Star Wars boss caught in culture wars unleashed by toxic fans steps down after 14 years

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By Brooks Barnes

January 16, 2026 — 12.01pm

Los Angeles: Star Wars has new emperors.

Disney said on Thursday that Kathleen Kennedy would step down as the president of Lucasfilm after nearly 14 years, a period marked by successes (The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Andor), some misses (Solo) and near-constant culture war turbulence. She will be succeeded by Dave Filoni, Lucasfilm’s chief creative officer, and Lynwen Brennan, the studio’s business affairs and operations chief.

Their appointments are effective immediately. Filoni, 51, will hold the title of president. Brennan, 58, will be co-president. Kennedy, 72, will return to her hallowed producing career, which started in 1982 with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Poltergeist. She is a lead producer for two coming Star Wars movies.

Daisy Ridley plays Rey Skywalker in the 2019 Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker, one of Kennedy’s big hits.

Lucasfilm is extraordinarily difficult to run. The studio’s movies and TV shows are expensive to make because they rely on extensive visual effects, leading to intense scrutiny from Wall Street and the news media. At the same time, the Star Wars fan base can be toxic and resistant to change – especially regarding diversity in casting and storytelling, both of which Kennedy prioritised. Racist and misogynistic voices often overshadow positive discussion about new films and shows.

Kennedy was initially set to hand over the Star Wars controls in 2024, but she agreed to a contract extension. At the time, Lucasfilm was in the throes of putting together Star Wars: Starfighter, a high-stakes movie directed by Shawn Levy and intended to evolve the franchise beyond the Skywalker saga.

Lucasfilm was also smarting from The Acolyte, an expensive Disney+ show – criticised for its diverse cast, it was cancelled after one season. Disney cited inadequate viewership.

Kathleen Kennedy, left, and her successor Dave Filoni at a fan event in Tokyo last year.

In choosing Lucasfilm veterans as Kennedy’s successors, Disney is signalling that it believes the boutique studio is on the right path. The selections can also be interpreted as a conciliatory nod to fans: The Star Wars you know and love is safe.

Filoni, an idiosyncratic executive with a fondness for western wear, has worked at Lucasfilm for 21 years. He is known for his strong standing among Star Wars diehards: They tend to trust him, in part because he was mentored by George Lucas, who created Star Wars in 1977. Filoni has been a producing and writing force behind hit Lucasfilm shows such as Ahsoka, The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels and The Mandalorian.

Brennan, who grew up in Wales, is a 27-year Lucasfilm veteran. She got her start at Industrial Light & Magic, the Lucasfilm-affiliated visual effects company. Brennan has recently managed the studio’s games, publishing and consumer products divisions.

Kennedy took over Lucasfilm from Lucas in 2012. He sold the studio to Disney for $US4 billion ($5.97b) soon after.

Eager to show a return on its investment, Disney pushed Kennedy to begin cranking out Star Wars movies. She swiftly delivered a new trilogy that generated nearly $US5 billion in ticket sales – a triumph. A blockbuster fourth film, Rogue One, netted more than $US1 billion.

From a creative team that included filmmaker Jon Favreau, Kennedy then served up The Mandalorian. It was a sensation, almost on its own making Disney’s streaming service an overnight success. Andor, the acclaimed 2022 series, was another notable achievement.

Along the way, Kennedy became a lightning rod.

Bai, Clang, Keeto and Grogu in the coming Mandalorian and Grogu from Lucasfilm.

She tried to make Star Wars more appealing to women and minorities; the fan base, while colossal, remains largely male and white. As many fans praised the effort, another faction recoiled. In 2023, South Park parodied Kennedy as giving the same feedback on every project: “Put a chick in it! Make her lame and gay!”

Mid-tenure, Kennedy clashed with film directors over tone and style, leading to their departures. Several Star Wars movie projects were announced and then quietly scrapped, annoying fans. Solo sputtered at the box office in 2018, prompting Disney to slow the Star Wars movie output.

Lucasfilm appears to have regained its footing. In May, the Star Wars franchise will return to movie screens for the first time since 2019 with The Mandalorian and Grogu. The movie, directed by Favreau, could give sales of Star Wars merchandise a needed jolt.

Ditto Starfighter, which stars Ryan Gosling. It is scheduled for release in May 2027, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of Star Wars.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.