4 months ago
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Kathleen Kennedy is departing her relation arsenic president of Lucasfilm aft 14 years overseeing the modern epoch of Star Wars, marking a large enactment modulation astatine 1 of Hollywood’s astir influential studios.
Kathleen Kennedy volition measurement speech from day-to-day enactment and instrumentality to full-time producing, Lucasfilm announced Thursday. She has led the workplace since 2012, erstwhile Disney acquired Lucasfilm, guiding the relaunch and enlargement of the Star Wars franchise crossed movie and television.
Taking implicit the studio’s enactment volition beryllium Dave Filoni, who has been named president and main originative officer. He volition beryllium joined by longtime enforcement Lynwen Brennan, who steps into the relation of co-president. Filoni credited Kennedy with shaping the existent scenery of the franchise, saying her tenure oversaw “the top enlargement successful Star Wars storytelling onscreen.”
Kennedy was personally selected by Star Wars creator George Lucas to tally the institution and became president soon earlier Disney finalised its purchase. During her tenure, Lucasfilm released 5 Star Wars diagnostic films, opening with The Force Awakens, and launched a large slate of Disney+ bid including The Mandalorian, Ahsoka and Andor.
The play was marked by some large commercialized occurrence and nationalist scrutiny. While the sequel trilogy generated billions astatine the planetary container office, Solo: A Star Wars Story became the franchise’s archetypal theatrical underperformer. Kennedy besides faced disapproval from immoderate fans implicit originative decisions and the displacement distant from decades of expanded-universe canon.
Before Lucasfilm, Kennedy built 1 of the astir prolific producing careers successful modern cinema, collaborating extensively with Steven Spielberg connected films including E.T., Jurassic Park and The Sixth Sense.
Kennedy volition stay progressive with Lucasfilm arsenic a shaper connected upcoming projects, including The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter, which is slated for merchandise successful 2027.
“It has been a existent privilege to walk much than a decennary moving alongside the bonzer endowment astatine Lucasfilm,” Kennedy said. “I’m excited to proceed processing films and tv with some longtime collaborators and caller voices.”
