By George & Josh Bate
It’s been a busy week in news headlines, trades, and social media this week for Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy. After a report by Puck claimed that Kennedy would exit as Lucasfilm president by the end of 2025, Kennedy gave an in-depth interview with Deadline in which. amongst other things, she affirmed her commitment to Lucasfilm and dispelled any notion that retirement is imminent. The interview conducted by Mike Fleming Jr. for Deadline includes all sorts of information about Kennedy’s role at Lucasfilm and plans for an eventual successor, but it also interestingly features Kennedy providing updates about a range of upcoming Star Wars projects.
Keep reading for a breakdown of the important takeaways from Kathleen Kennedy’s big interview….
Kennedy affirms that she is not retiring
The biggest takeaway from Kennedy’s interview was that she is indeed not retiring. “The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring,” Kennedy affirmed. “I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies. That is the first thing that’s important to say.”
Kennedy confirmed that a succession plan has been discussed for quite some time with Disney higher ups, but that it is not close to coming to fruition. Alluding to the “amazing bench of people here” at Lucasfilm, Kennedy hints that her successor may be an internal hire, which aligns with speculation that one or both of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau may eventually take her place. However, that won’t be anytime soon.
Kennedy said that an announcement of retirement will come with plenty of time for the company to prepare, confirming that she will directly oversee the transition and continue to produce at least the next two Star Wars films. At the conclusion of the interview, when asked outright if she will stepdown as Lucasfilm boss this year, Kennedy said, “We really don’t know at this stage.”
Ultimately, we read this news as Kennedy coming out from and center to discredit any notion that there are currently plans in place for her to leave Lucasfilm. While she does not rule out a departure as soon as this year, it seems claims that such a decision had already been made her premature.
Kennedy’s response to Star Wars criticism
Deadline’s Fleming Jr. asked Kennedy about the criticism she faces as Lucasfilm president, which Kennedy attributes to a trend in the industry for development to get “scrutinized.”
More specifically, Kennedy said, “It’s very hard for anything to happen within Star Wars without some aspect of it becoming public before you even want it to become public.”
Regarding the number of projects in development that have yet to come to fruition (e.g., Rian Johnson’s trilogy, the Lando movie, Rangers of the New Republic), Kennedy said, “we’re going to develop lots of different things with an understanding that not everything gets made.” She elaborated that quality trumps all in their decision-making as to what eventually comes to fruition, stating, “We want to make those things that we feel are the best. We want to make those things that, as time passes, feel relevant to what the audience is responding to.”
Simon Kinberg’s Star Wars trilogy
In addition to clarifying rumors about her future at Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy also provided interesting updates on a number of upcoming Star Wars projects.
One of these projects is Simon Kinberg’s Star Wars trilogy, which became known after Deadline reported its development last fall. Kinberg, known for producing the X-Men movies and the series Star Wars Rebels, is currently writing and producing a trilogy that Kennedy describes as “the next saga that moves us into the future.” It is unclear whether Kinberg’s trilogy will be labeled Episodes X, XI, and XII, although Kennedy responded affirmatively to a question about Star Wars having a core store broken into trilogies, with spinoffs also being produced.
“We’re absolutely rolling fast and furiously,” Kennedy remarked regarding Kinberg’s trilogy. “That has gone exceptionally well, and he’s literally going to script as we speak. We’ll see something probably around June. Simon, if you remember, he did some work with us years ago with the animated show, which was a really wonderful collaborative experience. And he then got very, very busy with X-Men and then recently became available again, and he segued into this space beautifully. We’re really excited about where that’s headed.”
Shawn Levy’s Star Wars movie
Kennedy confirmed reports that the Star Wars movie to release after The Mandalorian and Grogu in May 2026 is Shawn Levy’s film. Starring Ryan Gosling, the film from Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy is described as a “standalone story that’ll take place post-[Episode IX}, maybe five or six years out.”
The Mandalorian universe is front and center of future Star Wars storytelling
The next Star Wars movie to release will be The Mandalorian and Grogu, which will see the beloved father-son duo make the leap from Disney+ to the big screen. In the interview, Kennedy stated that the era in which The Mandalorian is set is “the space that we’re pretty much focused on right at the moment.”
Interestingly, Kennedy suggested that characters from the sequel trilogy may become involved in projects set around The Mandalorian. “We may bring some of the characters back from the sequel saga, but pretty much new characters,” the Lucasfilm head said.
James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi movie
Announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, the James Mangold-helmed Dawn of the Jedi movie is still in development, confirms Kathleen Kennedy.
“He’s working on this script right now,” Kennedy updated. “[Mangold], he got delayed a bit because of the Dylan movie and the awards season. You have to accommodate top talent to a certain extent. And quality is so important with what it is we’re trying to do. I like to wait for people that I think are passionate and really good to step into Star Wars.”
Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie
Announced during Disney Investor Day back in 2020, Taika Waititi’s Star Wars film has received surprisingly few updates over the past few years. Kennedy said that she and Lucasfilm are still “waiting” for Waititi to deliver a script, which he is currently working on with another writer.
Compared to Kinberg and Levy’s projects, which seem further into development and closer to realization, Waititi’s film seems further off. “I think if we ever do get a script from Taika, it’s going to be fantastic,” Kennedy said. “I already saw a first act that I loved, but tying him down, it’s tricky.”
Tony Gilroy’s future in Star Wars
The next Star Wars project to release is Andor Season 2. The highly anticipated second season of the critically acclaimed show hits Disney+ on April 22 and has many fans clamoring for more from Gilroy in a galaxy far, far away.
When asked if Kennedy will be able to convince Gilroy to work on another Star Wars project after Andor, she said, “I don’t know if I can. I don’t think he ever believed he’d be a decade inside Star Wars. He’s writing some things on his own, and I think he’d like to get back into the director’s chair. So we’ll see what he does. But he’s such a talent, just fantastic.”