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The news that Kathleen Kennedy was set to retire as the president of Lucasfilm caught everyone by surprise – especially her. The Hollywood producer, who has worked on films with Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas since the 1970s, has been busying herself with all things Star Wars for the past decade. However, rumors started to swirl early this week that she was ready to retire and step down from her role at Lucasfilm – rumors that were apparently very untrue.

“The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring,” Kennedy confirmed after several days of rumors about her future at Lucasfilm. “I will never retire from making movies. I will die making movies. That is the first thing that’s important to say. I’m not retiring.”

What’s more, it doesn’t sound like she’s ready to leave Lucasfilm just yet. “What’s happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both Bob [Iger, Disney CEO] and Alan [Bergman, co-chairman of Disney] about what eventual succession might look like.” That succession, according to Kennedy, a normal part of her career trajectory. “I’m not going to be here forever,” she insisted. “George [Lucas] asked me 13 years ago to step in, and now I’m looking at who’s going to replace me.”

Kathleen Kennedy was understandably tight-lipped about who could possibly replace her at Lucasfilm but she said that she expected an announcement to be made several months or a year before she actually stepped down, giving her time to finish off any ongoing projects and “sticking around to help that person be successful.”

For now, though, the rumors of Kathleen Kennedy’s retirement are greatly exaggerated. 

Get to know, understand, and love the Star Wars franchise more with our Star Wars watch order, guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies & TV shows, and all the Star Wars movies and Star Wars TV shows ranked.