Star Wars is getting two new masters who face a Jedi-caliber test: reviving an iconic film franchise.
Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down after over 13 years and will be replaced by incoming co-presidents Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan. Filoni is currently Lucasfilm’s chief creative officer, while Brennan brings business acumen as Lucasfilm’s general manager.
Star Wars is one of Hollywood’s most valuable franchises, generating billions of dollars for Disney during Kennedy’s tenure. That includes “The Force Awakens” in 2015, which is the highest-grossing film ever in the US.
That said, Filoni and Brennan are inheriting challenges. Disney hasn’t made a Star Wars movie since 2019, in part due to a slew of announced films that never got finished. The franchise’s output on Disney+ has included huge hits like “The Mandalorian” and “Andor,” as well as several misfires that failed to satisfy critics or audiences.
“Kathleen Kennedy oversaw both massive industry-altering successes that other studios would kill for, and question-raising disappointments,” said Brandon Katz, the content strategy director at entertainment data provider Greenlight Analytics.
Filoni and Brennan must balance pleasing longtime Star Wars lovers and growing the fan base, all while generating enough money for Disney without diluting the Star Wars brand.
Fighting franchise fatigue
Lucasfilm should trim its output of Star Wars TV shows to keep its brand from getting “watered down,” said Scott Mendelson, the box-office analyst at Puck.
He said Filoni and Brennan should learn from Marvel’s mistakes. After Marvel enjoyed one of the greatest theatrical runs ever in the 2010s, Disney greenlit a wave of Marvel shows for Disney+ as it launched. “Superhero fatigue” became a buzzword in the industry, and even well-received films like “Thunderbolts*” struggled to break out at the box office. The movie theater business as a whole has lagged since the pandemic, which didn’t help.
“Disney gets the idea that for some of these franchises, absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Mendelson said. Disney should balance a slimmed-down Star Wars TV slate with a few movies that feel like must-see events, he added.
There are signs that fans are primed for a new Star Wars movie after a long wait. The limited 20th anniversary release of “Revenge of the Sith” was a hit last spring, and Lucasfilm’s 2026 release, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” ranks in the top 10 of 45 forthcoming films in key metrics like awareness, theatrical intent, and willingness to pay, according to Greenlight Analytics.
Paul Dergarabedian, a box-office analyst at Comscore, said another pitfall Filoni and Brennan should avoid is the temptation to think too much with an eye toward commerce.
“The commoditization of Star Wars seeped into the creative,” he said.
Filoni is Star Wars fans’ new hope
Some Star Wars fans are thrilled with Lucasfilm’s leadership change, especially the elevation of its creative chief.
“Dave Filoni is largely considered to be the understudy of George Lucas,” said Stephen Kent, a Star Wars YouTuber and book author.
Star Wars fans can be hard to please, but they seem optimistic about Filoni’s ascension, said Shawn Robbins, a box-office analyst who’s the director of analytics at Fandango.
Filoni can bring Star Wars “to a new generation of fans for them to praise, debate, and often both,” Robbins said.
Star Wars fan Lucas Lozano said that while Kennedy’s legacy isn’t flawless, he will remember her tenure well. The San Antonio-based Disney and Star Wars aficionado said he doesn’t think “anything anyone would’ve done would satisfy” his fellow fans.
“There’s always going to be flops and mishaps,” Lozano said. “As long as the hits make up for them, you can’t argue with that.”
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