Minutes before clocking out, the most powerful woman in Star Wars history quietly told Hollywood which long-stalled movies still have oxygen—and which ones are officially frozen in carbonite.
The Exit Interview That Reset the Board
Kathleen Kennedy’s 14-year tenure at Lucasfilm ends with a parting gift: clarity. Speaking to Deadline in her first—and last—interview as outgoing president, she delivered a blunt status report on every live-action film fans have been screaming about since 2019. No corporate fluff, no “we’re excited about the future.” Just a checklist of who turned in a script, who got shelved, and whose flick could still rise from the dead.
Waititi and Glover: Still Breathing
Taika Waititi’s long-rumored Star Wars picture isn’t a myth. “He has turned in a script that I think is hilarious and great,” Kennedy said, adding that the project remains “somewhat alive” for the incoming regime. Translation: Waititi’s space-comedy vibe cleared the creative bar, but Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan will decide if it actually shoots.
Same label applies to Donald Glover’s Lando-centric film. Kennedy confirmed the actor-writer-musician delivered a draft, echoing chatter from Parade that his take on the smooth-talking smuggler is “still somewhat alive.”
Mangold and Soderbergh: On Ice
James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi epic—pitched as a Biblical-scale origin story—is “really on the back burner,” Kennedy admitted, despite a script co-written by Beau Willimon that she calls “incredible.” The phrase “back burner” is studio-speak for “we’re not spending development money right now.”
Joining it in cryo: Steve Soderbergh and Adam Driver’s The Hunt for Ben Solo, scripted by Scott Burns. Kennedy praised the draft as “great,” but confirmed Disney already passed once and the project has no green-light path unless the new team “wants to take a risk.”
Rey’s Next Move and the Kinberg Trilogy
Kennedy also acknowledged that Simon Kinberg’s planned trilogy is still being worked on, walking back her own 2025 comments that those films were the official “next saga.” Meanwhile, Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order standalone remains without a public script update, leaving Rey’s cinematic future the biggest TBD on the board.
What Filoni and Brennan Inherit
When the baton passes, the new co-presidents will juggle:
- Two dated but locked releases: The Mandalorian & Grogu (May 22, 2026) and Starfighter (May 28, 2027).
- Two active scripts: Waititi and Glover.
- Two high-concept projects in deep freeze: Mangold’s Force-dawn epic and Soderbergh’s Ben Solo resurrection.
- One nebulous trilogy from Kinberg and a Rey film waiting for a creative anchor.
Fan appetite is quantifiable: the #ReleaseTheBenSoloCut campaign trended worldwide for 11 hours after Driver revealed Disney’s rejection. That groundswell—plus Waititi’s proven box-office charisma and Glover’s cult status—gives Filoni immediate leverage if he wants to thaw either frozen project.
Why This Matters Right Now
Kennedy’s candor strips away years of carefully hedged quotes. For the first time, fans have an official scorecard: four scripts exist, two are tabled, two hover in limbo. The revelation also signals Lucasfilm’s PR pivot—under Filoni, expect faster public yes/no decisions rather than perpetual “we’re working on it” vagueness. With Marvel facing its own saturation crisis, Disney can’t afford another Solo-style expensive misfire; Filoni’s choices will shape Star Wars’ theatrical credibility for the next decade.
Bottom line: the galaxy’s immediate future is Mando & Grogu in 18 months, followed by a 2027 fighter-pilot flick. Everything else—Jedi origins, Lando swagger, Ben Solo redemption, Rey’s new order—now sits on Filoni’s desk, waiting for a thumbs-up or a burial in the same Sarlacc pit that claimed Rogue Squadron.
Stay locked to onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest, most authoritative breakdown the second Filoni makes his first presidential move—because in this franchise, tomorrow’s canon can change before the credits finish rolling.
