Kathleen Kennedy stepped away from running one of entertainment’s most valuable franchises, and when Bloomberg asked how it felt, she ignored the polished exit script. Kennedy, now a producer at the Kennedy Marshall Company, told Bloomberg: “No, I’m not feeling bittersweet. Uh, I suppose there was a bit of relief, according to Kennedy Marshall Company. These jobs are not easy.”
That openness matters less than her next project: setting rules for how Hollywood uses generative AI.
How Lucasfilm’s Leadership Handoff Unfolded
StarWars.com published the announcement on January 15, 2026, under the headline “Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Studios Announce Leadership Transition”. Deadline reported the same day that Dave Filoni & Lynwen Brennan would serve as Lucasfilm presidents. Kennedy had led Lucasfilm since Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS | DIS Price Prediction) acquired the studio. Readers can find official franchise announcements on the StarWars.com news page.
Why Franchise Filmmaking Wears Down Its Leaders
Kennedy described the core tension: “The challenge is to try to create something new, something original. So finding that balance is really the toughest.”
A franchise carries decades of audience expectations about tone, characters, and rules, and every new project must honor that history while delivering something fresh. Lean too far toward the familiar and the work feels recycled. Lean too far toward novelty and the core audience may reject it.
Kennedy’s Case for AI Centers on Access
Kennedy framed her interest in new tools as an extension of her career: “I’ve always been around technology. Every single movie I’ve made in the last 15 or 20 years has been pushing technology to the next level, according to Kennedy Marshall Company. What I’m seeing happen is that there’s an opportunity using these new tools that give people access in a way that they haven’t had before.” Her argument centers on access. Traditional filmmaking demands large upfront commitments of money, crews, and equipment before testing an idea. Tools that let creators refine cheaply change who gets to try at all, expanding the talent pipeline.
A Rulebook Drafted From Inside the Industry
Kennedy says she organized industry dialogue through the American Film Institute. That work produced a written framework. Kennedy described it: “We put together a document that we called HGH, which is human generative workflow versus machine generative. And we broke down the steps of what that meant and why precision and human intention was so important to the creative process.”
Kennedy explained why: “I think people are recognizing that we have a bit of a leadership void in the industry right now. Everybody’s looking for guidance as to how we’re going to go about using these tools.” Her strategy is to write norms before regulators, courts, or technology vendors impose them.
What to Watch as Studios Write Their AI Rules
A producer-led organized faces a structural problem. The companies using generative tools dwarf any production company, and cost-cutting pressures run against a principle built on human intention. Persuasion alone rarely sets norms in such an environment.
Kennedy’s effort has a credible path through contracts. A framework that guilds and studios cite in labor agreements would carry real weight. One that spreads only at panels would fade.
Watch whether the American Film Institute publishes the document, and whether studios or guilds reference its human-versus-machine distinction in labor agreements. Investors tracking media companies should also monitor how studios describe AI policies in annual filings, where adopted standards would eventually surface.