Kathleen Kennedy Admits Regret Over Solo: A Star Wars Story

Former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has revealed that Solo: A Star Wars Story is the only film from her 14-year tenure that she regrets, at least in part.

Speaking to Deadline, Kennedy said she has very few regrets overall, but admitted that Solo stands out. “I don’t really have any regrets. Well, maybe a bit of regret about Solo: A Star Wars Story,” she said. According to Kennedy, the issue wasn’t the filmmaking itself, but the core idea behind the project.

The 2018 film explored the early life of iconic smuggler Han Solo, with Alden Ehrenreich stepping into a role made famous by Harrison Ford. The cast also included Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Thandiwe Newton, Paul Bettany, and Emilia Clarke.

Kennedy praised Ehrenreich’s performance but acknowledged the challenge he faced. “As wonderful as Alden Ehrenreich was, and he really was good, we put him in an impossible situation,” she said. She added that replacing a character as beloved as Han Solo was always going to be difficult and that, in hindsight, the concept may have come too soon.

Despite its star-studded cast, Solo received mixed reviews and struggled at the box office. The film grossed about $393 million worldwide against a reported budget of $275 million, making it the lowest-grossing live-action Star Wars film to date.

Kennedy emphasized that her regret is not about the filmmaking process itself. “I don’t have regrets about that,” she explained. “I just think that conceptually, we did it too soon.”

The longtime executive is now handing over leadership at Lucasfilm to chief creative officer Dave Filoni and general manager Lynwen Brennan. Looking ahead, the next Star Wars film set for theaters is The Mandalorian and Grogu, scheduled for release on May 22. Another project, Star Wars: Starfighter from director Shawn Levy, is currently slated for a 2027 release.