Star Wars Leadership Changes Take Shape As Kathleen Kennedy's Lucasfilm Replacements Leak

It's officially the start of a new era over in that galaxy far, far away ... or it will be soon, at least. Ever since the news first broke that Kathleen Kennedy would be stepping down from her role as President of Lucasfilm, it's seemed as if the franchise has remained at a tipping point. 2026 will mark the first time a "Star Wars" project has released exclusively in theaters since 2019's "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker," which put an end to the Skywalker Saga and cast further doubt on the direction this space opera might take in the years ahead. In the meantime, the property has flourished on streaming, with shows like "The Mandalorian," "Skeleton Crew," and especially "Andor" keeping the storied franchise in the limelight. Now, we have a pretty good idea who'll be taking the reins from Kennedy, and they're both somewhat familiar faces.

In a new Puck report, Matthew Belloni has revealed the two names that Lucasfilm is preparing to take over the big job. According to Belloni, Lucasfilm is set to officially confirm the passing of the torch "in the next week or two." As for the pair of individuals at the top of the studio's wish list? That would be Dave Filoni, the current Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm and the creative talent behind shows like "The Mandalorian," "Ahsoka," and "Star Wars Rebels." However, Filoni will apparently be joined by Lynwen Brennan, a behind-the-scenes executive who's currently serving as the President and General Manager of Lucasfilm Business.

Now, fans are left to wonder: What will this decision likely mean for the future of "Star Wars" moving forward?

Let this put to rest any further debates about Kathleen Kennedy's capabilities as the leader of Lucasfilm since Disney bought the studio in 2012: Her job is so demanding that she needed not just one but two replacements. Kennedy's extensive list of accomplishments as a titan and super-producer in the industry speaks for itself at this point, and there will be plenty of time in the weeks to come for analysts to properly weigh her stewardship of "Star Wars" — from a creative dead zone left by the divisively-received prequels to a renewed interest across multiple generations with the sequel trilogy and the various spin-off films. Now, all eyes will turn to Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan to see how they steer this ship from here.

If any of this sets off a sense of déjà vu, well, that's because /Film's Ryan Scott cited both candidates as potential successors to Kennedy back in 2025. As he pinpointed at the time, Lucasfilm appears to be taking the same approach that Warner Bros. Discovery did with DC Studios. Much like how James Gunn was chosen to lead the franchise creatively and allow producer Peter Safran to handle the business side of things, Lucasfilm has reportedly chosen writer/director/producer/CCO Filoni and Brennan for very similar roles. As Filoni has very minimal executive experience, it makes a ton of sense to have Brennan shoulder the load while he focuses on the various "Star Wars" movies and shows on Lucasfilm's slate. Of course, Filoni's only technically directed a single theatrical film to date (2008's "Clone Wars" animated feature) — a stark departure from the decades of experience that Kennedy had producing big-screen ventures.

Stay tuned to see how this all shakes out.