boss from anyone there. Her legacy is one of leadership, technological advancements, and inclusion.

Let’s talk about who could replace Kennedy and take Lucasfilm into the future and beyond.

The first name, and possibly the #1 choice is Carrie Beck. Carrie has been Kennedy’s right-hand person for much of their time at Lucasfilm. She has been the producer on nearly every major Star Wars series on Disney+ and most of the films.

Second, is the two-headed creative monster of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. This seems to be the first choice for the fans online. This makes a lot of sense but Favreau may want to do more storytelling in and out of the Star Wars Universe. Filoni is already the Head of Creative Development and has his own series and movie to make. But they do make a great team. Filoni’s storytelling and Favreau’s producing and innovations feel like George Lucas’, just in two different people.

Third, Kevin Feige’s name has been mentioned, but he seems a bit busy with expanding the MCU multiverse. The Star Wars film he was reportedly developing has been shelved for the foreseeable future. This is highly unlikely, but there are certain reports (or rumors) that “insiders” have pushed for Feige to at least take a meeting.

Other names like Byrce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyima, Jon Watts, and Deborah Chow all have been successful working with Lucasfilm on different Disney+ series but these individuals don’t seem like the right fit to lead.

Some people have been saying that they are going to bring in someone from outside of the Disney/Lucasfilm family but this is not the way either one of those organizations works. They will hire from within. Although, I do hold the right to change my mind if the right person is hired.

At this point, I believe Carrie Beck is the next in line.

I have appreciated everything that Kathleen Kennedy has brought to us both in and out of the Star Wars IP. I hope she can enjoy her retirement. Or maybe help make some new films outside of Lucasfilm.

Author: Sean Miley

I’d rather find the things that I like about a story, movie, or tv show, than lead with negativity. I love Star Wars, Doctor Who, MCU, comic book and conventions.

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