The Entertainment Factor: Kathleen Kennedy: Movies, TV Shows, Music and Video Games

Showing posts with label Kathleen Kennedy. Show all posts

Saturday, January 17, 2026

Dave Filoni & Lynwen Brennan Take Over Lucasfilm As Kathleen Kennedy Steps Down As President

Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as president of Lucasfilm this week, after nearly 14 years leading the studio. Dave Filoni will take over as President/Chief Creative Officer, while Lynwen Brennan will serve as Co-President. Filoni was previously Lucasfilm's EVP and Chief Creative Officer, while Brennan was the longtime President & GM of Lucasfilm Business. Kenneedy will continue as producer of the studio's next two theatrical films: "The Mandalorian and Grogu" (May 22, 2026) and "Star Wars: Starfighter" (May 28, 2027). She will then pursue other producing projects independently.

The transition has been in the works for the last two years as Disney and Kennedy sought a seamless transition. Filoni and Brennan are veteran senior leaders at Lucasfilm who have worked closely with Kennedy since she accepted George Lucas' job offer in 2012, shortly before Lucasfilm was acquired by Disney. Filoni and Brennan bring complementary expertise and experience spanning the studio's entire business. Lucasfilm's upcoming projects include the new animated series "Maul: Shadow Lord", and a second season of "Ahsoka".

Filoni was tapped by Lucas to build Lucasfilm's animation studio from the ground up and created its first series, the Emmy-winning "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels". Filoni is the executive producer, episodic director and writer on multiple Emmy-winning live-action series including "The Mandalorian" and "Ahsoka", and producer and writer of Lucasfilm's upcoming feature film "The Mandalorian and Grogu".

Brennan joined Industrial Light & Magic (now ILM) in 1999, rising through the ranks to become ILM President in 2009 (including Skywalker Sound); Lucasfilm EVP/General Manager in 2015; and President & General Manager, Lucasfilm Business, in 2024. She leads Lucasfilm's business strategy and franchise and production operations and has overseen ILM's expansion into several studios worldwide, establishing it as the industry's preeminent VFX studio at the forefront of production technology.

Here is an internal email sent by Disney Studio boss Alan Bergman:

"I'm writing today to share the news that after nearly 14 phenomenal years, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from her role as President of Lucasfilm. She’ll remain part of the Star Wars family as a producer on our next two films, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter.

With this transition, I’m pleased to announce that Dave Filoni will become President and Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm, and Lynwen Brennan will serve as Co-President. As many of you know, Dave and Lynwen are longtime members of the Lucasfilm team who have been integral to its success both creatively and commercially. Both will now report to me.

Kathy has been a tremendous force in the industry for 50 years, and it’s been our privilege to have her here at Disney. George Lucas asked her to join him to lead Lucasfilm in 2012, shortly before it became part of Disney. She immediately got to work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which shattered box office records around the world and still stands as the biggest movie of all time in the U.S. It marked the start of a new era for Star Wars, and within the span of four years, Kathy and the Lucasfilm team delivered four of the biggest films in history with a box office total of nearly $6B, along with the launch of the incredibly popular The Mandalorian series, Star Wars’ first foray into live-action series, which anchored the debut of Disney+.

During her tenure, Kathy oversaw a significant expansion of Star Wars storytelling with the bold and instantly beloved blockbuster Rogue One and the Emmy-winning prequel series Andor. In addition, she launched the Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka live-action series, championed new animated series for fans of all kinds from The Bad Batch to Star Wars: Visions, and helped bring the galaxy to real life through the immersive Galaxy’s Edge lands in Disneyland and Disney World. Throughout it all, she has driven Lucasfilm’s legacy of innovation forward – ensuring ILM remains the industry’s preeminent VFX house with five studios around the world as it continues to revolutionize production technology with cutting-edge tools like StageCraft.

What Kathy has accomplished at Lucasfilm is remarkable on its own, but of course she has been shaping the landscape of film and entertainment from the very first film she produced, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, ultimately becoming one of the most successful producers of all time. She has had a hand in so many unforgettable films, from Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park to The Goonies, Poltergeist, and The Sixth Sense to Schindler’s List, The Color Purple, and Lincoln. The list goes on, and the 70+ films she has produced have earned a collective 25 Academy Awards and more than 120 nominations, including eight Best Picture contenders. For her countless contributions to the industry, she was honored with the Academy’s prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award and the PGA’s Milestone Award, among others. There are few who are more deserving, and I’m thankful for her leadership through the years.

