Kathleen Kennedy Expected to Step Down as Lucasfilm President in 2025

It is being reported that the longtime president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, will step down at the end of 2025 when her current contract expires. 

Kennedy joined Lucasfilm in 2012 as co-chair alongside Star Wars creator George Lucas. Following Disney's $4 billion acquisition of the company, Lucas exited, and Kennedy became president. Under her leadership, "Star Wars" was revitalized with the sequel trilogy, beginning with 2015's "The Force Awakens", as well as the critically acclaimed spinoff "Rogue One" (2016). She also spearheaded the franchise's expansion into streaming with hit series such as "The Mandalorian" and "Andor".

"The Force Awakens" remains the highest-grossing domestic film of all time with $936 million ($2 billion globally), but the sequel trilogy saw diminishing returns. The final installment, "The Rise of Skywalker" (2019), earned $1 billion—still a major success, but half of "The Force Awakens"' total. Compounding the issue was "Solo: A Star Wars Story" (2018), which became the first "Star Wars" film to lose money in theaters.

Since "The Rise of Skywalker", Lucasfilm has faced challenges in bringing "Star Wars" back to the big screen. Projects from filmmakers such as James Mangold, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Taika Waititi, and Donald Glover have been announced but have yet to materialize. Meanwhile, planned films from "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins, Marvel's Kevin Feige, "The Last Jedi" director Rian Johnson, and "Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have been shelved.

Beyond "Star Wars", Kennedy also oversaw 2023's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny", the long-awaited fifth film in the franchise. However, the film struggled at the box office, grossing $383 million globally against a $295 million budget.

Despite these setbacks, Lucasfilm is working on its theatrical comeback with "The Mandalorian & Grogu", a continuation of the hit Disney+ series starring Pedro Pascal, slated for a 2026 release. Also, "X-Men" filmmaker Simon Kinberg is said to be developing a new "Star Wars" trilogy.