Kathleen Kennedy will end her 14-year run at Lucasfilm. She will be replaced by not one, but two executives when she leaves the Walt Disney Company this year. Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni and President and General Manager Lynwen Brennan will both lead the company behind “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” as it looks to recapture its stride. Filoni’s elevation had been widely expected, but Brennan’s promotion is something of a surprise. It suggests that Disney felt the need to pair a strong filmmaking force with someone with a firm sense of budgets and balance sheets.
Filoni has been named president and chief creative officer, Lucasfilm, and Brennan has been named co-president. Their task will be to find ways to keep “Star Wars” fresh and relevant, as well as to deal with a fanbase that can be very vocal when it feels that a film or series is departing too drastically from the canon. Filoni and Brennan will report to Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment.
Kennedy will continue to have a relationship with the company and will serve as producer of the studio’s next two theatrical films, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” and “Star Wars: Starfighter,” which will hit theaters in 2026 and 2027. She will pursue other producing projects independently.Â
In a statement, Disney CEO Bob Iger, who is also expected to leave his role this year, praised Kennedy’s leadership. “When we acquired Lucasfilm more than a decade ago, we knew we were bringing into the Disney family not only one of the most beloved and enduring storytelling universes ever created, but also a team of extraordinary talent led by a visionary filmmaker – someone who had been handpicked by George Lucas himself, no less,” Iger said. “We’re deeply grateful for Kathleen Kennedy’s leadership, her vision, and her stewardship of such an iconic studio and brand.”
Kennedy is a widely respected producer who worked closely with Steven Spielberg for many years, but her tenure at Lucasfilm has had both highs and lows. She helped select J.J. Abrams to direct 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which went on to earn more than $2 billion, successfully bringing the franchise back to the big screens. Its two sequels also were box office hits, as was “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” a spinoff adventure.
However, 2018’s “Solo,” an attempt to look at the early years of Han Solo, failed at the box office and suffered from a chaotic production during which original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were fired and replaced with Ron Howard. Keeping filmmakers employed has been a consistent struggle for Kennedy, who has seen the likes of Patty Jenkins, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and Taika Waititi announce “Star Wars” movies of their own that never materialized or were cancelled because of creative differences. That’s left Disney with a seven-year gap in “Star Wars” films, one that will be filled when “The Mandalorian and Grogu” opens in theaters this summer. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” a 2023 sequel to the long-running action action franchise, also failed at the box office.
Kennedy has helped “Star Wars” enter the world of streaming, producing hit shows such as “The Mandalorian” and critically acclaimed series such as “Andor.” A few of these faltered, however. “The Acolyte,” for instance, was canceled after one season.
Filoni is a longtime veteran of Lucasfilm. He was selected by George Lucas in 2005 to build Lucasfilm’s animation studio and created its first series, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” and “Star Wars Rebels.” Filoni is the executive producer, episodic director and writer on some of the company’s live-action series, including “The Mandalorian” and “Ahsoka” and producer and writer of “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
Brennan joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1999, eventually becoming its president in 2009. She later became Lucasfilm’s president and general manager in 2024. She led the company’s business strategy and franchise and production operations and has overseen ILM’s expansion.
Puck first reported Filoni and Brennan’s promotions.