I am also excited that we have another visionary storyteller ready to lead the studio. Dave joined Lucasfilm in 2005 and worked closely with George Lucas on the creative side, including building the animation studio from the ground up. He is deeply connected to the franchise’s mythology and has helped steadily expand it to exciting new corners of the galaxy, from The Clone Wars and Rebels to The Mandalorian, earning numerous Emmy wins and nominations along the way. He is currently the showrunner on Ahsoka, which is now in production for its second season, and is working with Jon Favreau to finish up this summer’s The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Lynwen has over 26 years with the company, rising through ILM to become its leader in 2009 and later General Manager of all of Lucasfilm in 2015, before being named President & General Manager, Lucasfilm Business in 2024. Lynwen’s ability to drive innovation with a clear strategic vision has kept the company on the leading edge during a period of massive technology shifts. Her leadership in the industry has been recognized with a lifetime achievement award from the Visual Effects Society as well as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

With Dave at the creative helm, Lynwen leading the business, Kathy continuing to produce, and the stellar teams at Lucasfilm, ILM, and Skywalker Sound behind it all, audiences can look forward to iconic Star Wars storytelling – and beyond – for a long time to come.

Alan"

RELATED POSTS :

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Ryan Gosling and Shawn Levy's STAR WARS Movie Officially Titled STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER

Ryan Gosling Shawn Levy Star Wars Starfighter

The title for the upcoming "Star Wars" movie starring Ryan Gosling has been revealed at this year's Star Wars Celebration event in Tokyo. The film will henceforth be knwon as "Star Wars: Starfighter". Shawn Levy ("Deadpool & Wolverine", "Free Guy") will be directing with production expected to begin this fall. The release date has also been revealed as being set for May 28, 2027.

The standalone film will focus on new characters in the "Star Wars" universe, and is set five years after the events of "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker". No other casting details were revealed.

The project updated were announced by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and chief creative officer Dave Filoni. It has also been confirmed that Jonathan Tropper ("Your Friends & Neighbors", "The Adam Project", "This Is Where I Leave You") has written the screenplay for the film.

Gosling and Levy appeared at the livestreamed Star Wars Celebration to further tease the project: "Being here and seeing all of you [makes it] more inspiring to do it. There's so much creativity and imagination in this room and there's so much love. It's such a great reminder of how much movies can mean to us, specifically how much these movies mean to us. The force is a mysterious thing, but, as I'm here, the force is the fans. All we can hope for is, 'May the fans be with us'."

Levy added: "We're fans too. There's obviously a relationship between these stories and the audience, but we've spent our lives in that audience. We know how meaningful it is."

The first new "Star Wars" theatrical release since "The Rise of Skywalker" will be "The Mandalorian & Grogu", a sequel to the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian", which has already completed principal photography and will open in theaters on May 22, 2026.

RELATED POSTS :

Friday, December 11, 2020

Patty Jenkins to Direct STAR WARS Movie ROGUE SQUADRON

As announced by Disney during their Investor conference, "Wonder Woman" helmer Patty Jenkins is set to direct the next "Star Wars" movie "Rogue Squadron".

The titular squad of elite Rebel X-Wing fighter pilots were featured in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, as well the acclaimed video game of the same name. The film is expected to be released on Christmas Day 2023.

According to Kathleen Kennedy, the movie will usher in a new era for the franchise and "introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing high-speed thrill ride. The legend of Rogue Squadron has been long beloved by fans and will move us into a future era of the galaxy."

This is the first feature film in the franchise to be directed by a woman, and it joins Taika Waititi's "Star Wars" movie, which the studio is currently developing, and an unknown project that is being developed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.

