Uber Hollywood producer Kathleen Kennedy was named co-chair of Lucasfilm and apparent successor to George Lucas as he moves towards his retirement.

Kennedy who worked with her husband and producing partner Frank Marshall for many years co-ran the Kennedy/Marshall company which is based at Dreamworks. The company just signed a big TV deal with CBS. She is also a long time producer of Steven Spielberg’s having produced all the way back to the Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park movies. The company is now finishing up Spielberg’s lastest film Lincoln, which will be released at the end of the year.

Who knows what could be accomplished at Lucasfilmilms but it seems that as prolific a producer as Kathleen Kennedy is, she wouldn’t take a job and give up the autonomy of her company if she had not been promised an exciting adventure and the ability to make lots of great films.

And George Lucas, who has given his life to the company would probably rather close up shop than have someone he didn’t trust to move it forward. Here’s what he said about Kennedy in the press release:

“I’ve spent my life building Lucasfilm and as I shift my focus into other directions I wanted to make sure it was in the hands of someone equipped to carry my vision into the future,…As the company grows and expands I wanted to be sure the employees of Lucasfilm have a strong captain for the ship. I also care deeply about our fans and it was important to have someone who would carry on the passion and care that I’ve given the films over the years. So for me Kathy was the obvious choice, she is a trusted friend and one of the most respected producers and executives in the industry.”

It will be interesting to see if she will have the ability to greenlight films as she takes the company its next level.

Lucasfilm Names Kathleen Kennedy Co-Chair As Successor To George Lucas (Deadline)