Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has commented on the recent revelation that George Lucas felt disappointed by Star Wars: The Force Awakens , admitting that it can sometimes be difficult for a creator to pass on the torch.

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Speaking to Rolling Stone , Kennedy addressed Disney CEO Bob Iger's autobiographical memoir, which presents Lucas' critique of the first film in the sequel trilogy , as she shared her belief that the Star Wars creator perhaps didn't anticipate how difficult it would be to see the franchise evolve."I think there's plenty of examples where people create something that is fundamental to who they are, where it's difficult letting go and watching that become something different," she explained. "So I think initially, that was difficult for George – I don't think he anticipated how hard that would be."And JJ [Abrams] came into it with such enthusiasm and, frankly, reverence for Star Wars and for George, and he had to find what was personal for him. He had to make it his own. Every director who comes into a movie has to make something their own; they have to find themselves in the storytelling. And then that's going to become a different point of view. And I think that's all George was reacting to."Despite these shifts in storytelling, Kennedy claimed that, from her 35-plus years of friendship with Lucas, she knows that he still appreciates the filmmaking behind the sequel trilogy, saying he is "astounded" by some of the accomplishments."He may not agree with every choice JJ made. He may not agree with every choice Rian made," she said. "But he appreciates the filmmaking. That I know. And he so appreciates, for instance, what ILM [Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm's visual-effects arm] has done in the work of these movies. I mean, that's a company he created. And he just continually tells me how astounded he is by how far things have come and how, now, whatever comes into your mind can be achieved."Kennedy also revealed that Lucas visited the set of The Mandalorian to witness Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau hard at work on the new live-action spinoff series for Disney+, as she admitted that Lucas still gets caught up in the excitement of a new project taking place in the Star Wars universe.However, when asked whether she thought he could be lured back for some kind of one-off production in the future, she said, "I doubt it. But listen, I think that would be fantastic if he would be interested in doing that again. But I doubt it."In our review of the first episode of The Mandalorian , which premiered on Disney+ on November 12 , we called the show "great", saying it "may not have nailed its tone yet, but this is still a thrilling trip to a new corner of a galaxy far, far away."For more on the live-action Star Wars series, find out the real name of Pedro Pascal's titular bounty hunter , discover where the series fits into the Star Wars timeline , and check out the full release schedule for all eight episodes of the first season . Or head here for all the key Mandalorian terms you need to know

Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter