For years, there have been persistent rumors suggesting that Kathleen Kennedy is being ousted as Lucasfilm president but much to her detractors' chagrin, Kennedy remains the production company's leader.
This time around, however, it looks like Kennedy's days as Lucasfilm's main boss are numbered as the divisive producer just revealed major plans that will undoubtedly shake the very foundation of the production company.
Kathleen Kennedy Confirms Major Lucasfilm Plans; Clarifies She's Not Retiring
Speaking with Deadline, the producer confirmed that a succession plan has already been put in place for when she decides to step down as Lucasfilm president. However, she chose not to disclose key details about it.
Kennedy also clarified that her plans to step down as the production company's chief isn't synonymous with her retiring from filmmaking altogether. In fact, she'll still be involved in overseeing future projects, including Shawn Levy's yet-to-be-titled Star Wars film and the anticipated The Mandalorian movie.
She explained: "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. 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."
Kennedy added: "We are in lockstep as to what that’s going to be, and I am continuing. 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 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."
Who Will Take Over Kathleen Kennedy's Role as Lucasfilm President?
While the obvious candidate to lead Lucasfilm's post-Kennedy regime is someone like Dave Filoni or even Jon Favreau, Kathleen revealed that they're still in the process of choosing her successor.
In the same interview, she said: "I can’t say who it is because there’s just an internal process that goes on inside a large corporation and a publicly held company, as to how we go about making deals, finalizing decisions and making announcements. There’s nothing unusual about that, and we’re in that process."
It's no secret that Kathleen's handling of several Lucasfilm properties, particularly Star Wars has been a mixed bag all these years and the franchise could really use a little shakeup. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how everything plays out.
What do you think of Kathleen Kennedy stepping down as Lucasfilm boss? Let us know in the comments!
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