- Primary Subject: Kathleen Kennedy (Ex-Lucasfilm President)
- Key Update: Kathleen Kennedy addressed her Star Wars legacy, franchise mistakes, and director conflicts nine months after stepping down as Lucasfilm president.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: October 2, 2026
- Quick Answer: Former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy reflected on her Star Wars legacy, downplaying director conflicts while acknowledging franchise mistakes and balancing fan expectations.
Kathleen Kennedy has addressed her Star Wars legacy and controversies involving alleged conflicts with directors, nine months after stepping down as Lucasfilm president.
From being a producer, the Amblin Entertainment co-founder’s career took a major turn when she became co-head of Lucasfilm with George Lucas in 2012.
But while she faced intense scrutiny and blowback, especially as Star Wars transitioned into a new era following Disney’s acquisition, were the controversies surrounding her tenure true?
How Is Kathleen Kennedy After Stepping Down as Lucasfilm President?
Kathleen Kennedy experienced significant fan outrage during her tenure at Lucasfilm following the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017.
It became even more intense when The Acolyte suffered dramatic review bombing, though there were also projects that were praised, such as Andor.
“Well, I think that that’s the challenge that all franchises [face], certainly something that’s been around now for 50 years. You’ve got people where this means a lot to them,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Despite that, she revealed that her proudest moment was relaunching the film franchise, starting a new trilogy with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 and releasing several Disney+ series, including The Mandalorian.
However, she also acknowledged that she made some mistakes, such as flooding the streaming service with Star Wars shows that diluted the franchise.
“I mean, I don’t think you can do anything in terms of the movie business where every single thing is going to be a perfect hit,” she continued. “I think you learn things, I always like learning things from the movies that we do, the postmortems we do on what worked, what didn’t. But I’m always proud of the work that’s been done.”
Did Kathleen Kennedy Have Conflicts With Star Wars Directors?
Rumors have it that Kathleen Kennedy had conflicts with several Star Wars directors, such as Phil Lord and Chris Miller from Solo: A Star Wars Story over creative differences, and sidelining director Gareth Edwards during the filming of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, with Tony Gilroy finishing the film.
As she explained, there were higher-ups who made those calls, downplaying the alleged conflicts.
“Well, that really only happened once, thank god… I wasn’t required to do that. There are many complicated situations that develop that certainly reach a point where you have to make a difficult decision like that,” she clarified.
She also mentioned her clean track record, such as working with several directors throughout her career and never having a problem with them.
“Certainly my track record shows that I’ve worked with a lot of different directors, I’ve made many kinds of movies, and I’ve never been in a situation like that,” she added.
Kennedy joined Lucasfilm just before Disney acquired the company for $4.05 billion in 2012. At the time, she revealed that the acquisition came with “an enormous expectation,” but she knew it was worth it despite the controversies.
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