For years, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has been the lightning rod for Star Wars criticism. Every creative, cultural, or box office misstep seemed to lead back to her. From online outrage to think pieces, she’s often been painted as the architect of the franchise’s post-Disney turbulence. But what if the story isn’t as simple as fans have believed? A new wave of discussion, sparked by recent comments from Adam Driver and reinforced by insider claims, suggests that much of the decision-making fans have attributed to Kennedy might actually trace back to Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Adam Driver recently revealed in a conversation with the Associated Press that he had once been attached to a Star Wars film project titled "The Hunt for Ben Solo" with heavyweight Steven Soderbergh. According to Driver, the project was approved by Kennedy but shut down by Disney leadership, specifically Bob Iger and Alan Bergman. That revelation forced the fandom to reassess their criticisms: if Kennedy wasn’t the one vetoing projects or steering the creative direction off course, how much control did she really have over Lucasfilm’s output? What if she was never really to blame?
This speculation was recently elevated from a mere “what if” to “it’s entirely possible” via insider information discussed in a recent video on Den of Nerds. Josh, who runs the YouTube channel, is a self admitted self-admitted former “toxic YouTuber” who once led chants for Kennedy’s firing has even reconsidered years of criticism. He cites a trusted, highly reliable source who has provided accurate leaks and information in the past. According to this source, a pattern has existed for years - Bob Iger repeatedly overruled or redirected Lucasfilm projects, often against Kennedy’s wishes. Iger’s interference allegedly goes back as far as The Clone Wars<. When Disney acquired Lucasfilm, Kennedy reportedly wanted to keep the beloved animated series alive. Iger, however, canceled it early, allowing only a truncated final season. When fans clamored for a revival, Iger was still resistant. Kennedy, according to the source, had to “fight tooth and nail” to bring the show back for its eventual final run on Disney+. This supposed aversion to Lucas’s creations set the tone for years of behind-the-scenes tension.
This is not the only instance of Iger’s interference. The insider alleges a number of vetoes by the Disney CEO that have been not only particularly sore subjects for many fans, but also blamed on Kennedy. Darth Maul’s Son of Dathomir was originally slated to run as a Clone Wars arc until the series was cancelled in 2013. When Iger consented to Kennedy’s insistence to give the show a proper ending, he mandated a lower episode count. This left the Son of Dathomir on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, the arc was adapted into a comic run that is adored by fans. However, one can’t help but wonder how the story would unfold in such an engaging and kinetic medium like the Clone Wars animation.
Other projects were massively restructured. The Obi-Wan Kenobi show was originally conceived as a theatrical movie. For years, fans theorized Kenobi’s return while Ewan McGregor feigned lack of knowledge of the project until he confirmed his announcement at D23 in 2019. However, the show would be released as a limited series as opposed to the long theorized, and later confirmed, theatrical film at Iger's decree. A season’s worth of scripts were also written for a fourth season of the Mandalorian. However, after a perceived lackluster third season, Iger purportedly demanded the season be consolidated into a theatrical release in order to fast track box office dollars.
Perhaps the most shocking claim involves The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Kennedy, according to the unnamed source, wanted Luke and Rey to share a central relationship, building on the saga’s generational legacy, both on screen and in the fandom. But Iger allegedly pushed for Luke’s marginalization, preferring to distance Disney’s Star Wars from George Lucas’s mythology. If true, this means one of the fandom’s core frustrations, the perceived disrespect toward Luke Skywalker, might not have originated with Kennedy at all.
It is clear even from a public relations perspective that Disney has a strong preference for other properties. This can be evidenced in how often, or not, Iger directly addresses Star Wars in comparison to other Disney properties. This, intended or not, forces Kennedy to absorb the brunt of criticism. If Iger was the one making - and seemingly breaking - many of these calls while Kennedy took the blame, the dynamics at Lucasfilm may have been far more complicated than we imagined.
Star Wars fans have treated Kennedy as the franchise’s villain, the scapegoat for creative decisions and cultural shifts they disliked. But if these insider claims hold weight, it may be time to reevaluate not only the leadership of Lucasfilm, but also how fandom narratives form, spread, and harden into “truth.” To be clear, Kennedy is not perfect as a studio lead - just take a look at the Force is Female campaign. But it may add context and clarity to how a decades-long Hollywood mainstay and producer could allow her friend’s legacy to fall so far. To quote Josh from Den of Nerds, “If this is true, then Bob Iger was doing this and letting Kathleen Kennedy take all the blame while saying nothing,” and that speaks volumes to the dysfunction that exists in corporate Disney and Iger’s character.