Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm and overseer of Disney’s Star Wars operations, has been non-committal on her future with the franchise in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.
Kennedy, who like all associated with the space-opera is gearing up for Christmas’s hotly anticipated ninth episode in the saga, The Rise of Skywalker, was asked how much longer she intended to continue in the role that has seen the giant of pop culture reach new heights at the box office. Her response to the question was open-ended, with the exec saying:
“I’ve really enjoyed this [role], I have to say. It’s been incredibly exciting. And just the fact that George [Lucas] asked me to do this, I felt a tremendous responsibility with stepping in and taking care of the franchise, and if there were going to be new movies, to really pull a team around this that cared as much as he did. What happens in the future, and how long and how much longer I do this? I don’t know yet.
I’m looking at all of that. It’s been incredibly satisfying to reach this point where we’ve completed the saga and, I think, made a really wonderful movie. It’s going to feel very satisfying to the audience. So that’s what I’m focused on right at the moment — and what the future holds, who knows”.
Kennedy’s time at Lucasfilm has not been without difficulties. Though under her stewardship The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi became the highest grossing films in the franchise’s history, the latter’s, shall we say mixed response (I’m not starting that argument again), has proved something of a thorn in her side.
The fledgling line of Star Wars Anthology movies she has presided over has also been a tumultuous enterprise, more so than this imperious studio could ever have envisaged. One of those anthologies – Solo, became the only Star Wars movie ever to bomb at the box office.
There are no signs, however, that this year’s entry will fail in that manner. With J.J. Abrams back on board in the director’s chair, Kennedy will be hoping he guides things to safer ground. Perhaps, after the dust has settled on this definitive chapter, her future will become clearer.
