Less than 24 hours after reports surfaced that Kathleen Kennedy would be retiring from her post at Lucasfilm at the end of the year, the question has become who will take over the position?
So here are five logical names to keep an eye on for the job.
Michelle Rejwan
Rejwan has been considered a part of the brain trust at Lucasfilm since 2015. In 2019, she was tapped as the Senior Vice President for Live Action Development & Production at Lucasfilm, a role she left in 2022 but remained with the studio in a producing role. She has good experience starting as an assistant/producer and really an understudy to J. J. Abrams at his Bad Robot production banner before making the move to team up with Kathleen Kennedy.
Emma Watts
Watts is no stranger to handling successful IPs. The former President of 20th Century Studios was instrumental in the launch and continuation of massive franchises that included X-Men, Avatar, Planet of the Apes, and Kingsman. Like Rejwan above I think Kennedy could pass the reigns to another successfilm film/business woman.
Thomas Tull
Thomas is a name that is least likely to be thought of but could be the most valuable. Lucasfilm needs a new strategy shift and with stale box office results from Indiana Jones and the mixed reactions from the latest Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm is going to want someone with franchise building success. Tull is the leader of Legendary Entertainment, which is seeing massive success both on the big screen and television with the Godzilla/Kong-Monarch franchise, as well as the ongoing Dune franchise.Tull understands big-budget franchise filmmaking, and has a strong business acumen.
Kevin Feige
While I personally believe Lucasfilm will hire from outside, The Walt Disney Company there is still a good chance they could hire within. Kevin Feige has become the hot name to suggest with his proven track-record with Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nobody understands franchise management and cross-media storytelling better than Feige and that is something Lucasfilm is in desperate need of. That said, despite a recent dryspell from Marvel, I still believe he is too committed to the studios new vision of the multiverse to take on another studio leadership role.
Dave Filoni and Carrie Beck
Now, comes the two most logical names and could they become co-presidents? I know, it’s six names but you get where I am going. While Filoni and Beck both have limited business management experience at an executive level, they major creative force behind Star Wars, instrumental in developing The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, Rebels, and The Bad Batch. Filoni from a creative standpoint is the closest thing to George Lucas we have and that would be the key hiring point not to mention it is Filoni’s storytelling they are moving forward with as a second season of Ahsoka is in the works and The Mandalorian & Grogu hitting theaters next year. Now, why do I believe both can run Lucasfilm? Well, Filoni’s focus could go to big screen work and overseeing ILM remember he would also inherit Indiana Jones and Willow. Beck has the expeirence and success with television. Both are still a bit inexpeirenced on the business side but together they would be able to clear that hurdle.
It should be noted that Kennedy and Lucasfilm have yet to confirm or address these plans and if they do it would likely come during Star Wars Celebration in April 2025.
