*Courtesy of Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images.*

After over a decade of leadership at Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy is planning to retire by the end of 2025, as reported by Puck. Representatives for Kennedy and Lucasfilm have not yet commented on the recent news.

Kennedy stepped into her role at Lucasfilm in 2012 as co-chair with 'Star Wars' creator George Lucas. Shortly after Disney's acquisition of the company for $4 billion, she took over as the head when Lucas stepped down.

Under her leadership, the 'Star Wars' franchise began its process on the sequel trilogy, starting with 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' in 2015, directed by J.J. Abrams. The film was a major success, grossing over $2 billion worldwide and rejuvenating the series. From 2015 to 2019, Disney released a new 'Star Wars' film annually, culminating with 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,’ which met with mixed reviews and earned significantly less than 'The Force Awakens.’ The second sequel film; ‘The Last Jedi,’ was arguably given the title of the worst of the trilogy by fans, with many boycotting the franchise all-together.

Kennedy made decisive moves such as dismissing Chris Lord and Phil Miller from 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' during its production and replacing Gareth Edwards with Tony Gilroy for reshoots on 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,’ which ultimately grossed over $1 billion. However, some announced projects like Rian Johnson’s trilogy and a series by 'Game of Thrones' creators D.B. Benioff and David Weiss never came to fruition. Additionally, Daisy Ridley's anticipated return to 'Star Wars' has been stalled in development for nearly two years.

Despite challenges in film, 'Star Wars' has thrived on Disney+ starting with 'The Mandalorian', which launched in November 2019. The series was well-received and led to several spinoffs, including 'Andor', set to return for a second season in April. Nonetheless, not all spinoffs have been successful, leading to concerns about overextending the franchise.

Lucasfilm is set to release 'The Mandalorian and Grogu', directed by Jon Favreau, on May 22, 2026, marking the franchise's return to theaters since 'Rise of Skywalker’ (2019).

Outside of ‘Star Wars,’ Kennedy’s impressive career includes collaborations with Steven Spielberg and her husband Frank Marshall on iconic films such as 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,’ and the 'Indiana Jones' series, culminating with 'Dial of Destiny' last year. Kennedy has been involved in over 70 films and received eight Oscar nominations.

The future of the 'Star Wars' franchise will be highlighted at the upcoming 'Star Wars Celebration' in Tokyo this April.

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