Dave Filoni, who oversaw Pedro Pascal's 'The Mandalorian' named president of 'Star Wars' studio Lucasfilm

Dave Filoni was named president of Walt Disney-owned (DIS.N) Lucasfilm on Thursday.

Known as a protégé of "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, he was a creative force behind hit streaming TV series "The Mandalorian."

According to a statement issued by Disney, current Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy will step down from the role this week and work as a full-time producer.

Reuters reported that Filoni, 51, will now steer one of the highest-grossing movie franchises in history as well as live-action and animated TV shows. 

He will work alongside co-president Lynwen Brennan, who runs the studio's business affairs and operations.

Disney CEO Bob Iger praised Kennedy's "leadership, her vision, and her stewardship” of the studio.

The 72-year-old Kennedy, who has run Lucasfilm since Disney bought it in 2012, oversaw three blockbuster sequels to the original "Star Wars" trilogy and the successful spinoff "Rogue One."

"Solo," a 2018 film that introduced a new actor as the smuggler made famous by Harrison Ford, flopped in theaters. That prompted concerns that audiences were growing fatigued with the beloved franchise.

"'Solo' was a little disappointing to us," Iger said in 2023. "It gave us pause just to think maybe the cadence was a little too aggressive. And so, we decided to pull back a bit."

Disney put the "Star Wars" movies on hiatus in 2019 to focus on live-action TV series, including "The Mandalorian" starring Pedro Pascal and introducing the popular character Baby Yoda. The company scrapped planned "Star Wars" films from directors Patty Jenkins and Rian Johnson as Kennedy worked to reset the film strategy.

Filoni, meanwhile, oversaw many popular and acclaimed TV series including "The Mandalorian" and "Ahsoka."

Both Kennedy and Filoni worked with Lucas, the creator of the original "Star Wars" film series that debuted in 1977. The franchise, about a group of rebels in a galaxy far, far away, has brought in more than $10.3 billion at global box office receipts, according to Comscore.