‘Is this a good thing?’: A “controversial” ‘Star Wars’ boss could be stepped down soon
When it comes to Star Wars, those who don’t like the Disney era point fingers and label the woman in charge as a problem. It is why Kathleen Kennedy has a “controversial” label online. Now, she may be stepping down from Lucasfilm.
Kennedy has official been President of Lucasfilm since 2012 but has been a part of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises for decades. During her tenure at Lucasfilm, she has brought back the franchise with films like The Force Awakens as well as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. A report from The Hollywood Reporter states that she may retire at the end of 2025 but reps for Kennedy and Lucasfilm were not available for comment.
One fan on social media asked “Is this a good thing?” and it is a good question. Because the other replies on the news were all saying how she “killed” the franchises she oversaw. The issue with talking about Kennedy is that the more toxic side of the Star Wars “fanbase” attack her at every turn. If they don’t like something in the franchise, they don’t know how to casually talk about things they disagree with.
It has then, in turn, made Kennedy a figure that other fans feel the need to protect. She has pushed for representation in these franchise that has ushered in toxic hate campaigns against actors and attacks on shows all because the toxicity of these “fans” refuse to all the franchises to grow. So the news that Kennedy is potentially retiring is complicated.
There is no news as to what will happen with Kennedy or who will take over and, as of this time, it is just a report without Kennedy herself confirming the news. But it does pose a question: Who will take over?
There are some new leadership options
The reported news comes with many sharing their next picks. Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau are two names that have popped up quite a lot. With shows like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, Favreau and Filoni have shown their understanding of the Star Wars franchise but that doesn’t mean that they are up to taking on the entire Lucasfilm catalog.
Kennedy was there since Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. She is aware of the Lucasfilm brand and franchise outside of a “fan” standpoint. As much as Filoni and Favreau understand and love Star Wars, there are other properties they’d have to lead as well.
We don’t know whether or not Kennedy is officially retiring or who they are looking at to take over. Star Wars Celebration is set to happen in Japan in April and maybe we will have more news out of it but, for now, we do not know what is happening with Lucasfilm. Or at least we might have official word from Kennedy at that point.
But it is important to remember the work that Kennedy put in to bring Star Wars back to us all and it will be sad if she is officially leaving the company.
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