Earlier this week, it was rumored that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy would leave the production company by the end of the year. Well, Kennedy, who succeeded George Lucas as head of the company following the Disney acquisition in 2012, has now responded directly to these retirement rumors. While it’s nice to have clarification on this matter, I’m frankly more pleased about the updates she provided on some of the upcoming Star Wars movies.
Kathleen Kennedy’s Response To The Retirement Rumors
In an exclusive interview with Deadline, Kennedy set the record straight by saying that retirement is in no way on the horizon for her. In her words:
The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring. I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies. That is the first thing that’s important to say. I am not retiring.
Ok, at least that’s been cleared up. Kathleen Kennedy, who scored her first film credit as a producer on E.T., will not be leaving the world of filmmaking. However, she did say that she’s been talking with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, the co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, about a succession plan for Lucasfilm down the line. As she put it:
What’s happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both Bob and Alan about what eventual succession might look like. 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.
This makes sense, as eventually there will come a time when new leadership is required and someone will replace Kennedy. For now though, she’s staying firmly entrenched in the world of Star Wars, adding:
I’m producing Mandalorian the movie right now, and I’m also producing Sean Levy’s movie, which is after that. So I’m continuing to stay at Lucasfilm and looking very thoughtfully with Bob and Alan as to who’s stepping in. So that is all underway, and we have every right to make that announcement when we want to make it.
More to come…