{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Curious Case of Kathleen Kennedy's Retirement","description":"On this episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester detour from our usual focus on fictional storytelling to discuss an instance of real-world events and surrounding narratives in the form of journalistic coverage of the upcoming retirement of Kathleen Kennedy from her current role as president of Lucasfilm. On February 24, 2025, experienced Hollywood journalist Matt Belloni at&amp;nbsp;Puck&amp;nbsp;reported that \u201cKathleen Kennedy has informed Disney, as well as friends and associates, that she will exit as Lucasfilm president by the end of the year, per three sources.\u201d Two of the three longstanding Hollywood trades,&amp;nbsp;The Hollywood Reporter&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;Variety, quickly corroborated the reported, followed soon after by articles considering potential replacements as Lucasfilm\u2019s leader. Then, on February 27, the other major trade,&amp;nbsp;Deadline, ran an extended written interview with Kennedy. Although framed as a debunking of Belloni\u2019s reporting, its substance actually verified the fundamental accuracy of his information while presenting a narrative of Kennedy\u2019s aspirations to remain an important participant in Star Wars movies after her successors takes over. In addition to closely examining the wording of the reporting and the interview for their accurately interpreted meaning, we also consider the implications of these revelations for the future of Lucasfilm and cinematic storytelling in the Star Wars franchise in the years ahead. Media Articles:  Matt Belloni,&amp;nbsp;Kathleen Kennedy to Step Down at Lucasfilm&amp;nbsp;(Puck; Feb. 24, 2025) Matt Belloni,&amp;nbsp;What I\u2019m Hearing: Oscars Politics, Zaz\u2019s Split Motive &amp;amp; More Kathy Kennedy&amp;nbsp;(Puck; Feb. 28, 2025) Aaron Couch,&amp;nbsp;Lucasfilm Boss Kathleen Kennedy Expected to Retire This Year&amp;nbsp;(The Hollywood Reporter; Feb. 24, 2025) Rebecca Rubin &amp;amp; Brett Lang,&amp;nbsp;\u2018Star Wars\u2019 Boss Kathleen Kennedy Planning to Exit Lucasfilm at the End of 2025&amp;nbsp;(Variety; Feb. 25, 2025) Borys Kit &amp;amp; James Hibberd,&amp;nbsp;Disney\u2019s \u2018Star Wars\u2019 Succession Problem: Who Will Replace Kathleen Kennedy?&amp;nbsp;(The Hollywood Reporter; Feb. 25, 2025) Brett Lang &amp;amp; Rebecca Rubin,&amp;nbsp;Who Will Run \u2018Star Wars\u2019 After Kathleen Kennedy Leaves? One of Hollywood\u2019s Hottest \u2014 and Hardest \u2014 Jobs Opens Up&amp;nbsp;(Variety; Feb. 25, 2025) Mike Fleming Jr.,&amp;nbsp;Kathleen Kennedy Speaks On Her Lucasfilm Plans \u2014 She Is Not Soon Retiring \u2014 &amp;amp; The Films That Will Keep Her In \u2018Star Wars\u2019 Orbit For Years To Come&amp;nbsp;(Deadline; Feb. 27, 2025)  Related Links:   Ten Years of Hyperspace Theories&amp;nbsp;(Oct. 2024)  Dave Filoni Talks Writing AHSOKA and Guiding the Future of Star Wars Storytelling&amp;nbsp;(June 2024)  Hyperspace Theories: Starting 2024 with the Future of Star Wars&amp;nbsp;(Jan. 2024) Now Filoni is the Master (Nov. 2023)  ","author_name":"Hyperspace Theories","author_url":"http:\/\/hyperspacetheories.libsyn.com\/webpage","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/35621055\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/7331ad\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/35621055"}