Star Wars Shakeup: Dave Filoni & Lynwen Brennan New Lucasfilm Presidents As Kathleen Kennedy Returns To Producing

In a long expected transition, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as President of Lucasfilm this week, after nearly 14 years leading the studio. She will continue as producer of the studio’s next two theatrical films, The Mandalorian and Grogu (5/22/26) and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter (5/28/27). She will then pursue other producing projects independently. 

The new leaders are hardly coming from a galaxy far, far away. The new President/Chief Creative Officer is Dave Filoni, who has been Lucasfilm EVP and Chief Creative Officer. Serving as Lucasfilm’s new Co-President is Lynwen Brennan, the longtime  President & GM of Lucasfilm Business.

This transition has been percolating for about two years, as Disney and Kennedy sought a seamless transition. Filoni and Brennan are veteran senior leaders at Lucasfilm who have worked closely with Kennedy since she accepted George Lucas’s job offer in 2012, shortly before Lucasfilm was acquired by Disney. Filoni and Brennan bring complementary expertise and experience spanning the studio’s entire business.

Back then, the shingle hadn’t made a big movie in about a decade. After that $4B+ acquisition, Lucasfilm launched a new era of Star Wars storytelling and franchise expansion that bore five theatrical films that grossed $5.9B globally.

That started with the JJ Abrams-directed 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which remains the biggest ever North American box office performer at $936.5M, and is one of seven films to crack the $2B global gross mark. The Last Jedi grossed $1.3B, and The Rise of Skywalker completed the third Skywalker theatrical trilogy with $1B in global gross. The standalone film Rogue One grossed over $1B and hatched the Emmy-winning follow-up series Andor.

The Mandalorian took the opposite path, enlisting Jon Favrau to launch Lucasfilm’s first foray into live-action series to anchor the launch of the Disney+ platform in 2019. Favreau expands that tale to the bigscreen this summer. Subsequent limited and live action series have included Obi Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, and Andor. The series have garnered 85 Emmy nominations

Lucasfilm also branched into animated series with Star Wars Rebels, The Bad Batch, Tales of the Jedi, Young Jedi Adventures, and Visions. The company also partnered with Disney Experiences on the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge immersive worlds at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland. Lucasfilm Games has hatched numerous properties including new stories from the adventures of Cal Kestis and Indiana Jones, to delivering on groundbreaking integrations in Fortnite

Filoni was tapped by Lucas in to build Lucasfilm’s animation studio from the ground up and created its first series, the Emmy-winning Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Star Wars Rebels. Filoni is the executive producer, episodic director and writer on multiple Emmy Award-winning live-action series including The Mandalorian and Ahsoka and producer and writer of Lucasfilm’s upcoming feature film The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Brennan joined Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) in 1999, rising through the ranks to become ILM President in 2009 (including Skywalker Sound), Lucasfilm EVP/General Manager in 2015, and President & General Manager, Lucasfilm Business, in 2024. She leads Lucasfilm’s business strategy and franchise and production operations and has overseen ILM’s expansion into several studios worldwide, establishing it as the industry’s preeminent VFX studio at the forefront of production technology.

In addition to Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu (5/22/26) and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter (5/28/27), upcoming projects include the new animated series Maul: Shadow Lord, and a second season of Ahsoka.

Here is the internal email just sent by Disney Studio boss Alan Bergman:

I’m writing today to share the news that after nearly 14 phenomenal years, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from her role as President of Lucasfilm. She’ll remain part of the Star Wars family as a producer on our next two films, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter.

With this transition, I’m pleased to announce that Dave Filoni will become President and Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm, and Lynwen Brennan will serve as Co-President. As many of you know, Dave and Lynwen are longtime members of the Lucasfilm team who have been integral to its success both creatively and commercially. Both will now report to me.

Kathy has been a tremendous force in the industry for 50 years, and it’s been our privilege to have her here at Disney. George Lucas asked her to join him to lead Lucasfilm in 2012, shortly before it became part of Disney. She immediately got to work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which shattered box office records around the world and still stands as the biggest movie of all time in the U.S. It marked the start of a new era for Star Wars, and within the span of four years, Kathy and the Lucasfilm team delivered four of the biggest films in history with a box office total of nearly $6B, along with the launch of the incredibly popular The Mandalorian series, Star Wars’ first foray into live-action series, which anchored the debut of Disney+.

During her tenure, Kathy oversaw a significant expansion of Star Wars storytelling with the bold and instantly beloved blockbuster Rogue One and the Emmy-winning prequel series Andor. In addition, she launched the Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka live-action series, championed new animated series for fans of all kinds from The Bad Batch to Star Wars: Visions, and helped bring the galaxy to real life through the immersive Galaxy’s Edge lands in Disneyland and Disney World. Throughout it all, she has driven Lucasfilm’s legacy of innovation forward – ensuring ILM remains the industry’s preeminent VFX house with five studios around the world as it continues to revolutionize production technology with cutting-edge tools like StageCraft.

What Kathy has accomplished at Lucasfilm is remarkable on its own, but of course she has been shaping the landscape of film and entertainment from the very first film she produced, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, ultimately becoming one of the most successful producers of all time. She has had a hand in so many unforgettable films, from Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park to The Goonies, Poltergeist, and The Sixth Sense to Schindler’s List, The Color Purple, and Lincoln. The list goes on, and the 70+ films she has produced have earned a collective 25 Academy Awards and more than 120 nominations, including eight Best Picture contenders. For her countless contributions to the industry, she was honored with the Academy’s prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award and the PGA’s Milestone Award, among others. There are few who are more deserving, and I’m thankful for her leadership through the years.

I am also excited that we have another visionary storyteller ready to lead the studio. Dave joined Lucasfilm in 2005 and worked closely with George Lucas on the creative side, including building the animation studio from the ground up. He is deeply connected to the franchise’s mythology and has helped steadily expand it to exciting new corners of the galaxy, from The Clone Wars and Rebels to The Mandalorian, earning numerous Emmy wins and nominations along the way. He is currently the showrunner on Ahsoka, which is now in production for its second season, and is working with Jon Favreau to finish up this summer’s The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Lynwen has over 26 years with the company, rising through ILM to become its leader in 2009 and later General Manager of all of Lucasfilm in 2015, before being named President & General Manager, Lucasfilm Business in 2024. Lynwen’s ability to drive innovation with a clear strategic vision has kept the company on the leading edge during a period of massive technology shifts. Her leadership in the industry has been recognized with a lifetime achievement award from the Visual Effects Society as well as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

With Dave at the creative helm, Lynwen leading the business, Kathy continuing to produce, and the stellar teams at Lucasfilm, ILM, and Skywalker Sound behind it all, audiences can look forward to iconic Star Wars storytelling – and beyond – for a long time to come.

Alan