George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy honored

George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy, stewards of the Star Wars universe and numerous other notable motion pictures, are being honored by the Producers Guild of America for their contributions to the film industry. The PGA said Friday that Lucas and Kennedy will receive the Milestone Award at the Producers Guild Awards in March, joining the ranks of previous honorees that include Louis B. Mayer, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg.

Lucas, in addition to films he’s directed from “American Graffiti” to “Star Wars,” has produced and executive

produced for the likes of Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and Akira Kurosawa all while building the Lucasfilm empire, including Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound.

“Being recognized alongside my longtime friend and fellow producer Kathleen Kennedy makes this honoring of our shared and individual works even more meaningful,” Lucas continued.

He and Kennedy shared friends and collaborators and both worked on “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” her through the production company she co-founded with Spielberg and Frank Marshall, Amblin Entertainment. Kennedy’s credits include “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial,” “Schindler’s List,” “Jurassic

Park” and the “Back to the Future” films. In 2012 she became co-chair of Lucasfilm with Lucas. A few months later, when the company was acquired by Disney, Lucas stepped aside and Kennedy became president, where she has produced the newest Star Wars trilogy and various spinoffs.

The 33rd Producers Guild Awards will take place at an untelevised event in Los Angeles on March 19.