Can Disney Find Kathleen Kennedy's Replacement To Fix 'Star Wars?'

Kathleen Kennedy helped run one of the most important entertainment industry properties in film history into the ground. 

The long-time head of Disney-owned Lucasfilm, Kennedy's been responsible for the most recent "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" projects. Relatedly, Disney is looking to replace her as studio head.

News broke earlier in 2025 that Kennedy was being pushed out, though she denied that Disney was forcing her out, instead of leaving on her own terms. 

READ: Kathleen Kennedy Leaving Lucasfilm, Ending Disastrous 'Star Wars' Tenure

Regardless of the process, Kennedy's time in charge at Lucasfilm has been an unmitigated failure. The "Star Wars" franchise is in disarray, other than "Andor," essentially the one project that fans actually like. A string of failures, from "The Acolyte," a far left show that existed exclusively to promote woke ideology, to "The Rise of Skywalker," has diminished the value of the brand dramatically.

The "Indiana Jones" franchise, one of the most successful movie properties ever created, with a beloved, legendary character, is in even worse shape. "Dial of Destiny" was another critical and commercial failure, and insulted its lead character while trying to set up an unpopular replacement in Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Welcome to the Kathleen Kennedy era. This week though, the first few candidates to replace her have leaked. But would either of the rumored candidates be the right choice to fix the mess Kennedy is leaving behind? 

Kathleen Kennedy at the 39th Annual American Society of Cinematographers Awards held at The Beverly Hilton on February 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty Images)

Kathleen Kennedy Replacements Have Zero Shoes To Fill

The Hollywood Reporter put out a lengthy article discussing the inner workings at Lucasfilm and what Disney wants moving forward. And the report references two specific names as potentially taking over in a co-head role.

"The current thinking is a scenario where chief creative officer Dave Filoni and production head Carrie Beck — both Lucasfilm vets — take co-head roles," the report says. "Even as an arm of Disney, Lucasfilm remains, in many ways, a family business, and as a George Lucas protégé Filoni long has been considered a golden boy."

Filoni has had a mixed run at Lucasfilm, creating "The Mandalorian," and "Ahsoka." And inside critics are reportedly concerned that he's a "lore" and "mythology" guy.

"But the knock against him is that he might be too steeped in Star Wars lore and risks steering a show into dense mythology that loses a broader audience. ‘He’s not the Andor guy, he’s the Ahsoka guy,’ says one Disney insider. Beck, who joined the company in 2012, knows the ins and outs, but neither she nor Filoni has much film experience, which could be mitigated by Kennedy’s continued presence as a producer on certain Star Wars projects, ensuring quality control in the short term."

What would this mean for the future of the franchise? 

Well, what fans actually want is material that respects the original storyline, the characters they've come to love, and stays consistent with the tone and feel of the legendary original franchise. What they've gotten instead is progressive politics, boring characters, lame casting and entire projects that no one cares about.

Filoni and Beck in a co-head role could work, or could lead to conflict and lack of progress if there are competing visions for the future of the property. It can't get worse than Kathleen Kennedy and "the Force is female" t-shirts. Right?