Longtime Star Wars boss steps down in Lucasfilm shakeup

Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down after 14 years leading Lucasfilm, to be succeeded by "The Mandalorian" executive producer Dave Filoni and co-president Lynwen Brennan.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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January 15, 2026 7:25 p.m. ET

Kathleen Kennedy at Star Wars Celebration in 2023. Credit:

Kate Green/Getty

Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as president of Lucasfilm after 14 influential years at the helm.

The production nucleus of the extended *Star Wars *media universe made the announcement on Thursday with a post to StarWars.com. Kennedy will step down and return to full-time producing, a career she embarked on alongside Steven Spielberg in 1982, joining George Lucas in helping usher *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom *into the world two years later.

Dave Filoni, one of the creative minds behind recent *Star Wars *properties like *The Mandalorian *and *Ahsoka*, will step in as president and chief creative officer at Lucasfilm. Lynwen Brennan, the company's longtime general manager and executive vice-president, joins Filoni as co-president.**

Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni.

Kevin Winter/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty; Jesse Grant/Getty

"My love of storytelling was shaped by the films of Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas. I never dreamed I would be privileged to learn the craft of filmmaking from both of them," Filoni shared alongside the announcement. "From Rey to Grogu, Kathy has overseen the greatest expansion in *Star Wars* storytelling onscreen that we have ever seen."

Brennan called the team at Lucasfilm a "community of inspiring storytellers with a rebel spirit like no other." She remarked that she's "honored to join Dave Filoni in leading us forward. I have been so fortunate to learn from George Lucas, Kathy Kennedy and Alan Bergman and have unwavering faith in Dave's creative vision for the next chapter in this storied studio's legacy."****

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Kennedy's tenure at Lucasfilm resulted in monumental changes at the production house that was inaugurated in 1971 by Lucas, six years before he would direct the first *Star Wars *film.

Coming from decades of producing hits like *E.T.*, *The Bridges of Madison County*, and *The Sixth Sense*, Kennedy joined Lucas as co-chair of Lucasfilm. She was promoted to president in a matter of months, while at the same time, Disney put the finishing touches on its acquisition of the company.

Kennedy revamped Lucasfilm for the modern era, inaugurating the celebrated sequel trilogy, launching a prolific new era of TV riffs of *Star Wars *lore, and folding dynamic filmmakers like J.J. Abrams, Rian Johnson, and Filoni into the mix.**

Still from 'The Mandalorian & Grogu'.

But Lucasfilm's Kennedy era wasn't without its flops and misfires. 2018's *Solo: A Star Wars Story* proved a notable under-performer at the box office, and Kennedy was criticized for shelving or otherwise abandoning projects like *Star Wars: Detours* and Jonson's planned trilogy of films.

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Filoni has worked at Lucasfilm for over two decades. A personal mentee of Lucas, Filoni is the driving force behind some of the most glowingly received projects in the company's recent glut, including Disney+'s *The Mandalorian*. Brennan, meanwhile, worked at Lucas' feted effects house Industrial Light & Magic for over two decades before boarding Lucasfilm on the business side in 2015.

Next up on Filoni and Brennan's slate are Jon Favreau's *The Mandalorian and Grogu*, coming later this year, and *Star Wars: Starfighter*, starring Ryan Gosling and scheduled for 2027.**

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