Disney, along with the current president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, might be ruining one of the most beloved movie franchises of all time and fans are rightfully livid. After a successful career producing and collaborating on many films, Kennedy, the California-born, San Diego-educated, liberal feminist, has become the most powerful woman in Hollywood by landing the most distinguished position at Lucasfilm. 

Kennedy was named co-chair of Lucasfilm by George Lucas himself, just months before selling the company to Disney. It didn’t take long for Disney to promote Kennedy to president and begin shelling out half-baked Star Wars media. Since the purchase, recent Star Wars movies have been met with much criticism, and the overabundance of aborted projects and fired directors has fans speculating that something might be an issue behind the scenes. Could Kathleen Kennedy be the issue? 

Rumors have arisen that Lucasfilm under the control of Kennedy is too overbearing and unorganized, giving talented directors very little creative freedom. This cycle of creative differences first came to light when the original directors of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were dismissed because their direction was said to be too “slapstick” for a Star Wars film. The director of The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker, JJ Abrams, even hinted at disarray within Lucasfilm while working with them. 

Although it may be easy to blame Kennedy for Lucasfilm’s problems, it’s not fair to condemn a sole person for the faults of an entire corporation. However, if rumors continue, I would like to see a change in leadership at Lucasfilm.