After Disney acquired Lucasfilm for four billion Republic credits, Star Wars creator George Lucas handed the keys to the intergalactic kingdom to Kathleen Kennedy. She’s been steering the spaceship ever since, sith-lording over (that’s enough with the Star Wars wordplay) The Force Awakens to Rogue One to The Last Jedi to Solo to the upcoming Episode IX and many more films to come. (But not too many.) It was announced on Friday that Kennedy will continue to serve as Lucasfilm president until at least 2021, after her contract was renewed:
The move is a vote of confidence in Kennedy, who [has] overseen the relaunch of Star Wars, one of the most revered movie properties in cinematic history. Disney’s four new Star Wars films have grossed almost $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office. Ancillary and merchandising have brought billions more into the studio’s coffers… Sources say that the near future of Star Wars lies in television with Kennedy-led Lucasfilm planning on expanding the universe with new characters in that medium.
Disney doesn’t care about the vocal minority of Last Jedi haters, as long the films keep making money (the 91 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics doesn’t hurt, either). Kennedy’s position also requires overseeing the “multiple” Star Wars television shows in development, including Jon Favreau’s live-action series for Disney’s streaming service, and convincing Indiana Jones fans that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull NEVER HAPPENED.
Kennedy’s other accomplishments include co-founding Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall and producing classics like Gremlins, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)