After more than 13 years at the helm of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from the ''Star Wars'' factory founded by George Lucas.
The Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday that it will now turn to Dave Filoni to steer ''Star Wars'' into its sixth decade and beyond. Filoni, who served as the chief commercial officer of Lucasfilm, and Lynwen Brennan, president and general manager of Lucasfilm's businesses, will inherit the mantle of one of the movies' marquee franchises.
Kennedy, Lucas' handpicked successor, had presided over the ever-expanding science-fiction world of ''Star Wars'' since Disney acquired it in 2012. She oversaw a highly lucrative but often contentious period in ''Star Wars'' history that yielded a blockbuster trilogy and acclaimed streaming spinoffs such as ''The Mandalorian'' and ''Andor,'' yet found increasing frustration from longtime fans.
Under Kennedy's stewardship, Lucasfilm amassed more than $5.6 billion in box office and helped establish Disney+ as a streaming destination — achievements that easily validated the $4.05 billion Disney plunked down for the company. But Kennedy also struggled to deliver the big-screen magic that Lucas captured in the original trilogy from the late 1970s and early 1980s, and her relationship with ''Star Wars'' loyalists became a saga of its own.
While Filoni and Brennan will share leadership, Brennan is considered the more financially oriented executive. Filoni will have the creative reins. He's established himself almost entirely on the small screen, entering the franchise with the animated series ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' and creating the tepidly received Disney+ series ''Ahsoka.'' Filoni, who first collaborated with Lucas on ''Avatar: The Last Airbender,'' has also been an executive producer on ''The Mandalorian,'' ''The Book of Boba Fett'' and ''Skeleton Crew.''
Before joining Lucasfilm, Kennedy was one of Hollywood's most successful producers ever. In 1981, she co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and her eventual husband, Frank Marshall. She produced ''E.T.,'' ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,'' ''Jurassic Park'' and the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy.
At Lucasfilm, her biggest hit came at the start, with 2015's ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens.'' The J.J. Abrams-directed film grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. But the subsequent installment, Rian Johnson's ''The Last Jedi'' (2017), was bitterly divisive. The third film, Abrams' ''The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019), was widely panned by critics and fans, alike.
After ''The Rise of Skywalker,'' ''Star Wars'' went dark on the big screen despite a litany of announced projects. The dry spell is set to be broken in May by Jon Favreau's ''The Mandalorian & Grogu.'' The intervening years have been marked by streaming successes in ''The Mandalorian'' and ''Andor,'' but the future of ''Star Wars'' has felt increasingly uncertain.
