Movie producer Kathleen Kennedy will reportedly be stepping down from the position of Lucasfilm president by the end of the year. The Academy Award-nominated producer will reportedly be parting ways with Disney after a decade of working together.
How fans are reacting to Kathleen Kennedy stepping down
According to Puck News, Kathleen Kennedy is set to retire by the end of 2025. Disney fans have mixed reactions to the news. While many believe the new change will trigger an array of changes, others are not so optimistic.
One user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “As many mistakes as Kathleen Kennedy has made (and it’s tricky to parse “her” mistakes versus ones imposed by Disney), it’s very hard to imagine whoever replaces her won’t just be even more of a corporate lackey furthering the slow death of Star Wars. Just more dire times all around.”
Another fan expressed similar sentiments, explaining: “Kathleen Kennedy is one of the great Hollywood producers. Though I think she couldn’t run Star Wars to save her life and is majorly responsible for the sloppish state it currently is in, I hope to see her return to producing.”
Kennedy is widely regarded as one of the greatest producers of all time. Her debut work as a producer in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. (1982) brought her to the major limelight, and within a decade, she solidified her mark in Hollywood.
Some of her most remarkable works as a film producer includes the Jurassic Park franchise. The first two films turned out to be on the list of the top ten highest-grossing films of the 1990s.
Kennedy joined Lucasfilm in 2012 after Walt Disney acquired the company. As the Lucasfilm president, Kennedy has overseen the creative development works of the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019). She also spearheaded other Star Wars series, including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, and The Acolyte.
While Kennedy’s works continued to earn her prestigious accolades over the years, Disney’s The Acolyte received mixed responses from viewers. Kennedy addressed the criticism in a brief chat with The New York Times.
The renowned producer gushed, “Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation—it’s terrifying. I think a lot of the women who step into Star Wars struggle with this a bit more.” She further continued, “Because of the fan base being so male-dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal.”
Originally reported by Arpita Adhya on ComingSoon.
