The Force is with Kathleen Kennedy. The lead producer and architect of the Star Wars franchise has renewed her contract to remain president of Lucasfilm for another three years, through 2021.

Kennedy, who took command of Lucasfilm after Disney’s $4 billion acquisition from George Lucas in 2012, has overseen the relaunch of Star Wars, one of the most revered movie properties in cinematic history. Disney’s four new Star Wars films have grossed almost $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office.

The somewhat mixed reaction to The Last Jedi and box office disappointment of Solo are resulting in a shift in studio strategy, with Disney making plans to slow the output of movies. “You can expect some slowdown,” Disney CEO Bob Iger told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview, adding, “but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to make films.”

Kennedy will be next be serving as producer on Star Wars: Episode IX, which is currently shooting in London, and Indiana Jones 5, both slated for release on December 20, 2019 and July 9, 2021, respectively. Kennedy is also expected to serve as producer on Rian Johnson’s new Star Wars trilogy as well as David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ new series of films set in the Star Wars universe.

Lucasfilm also has new Star Wars TV series in the works, including a live-action series from Jon Favreau, which is currently casting, as well as Star Wars: The Clone Wars, both of which will air on Disney’s untitled streaming service, set to launch in the second half of 2019. Star Wars Resistance, a new animated series, premieres October 7 on Disney Channel, after which all new episodes will debut on Disney XD.

In September, she was named as a recipient, along with husband, producer Frank Marshall, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Irving G. Thalberg Award for a “body of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production.” She will receive the honor at the 10th annual Governors Awards on November 18.

Are you happy to see Kathleen Kennedy stick around at Lucasfilm? Let us know your thoughts down below.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter