Dave Filoni to Succeed Kathleen Kennedy as Co-President of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Division

Dave Filoni, the chief creative officer at Lucasfilm, is reportedly poised to step into the role of co-president of the Star Wars studio, joining Lynwen Brennan in this leadership transition.

According to predictions for 2026, Kathleen Kennedy is expected to depart later this month, with her publicist already arranging an exit interview. Filoni and Brennan will take over as co-presidents, with Brennan managing the traditional executive aspects of the studio, while Filoni will steer the creative vision for the franchise across film, television, and other platforms.

Rumors of Kennedy’s retirement first surfaced in February 2025, but she quickly refuted them, stating she had been in discussions with Disney executives about future succession plans. “The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring. I will never retire from movies,” she asserted last year. “What’s happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both Bob [Iger] and Alan [Bergman] about what eventual succession might look like. We have an amazing bench of people here, and we have every intention of making an announcement months or a year down the road.”

On the horizon for the Star Wars universe is “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” a film co-written by Filoni and director Jon Favreau. Fans can look forward to seeing Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin and his small green companion on the big screen, alongside Jeremy Allen White as Rotta the Hutt and Sigourney Weaver as Colonel Ward of the New Republic.

“The Mandalorian and Grogu” is set to hit theaters on May 22.