Here is the Twitter post in which Jenkins teased the "Rogue Squadron" movie:

pic.twitter.com/e3N00xCr5i
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) December 10, 2020

Entertainment Factor

RELATED POSTS :

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

INDIANA JONES 5 Confirmed with Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford Set to Reunite

indiana-jones-5-harrison-ford-steven-spielberg

"Indiana Jones 5" has been in development limbo for some years now and for a long time everyone thought that Disney, the new owners of the Lucasfilm properties, would just reboot it with a new lead actor. But now, the long-awaited fifth installment in the franchise has been officially announced and it won't be a reboot.

Disney released an official press release (below), in which they confirm that the new Indiana Jones film will be a sequel and that Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg will return alongside veteran producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Even more important is that we now have a release date: July 19, 2019. Maybe fans aren't too excited about the prospect of this turning out to be another "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skul" (which I personally enjoyed despite its obvious flaws), but this could also be a second chance to provide a fitting ending to the character's saga.

"Indiana Jones will return to the big screen on July 19, 2019, for a fifth epic adventure in the blockbuster series. Steven Spielberg, who directed all four previous films, will helm the as-yet-untitled project with star Harrison Ford reprising his iconic role. Franchise veterans Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will produce.

“Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history, and we can’t wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019,” said Alan Horn, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “It’s rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role, and we couldn’t be more excited to embark on this adventure with Harrison and Steven.”

Famed archaeologist and explorer Indiana Jones was introduced in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark – one of AFI’s 100 Greatest American Films of All Time – and later thrilled audiences in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The four films have brought in nearly $2 billion at the global box office.".

Entertainment Factor

RELATED POSTS :

Saturday, November 16, 2013

R2-D2 Featured in STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

It's official that R2-D2 will be featured in "Star Wars: Episode VII". The news first came via The Wrap and it has been confirmed by director J.J. Abrams with the above image which was sent via Twitter. The behind-the-scenes image shows Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy alongside R2-D2 in the workshop where pre-production for the sequel is underway. Furthermore, it seems that a deal has been made to ensure that R2-D2 appears in all future "Star Wars" films.

"Star Wars: Episode VII" opens in theaters on December 18, 2015

RELATED POSTS :

Monday, July 29, 2013

STAR WARS EPISODE VII Updates from Executive Producer Kathleen Kennedy

Plenty of good news for "Star Wars" fans this past week. "Star Wars: Episode VII" executive producer Kathleen Kennedy has been rather generous with the updates during her appearance at Star Wars Celebration Europe. The first important update is that franchise composer John Williams will return to score the sequel. Kennedy stated that "His music just gives me the chills. It's so important for the saga, and we're really excited he's a part of it. Furthermore, Williams appeared in a pre-recorded video in which he spoke about how delighted he was to be returning to the saga. Here is the video:

Kathleen Kennedy also went on to discuss elements of the "Star Wars: Episode VII" production. She revealed that she is involved in extensive story meetings with director J.J. Abrams and the writers, including Lawrence Kasdan ("Empire Strikes Back"), and that the emphasis will be on story and characters, not visual effects. And as far as CGI goes, Kennedy stated that they will work hard to mix CG with practical effects and real locations.

"The story and characters are all we’re talking about right now. We have an amazing team at ILM, who can create fantastic effects, but if we don’t have a great story and characters, the effects mean nothing. I do think making huge popular culture – and I’ve had the good fortune to be a part of a lot it – is really hard to do and get right. And if you don’t spend the time you need on developing characters, and finding stories, complicated stories, the audience gets tired because they think they’re seeing the same thing again and again.

There's nothing more exciting than to be involved in that kind of technological innovation. When the story ideas you're working on contribute to pushing the technology, I really think that's what's so exciting about our business. It's when the imagination drives innovation and new design.

It's a conversation we're having all the time in the development of Episode VII. Looking at all the Star Wars movies and getting a feel for what even some of the early films did, combining real locations and special effects – that's something we're looking very seriously at. So we're going to find some very cool locations that we're going to use in support of Episode VII and I think we're probably going to end up using every single tool in the toolbox to create the look of these movies.

[Reffering to what is in the "toolbox"] It's using model makers; it's using real droids; it's taking advantage of artwork that you actually can touch and feel. And we want to do that in combination with CG effects. We figure that's what will make it real."

RELATED POSTS :