Kathleen Kennedy Says SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY is Her One Regret at Lucasfilm
As Kathleen Kennedy closes the book on her time at Lucasfilm, she’s standing firmly by nearly every creative decision she made while leading Star Wars. Nearly. In a rare moment of hindsight, Kennedy has singled out Solo: A Star Wars Story as the one project she wishes had been handled differently.
Lucasfilm recently confirmed Kennedy’s departure as President, with Dave Filoni stepping into the role and Lynwen Brennan becoming co-President. While Kennedy has expressed confidence in the studio’s future, she’s also been open about lessons learned during her 12-year run.
Speaking with Deadline, Kennedy reflected on both the successes and struggles of the era. While films like The Force Awakens dominated the box office and Disney+ series like The Mandalorian redefined the brand, Solo stands out as the franchise’s most visible stumble.
The 2017 film faced well-documented production issues, including a late director change and tonal shifts. It ultimately underperformed at the box office, becoming the first Star Wars movie to be labeled a financial disappointment.
Kennedy placed much of that burden on expectations placed on the film’s lead.
Looking back, she acknowledged that while Alden Ehrenreich was “a wonderful actor,” Lucasfilm put him in an unfair position by asking him to step into a role that had been permanently defined by Harrison Ford.
The expectation wasn’t just to play Han Solo, but to immediately be accepted as Han Solo. That, Kennedy admitted, was asking too much.
Regardless, I enjoyed the movie! I thought it was great! I liked the story, I thought Ehrenreich was solid in the role as well. While the movie had some heavy behind-the-scene inssues with Phil Lord and Chris Miller being fired and replaced by Ron Howard, I was happy with how the movie turned out and I was excited to see that story continue.
Aside from Solo, Kennedy maintains that she wouldn’t change the broader creative direction of the franchise. She reiterated that divisive reactions come with the territory when working on something as beloved and deeply personal to fans as Star Wars.
“I wouldn’t do that any differently and I wouldn’t change anything that we’ve done over the years. I understand why some people may like certain things more than others, but that’s not going to change why I decided to do certain things and why I decided to work with the people that we worked with.”
As Lucasfilm moves ahead with projects like The Mandalorian and Grogu, Ahsoka Season 2, and Star Wars: Starfighter, the new leadership team isn’t tied to past misfires or abandoned announcements. Filoni, in particular, now has the freedom to chart a cleaner path forward.
For Kennedy, Solo: A Star Wars Story remains the one creative decision she openly questions. Not because of the cast or intent, but because of the impossible standard it set.