In the past week or so, we’ve seen a lot of speculation about the future of Kathleen Kennedy at Lucasfilm. First, the report dropped that she would be out by the end of 2025. Then, The Hollywood Reporter chimed in with its list of possible replacements for Kennedy.
However, in speaking to Deadline, Kennedy revealed she’s not going anywhere anytime soon. “I am not retiring. I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies,” Kennedy said. “That is the first thing that’s important to say. I am not retiring.”
Kennedy is still thinking about the future, though, and does admit she has been speaking about succession. “We have an amazing bench of people here, and we have every intention of making an announcement months or a year down the road. We are in lockstep as to what that’s going to be, and I am continuing,” she said. “I’m producing the Mandalorian movie right now, and I’m also producing Shawn Levy’s movie, which is after that. So I’m continuing to stay at Lucasfilm…So that is all underway, and we have every right to make that announcement when we want to make it.”
So, Kennedy remains firm she’s not going anywhere in the meantime, but what’s interesting is that she’s adamant she’ll die making movies, but doesn’t necessarily refer strictly to Star Wars movies. Perhaps she will move on from a galaxy far, far away at some point, letting someone else take the helm at Lucasfilm so she can focus on other projects.