It’s time for a new wave to pick up the lightsaber for Disney (DIS), as Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from her longtime position as the sensei of Star Wars.
Kennedy is departing Lucasfilm, where she’s held a leadership position for nearly 14 years. She joined the production company as co-chair with Star Wars creator/director George Lucas, and became its only leader shortly afterward when Disney (DIS) bought the company and Lucas exited.
Dave Filoni, chief creative officer and a Lucas protégé, will take over creative leadership of Lucasfilm, while President/General Manager Lynwen Brennan will act as co-president and lead the business side. They’ll report to Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman.
Both are longtime company veterans: Filoni joined in 2005, while Brennan joined via special-effects stalwart Industrial Light & Magic in 1999.
Kennedy plans to return to full-time producing, including finishing upcoming Lucasfilm projects The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter.
Her tenure has been notable for a broad expansion of Star Wars media content, including a sequel trilogy to the original Star Wars trilogy that produced the all-time leader in domestic grosses (the seventh “episode,” Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with $936.7M) as well as a move into live-action and animated TV series, including The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, and The Clone Wars.