Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan

Lucasfilm has confirmed the leaders taking over the studio

Following Kathleen Kennedy‘s exit from Lucasfilm, the new figures at the head of the historic studio have been announced. A press release from the Walt Disney Company stated, ‘Dave Filoni will take on creative leadership of Lucasfilm as President and Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm, and Lynwen Brennan will serve as Co-President, Lucasfilm, with each having held senior executive roles at the studio for more than 15 years‘.

Kathleen Kennedy‘s 14-year tenure as President of Lucasfilm has been at times controversial. While Star Wars remains a box-office juggernaut, fan and critical reception to many of the studio’s projects since Disney bought Lucasfilm have been mixed. From strong reactions to films and shows like The Force Awakens, The Mandalorian and Andor, also came with critical and commercial failures like The Rise of Skywalker and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Star Wars as a franchise has had a tepid reaction in the last decade as a result, with resounding highs and catastrophic lows. Kennedy’s legacy is also in the series’ pivot to streaming shows on Disney+, although these too haven’t been universally well-received, bar The Mandalorian and the final season of Clone Wars.

Lucasfilm’s new leadership has a strong history with both the studio and the franchise. Filoni has been with the studio since 2005 and helmed many of the franchise’s most beloved projects like Clone Wars, Rebels and The Mandalorian. Before his promotion to President and CCO, Filoni had already been trusted with a lot of creative control of the franchise. He is also the showrunner for Ahsoka, which is currently in production for its second season. Filoni’s projects have garnered great success, with multiple award nominations, including multiple Primetime Emmy wins.

Lynwen Brennan has been at Lucasfilm since 1999, starting at ILM, eventually becoming its leader in 2009. Since then, she has been appointed as General Manager of Lucasfilm in 2015 and President & General Manager of Lucasfilm Business in 2024, and has now been named Co-President of Lucasfilm. Her work in the industry and her guidance of the studio through many technological shifts have seen her recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Visual Effects Society.

The new leadership shows a clear path for Lucasfilm as it heads into its next era as a studio. Filoni will handle the creative and narrative future of Star Wars, aiming for consistent quality output, which the studio has struggled with for the last few years. On the other hand, Brennan will manage the business side of the company, in a time where inflated budgets and falling box office results have become prevalent, with profit margins shrinking.

Post Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy will transition back into a producing role, aiming to broaden her already historic portfolio of film and television projects.