Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | February 25, 2025
Most people don’t know the names of movie producers. Some producers rise to public fame, depending on the work they do or the interviews they give. Kevin Feige is an obvious example, given the behemoth he oversees, which is the MCU. Jerry Bruckheimer certainly has a name that people recognize, and a body of work to accompany it. Harvey Weinstein is well known but for all the wrong reasons (or, ya know, right reasons in the sense that he has been read for the filth he is). Then there’s Kathleen Kennedy.
Kennedy is someone who was known to anyone who was paying attention. Her earliest producer gig was on Raiders of the Lost Arc. Her first! Her career following that could make for several seasons of The Movies That Made Us (a show I do not like, but it illustrates my point). E.T., Jurassic Park, and Milk Money all had Kennedy’s hand in them and are only a small portion of her work. She’s produced films for some of the biggest directors ever. She became President of Lucasfilm after it was purchased by Disney in 2012. Then, the losers showed up.
I said that people who were paying attention knew who Kennedy was because a bunch of neckbearded knobs started treating her like some amateur money-man when she took over at Lucasfilm. Hordes of dweebs who openly claimed to be passionate nerds were rankled by a woman who helped make most of their favorite movies because she started making movies they didn’t like. It’s a movement driven by sexism and headed up by basement-dwelling manbabies surrounded by action figures and lit by a poorly placed ring light.
To say Kennedy doesn’t deserve the amount of vitriol thrown at her would be an understatement. For one thing, these are just movies. The people getting red-faced and angry about them are overreacting. I like The Last Jedi, one of Kennedy’s productions that seemed to draw the most ire from these attention-seeking superfans, but even if I didn’t, the way these people attacked her over its release is absurd and disgusting and hasn’t stopped. While Kennedy has not appeared to be shaken by any of this noise, she will be stepping away from it all.
Puck is reporting that Kennedy is planning to retire at the end of 2025, before the release of the newest Star Wars film to hit theaters since 2019. Kennedy has yet to comment, but it wouldn’t be surprising if she decided to step aside. She’s been making movies and TV shows for over 40 years. She has more than earned a break. What’s annoying is plenty of the aforementioned C.H.U.D.S. will surely view this as a victory. In reality, it’s likely a woman who has earned her place in Hollywood history and is riding off into the sunset.
That’s how Kennedy will be remembered. It won’t be for the plethora of SEO-driven rage baiters who don’t like how she was playing with their toys. Kennedy is a prolific producer who has worked with the biggest names in the business. Her work and legacy are undeniable and won’t be shaped by her decade-plus in a galaxy far, far away. The people paying attention will see her as the magnificent shepherd she is, and we thank her greatly for her time and talent. If anyone deserves a rest, it’s Kathleen Kennedy.
