Kathleen Kennedy, who has overseen Lucasfilm and theStar Wars franchise since the company was sold to Disney by George Lucas, is stepping down.Thats per Puck, who says Kennedy has told friends and associates that she will exit as Lucasfilm president by the end of the year. (In their article on the news,The Hollywood Reporterrefers to it as a retirement;Kennedy turns 72 later this summer.)Star Wars Celebration: "The Rise of Skywalker" PanelGetty Imagesloading...Kennedy joined Lucasfilm shortly before Lucas sold the company to Disney and then took over his role as its president upon the sale and his departure. Under her leadership,Star Warsreturned to prominence in movie theaters, and became an ongoing TV franchise as well. Thefranchises early years under Kennedy were marked by one massive success after another.Disneys firstStar Wars film,The Force Awakens, is still the highest-grossing movie ever in the United States. Several otherStar Wars films she produced became multibillion hits.But in recent years, the franchises track record has been a bit more uneven. For everyThe Mandalorian, theres been aBook of Boba Fett, and afterThe Last Jedi became a polarizing film among fans, the franchise released the widely dislikedThe Rise of Skywalker still the most recentStar Wars to hit theaters some six years later.There have been all sorts of reports of behind-the-scenes drama as well, with numerous projects getting announced (like Patty JenkinsRogue Squadron or Rian Johnsons spinoff trilogy) and then never coming to fruition. There were high profile changes to projects mid-production as well;Solo: A Star Wars Story began as a Phil Lord and Chris Miller movie, but they were let go int the middle of the shoot and replaced by Ron Howard. The finished film grossed less than $400 million worldwide far less than half of whatThe Force Awakens earned in the U.S. alone.With Kennedy moving on, it will be interesting to see how her era ofStar Wars ages in the eyes of fans. George Lucas leftStar Warsafter years of fans claiming he had abused their childhoods with the Prequel Trilogy. These days, a lot of fans claim to prefer those movies to DisneysStar Wars efforts. In 15 years, will that generation of fans say the same thing about Kennedys work? Only time will tell.The nextStar Warsmovie,The Mandalorian& Grogu, is currently scheduled to premiere in theaters on May 22, 2026.Actors Who Were Wasted in Star Wars RolesThese wonderful stars have appeared in Star Wars movies and shows, but only in parts so small they left us disappointed.