The takeaway was chaos and that Kennedy was being pushed.
The reality is different and far more orderly.
She also deserves to own her own narrative and demystify this pseudo-drama.
Kathleen KennedyNeil Mockford/FilmMagic
What is the truth?
I will never retire from movies.
I will die making movies.
That is the first thing thats important to say.
I am not retiring.
We are in lockstep as to what thats going to be, and I am continuing.
Im producing theMandalorianmovie right now, and Im also producing Shawn Levys movie, which is after that.
Theres nothing unusual about that, and were in that process.
DEADLINE:This flurry of press coverage, it sounds like chaos.
There has never been any chaos because we know exactly what the plan is.
The job has grown also since I stepped in.
So it has grown.
Im already producing theMandalorianmovie, and Shawn Levys is after that.
What do you make of this fixation on your job status?
KENNEDY:I truly dont know.
It all has just been manufactured.
KENNEDY:Is absolutely not the case.
It could not be further from the truth.
And everything that we do inside of Lucasfilm is in lockstep and in communication with Disney.
We all know whats going on.
The communication has been completely collaborative as you would expect.
Butnow hes starting to take shrapnel.
How daunting is it to run a company based on beloved and iconic IP?
Its what Amazon MGM will now go through as it expands the James Bonduniverse.
KENNEDY:It is something I think about all the time.
BecauseStar Warshas always had a kind of world building, and it reflects a certain amount of our society.
How they consume things.
Youre trying to look forward.
And at the same time, youre trying to create stories that feel familiar.
So youre moving into the future, but youre maintaining a sense of familiarity.
I think thats the hardest balance.
What weve really enjoyed about the streaming space is weve been able to experiment.
Its harder to do that in the movie space.
It can become theirStar Wars.
And that, I think is, is the fun storytelling challenge.
DEADLINE:Youve got a long resume of big movies.
It doesnt matter if youre doingStar Warsor anything else.
We want to make those things that we feel are the best.
So theres constant discussion around that.
Of course, were going to develop lots of different things with an understanding that not everything gets made.
DEADLINE:I broke a piece last fall aboutSimon Kinberg making a deal to write and produceaStar Warstrilogy.
KENNEDY:Were absolutely rolling fast and furiously.
That has gone exceptionally well, and hes literally going to script as we speak.
Well see something probably around June.
Were really excited about where thats headed.
DEADLINE:There are spinoffs and then there is the coreStar Warsstory broken into trilogies.
Is this a continuation of that?
KENNEDY:This is the next iteration, the new saga that moves us into the future.
DEADLINE:And the one byDeadpool & Wolverinedirector Shawn Levy?
KENNEDY:Thats also in the future.
Its all post-[the first] nine.
Shawns is a standaloneStar Warsstory thatll take place post-nine, maybe five or six years out.
AndMandalorianreally stands on its own because there, were dealing with a whole other era in the New Republic.
We have other development going on in that space as well.
And with this, its all pretty much new characters.
We may bring some of the characters back from the sequel saga, but pretty much new characters.
KENNEDY:To play it safe, Id say three or four right at the moment.
And a large part of it, Mike, is who is the talent were attaching?
And thats a challenge in and of itself these days because people get really busy.
So you find yourself having to wait with a lot of the top talent doing streaming and movies now.
So thats part of the challenge as well.
DEADLINE:Youve still gotthat prequel with James Mangold, whos Oscar-nominated for the Bob Dylan movieA Compete Unknown?
Hes working on this script right now.
Simons working on scripts right now.
Shawn, we had been working with him already for about a year and a half.
These guys are available now.
Jim, he got delayed a bit because of the Dylan movie and the awards season.
You have to accommodate top talent to a certain extent.
And quality is so important with what it is were trying to do.
I like to wait for people that I think are passionate and really good to step intoStar Wars.
DEADLINE:Any others that Ive forgotten?
I think if we ever do get a script from Taika, its going to be fantastic.
I already saw a first act that I loved, but tying him down, its tricky.
KENNEDY:Its so true.
And thats exactly the tone were always looking for with filmmakers who can pull that off.
Its not like theyre a dime a dozen.
Youre really trying to find the diamond in the rough and hes one of them.
KENNEDY:I dont know if Im going to say that, but yeah, its possible.
I cannot keep pace most of the time with what hes doing.
It makes me feel like Im standing still.
KENNEDY:Oh, sure.
We had a blast.
DEADLINE:Any regrets?
KENNEDY:No, I mean far from regrets.
Ive loved the challenge of stepping into this space, and literally space and being withStar Warsover these years.
Taking on the challenges of expanding onStar Wars.
Ive loved working with Disney, and the company has been fantastic in its support of the IP.
Theyve expanded things in ways I dont think George could have even imagined.
And its been such a learning experience.
Ive never been an executive before.
Im a filmmaker through and through.
I even approached the executive role as a filmmaker.
I love working with filmmakers.
That is my lifeblood.
Its what I enjoy more than anything.
And you look at someone like Tony Gilroy.
He has done transformative, exceptional work.
Ive been working with Tony for more than a decade.
I dont think Tony wouldve ever imagined he wouldve done that.
That creative experience onAndorhas been fantastic.
Andsecond season is coming out next month.
Thats where the satisfaction comes from for me, and I just hope that continues.
KENNEDY:I dont know if I can.
I dont think he ever believed hed be a decade insideStar Wars.
So well see what he does.
But hes such a talent, just fantastic.
DEADLINE:He also provided the creative spine forThe Bourne Identity…
KENNEDY:Thats how we all met.
DEADLINE:Two final questions.
Will you step out as Lucasfilm boss this year?
KENNEDY:We really dont know at this stage.
Theres so much going on, Mike.
DEADLINE:When it happens, wholl make the decision?
This is 100 percent my decision.
