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Kathleen Kennedy said she felt “a bit of relief” about leaving the Lucasfilm presidency, describing the job of following George Lucas as “an incredible challenge.” Her remark was about the difficulty of taking on leadership of a studio and franchise Lucas created—not a statement that she regretted the role or was relieved to leave Star Wars itself.
What Kennedy said about leaving Lucasfilm
In an exchange reported by GamesRadar, Kennedy was asked whether leaving felt “bittersweet.” The report says she answered no, then said: “I suppose there’s a bit of relief. These jobs are not easy and stepping into something like that that George [Lucas] had created was an incredible challenge.”
She described the creative tension behind that challenge as balancing the devotion people feel for Star Wars with the need to make new work: “You’ve got people where this means a lot to them. But at the same time, the challenge is to try to create something new, something original. So finding that balance is really the toughest thing.”
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GamesRadar places the remarks at Bloomberg’s annual Screentime event. The report does not establish the event’s exact date or provide a primary transcript or full recording, so the comments here are attributed to Kennedy as reported by GamesRadar.
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How the remarks fit the leadership transition
Lucasfilm says George Lucas recruited Kennedy as president in 2012. Lucas soon retired and sold Lucasfilm to Disney. Kennedy’s reflection on following him concerns the responsibility of leading a studio and a franchise he had created.
In a formal announcement dated January 15, 2026, Disney said Kennedy was stepping down after nearly 14 years as Lucasfilm president. Kennedy described the original appointment this way: “When George Lucas asked me to take over Lucasfilm upon his retirement, I couldn’t have imagined what lay ahead.”
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Who took over—and what Kennedy will do next
Disney named Dave Filoni president and chief creative officer, and Lynwen Brennan co-president. Both report to Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman, according to the company’s announcement.
Kennedy is returning to full-time producing, rather than announcing a retirement from film and television work. Disney said her producing work would include The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter. The announcement marks a change in her Lucasfilm leadership role while identifying projects she will continue to produce.
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Disney CEO Bob Iger praised Kennedy’s leadership, calling the company “deeply grateful for Kathleen Kennedy’s leadership, her vision, and her stewardship of such an iconic studio and brand.” That is Disney’s characterization of her tenure; Kennedy’s own comments focused on the challenge of following Lucas and balancing fans’ attachment to the franchise with new creative work.
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