'Star Wars' Boss Kathleen Kennedy Steps Down From Lucasfilm (apnews.com)
(Friday January 16, 2026 @05:00AM (BeauHD)
from the change-of-leadership dept.)
- Reference: 0180595250
- News link: https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/26/01/16/0410251/star-wars-boss-kathleen-kennedy-steps-down-from-lucasfilm
- Source link: https://apnews.com/article/kathleen-kennedy-lucasfilm-star-wars-6efdc6aa477e413e46af366745dcceec
After more than 13 years leading Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy [1]is stepping down . "When George Lucas asked me to take over Lucasfilm upon his retirement, I couldn't have imagined what lay ahead," said Kennedy. "It has been a true privilege to spend more than a decade working alongside the extraordinary talent at Lucasfilm." The Associated Press reports:
> The Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday that it will now turn to Dave Filoni to steer "Star Wars," as president and chief creative officer, into its sixth decade and beyond. Filoni, who served as the chief commercial officer of Lucasfilm, will inherit the mantle of one of the movies marquee franchises, alongside Lynwen Brennan, president and general manager of Lucasfilm's businesses, who will serve as co-president.
>
> Kennedy, Lucas' handpicked successor, had presided over the ever-expanding science-fiction world of "Star Wars" since Disney [2]acquired it in 2012 . In announcing Thursday's news, Bob Iger, chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Co. called her "a visionary filmmaker." Kennedy oversaw a highly lucrative but often contentious period in "Star Wars" history that yielded a blockbuster trilogy and acclaimed streaming spinoffs such as "The Mandalorian" and "Andor," yet found increasing frustration from longtime fans.
>
> Under Kennedy's stewardship, Lucasfilm amassed more than $5.6 billion in box office and helped establish Disney+ as a streaming destination -- achievements that easily validated the $4.05 billion Disney plunked down for the company. But Kennedy also struggled to deliver the big-screen magic that Lucas captured in the original trilogy from the late 1970s and early 1980s, and her relationship with "Star Wars" loyalists became a saga of its own.
[1] https://apnews.com/article/kathleen-kennedy-lucasfilm-star-wars-6efdc6aa477e413e46af366745dcceec
[2] https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/12/10/30/2018219/disney-to-acquire-lucasfilm-star-wars-episode-7-due-in-2015
> The Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday that it will now turn to Dave Filoni to steer "Star Wars," as president and chief creative officer, into its sixth decade and beyond. Filoni, who served as the chief commercial officer of Lucasfilm, will inherit the mantle of one of the movies marquee franchises, alongside Lynwen Brennan, president and general manager of Lucasfilm's businesses, who will serve as co-president.
>
> Kennedy, Lucas' handpicked successor, had presided over the ever-expanding science-fiction world of "Star Wars" since Disney [2]acquired it in 2012 . In announcing Thursday's news, Bob Iger, chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Co. called her "a visionary filmmaker." Kennedy oversaw a highly lucrative but often contentious period in "Star Wars" history that yielded a blockbuster trilogy and acclaimed streaming spinoffs such as "The Mandalorian" and "Andor," yet found increasing frustration from longtime fans.
>
> Under Kennedy's stewardship, Lucasfilm amassed more than $5.6 billion in box office and helped establish Disney+ as a streaming destination -- achievements that easily validated the $4.05 billion Disney plunked down for the company. But Kennedy also struggled to deliver the big-screen magic that Lucas captured in the original trilogy from the late 1970s and early 1980s, and her relationship with "Star Wars" loyalists became a saga of its own.
[1] https://apnews.com/article/kathleen-kennedy-lucasfilm-star-wars-6efdc6aa477e413e46af366745dcceec
[2] https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/12/10/30/2018219/disney-to-acquire-lucasfilm-star-wars-episode-7-due-in-2015
So this is the culprit (Score:2)
by shm ( 235766 )
I saw Star Wars the day it came out. I have the originals on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray. (Han did fire first, BTW)
While I remember dialogue from the original trilogy, and I vaguely know the plot lines of the prequels, I have absolutely no idea what happens in the last three episodes of the series. It's a blank.
Re: (Score:2)
As a viewer, we got Rogue 1, Andor, and Last Jedi. She seems to have done her best to avoid giving us more of that - more shows for adults, not focused on selling toys. So I'm not going be too upset over her departure.
Re: (Score:2)
For me, Star Wars is still only the original trilogy (the reworked fan edit being the best releasse).
Everything else that came after more or less doesn't fit well with those movies.
Re: (Score:2)
It's not the best phrasing, but that's just on the box office (after "Hollywood Math" has been applied), and it's a profit which is as far as many people will need to read. I'm pretty sure once you add in the TV shows for overseas broadcasts and people who subscribed to Disney+ specifically for them (less their production costs), all the license costs for all the toys/collectibles/video games, etc. produced by third parties, and all the other ways Disney rakes in money from the franchise it's even more fina