Almost five decades after the release of its first movie, Star Wars‘ galaxy keeps growing. In recent years, Disney+ has become the primary engine for new stories, with shows like Ahsoka and The Acolyte expanding the lore into new eras. While often met with critical praise, these series have also highlighted a growing polarization within the fanbase, leading to intense online debate and review bombing campaigns. Looking ahead, Lucasfilm is plotting a major return to theaters with The Mandalorian & Grogu set for a May 2026 release, aiming to end a seven-year cinematic hiatus. This theatrical push is crucial for a franchise born on the big screen, and will be followed by films exploring the dawn of the Jedi and the future of Rey Skywalker’s New Jedi Order.
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This constant churn of production, coupled with a fiercely passionate and often fractured audience, sometimes leads to the abrupt restructuring of productions. As a result, for every series that gets a green light and every movie that secures a release date, there is a graveyard of abandoned Star Wars projects that could have dramatically altered the franchise’s trajectory. Exploring these unmade stories offers a unique perspective on the creative evolution and strategic shifts that have defined the modern era of Star Wars.
7) Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron
Announced in December 2020 with a surge of excitement, Rogue Squadron was positioned as the next major theatrical event for Star Wars. The project, helmed by Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, promised to shift the focus from Force-wielders to the elite starfighter pilots of the galaxy. Jenkins, whose late father was a fighter pilot, spoke passionately about her personal connection to the material, framing the film as her ambition to create the “greatest fighter pilot movie of all time.”
However, Rogue Squadron‘s flight path quickly became turbulent. By late 2021, reports emerged that the project was indefinitely delayed, citing significant creative differences between Jenkins and Lucasfilm executives over the script. This behind-the-scenes conflict culminated in September 2022, when Disney officially removed Rogue Squadron from its release schedule, leaving its future in serious doubt. Hope was renewed in early 2024 when Jenkins herself confirmed that following the cancellation of her Wonder Woman 3 film, she had finalized a new deal with Lucasfilm. Since then, neither Jenkins nor Lucasfilm has commented on the project, meaning chances are slim the movie will ever move forward.
6) Kevin Feige’s Star Wars Movie
When it was announced in 2019 that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige would be producing a Star Wars movie, the news was met with widespread enthusiasm. Feige’s incredible track record with the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the time made him seem like the perfect choice to guide a new chapter of the space opera. The project was set to be written by Michael Waldron, known for his work on Loki, suggesting a story with intricate plotting and a fresh tone.
Despite the initial excitement, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy later stated that the project never truly entered development, calling it “something announced in the press” rather than an active production. Feige himself finally confirmed the film was not happening in November 2023 with a simple “No” when asked about its status. The cancellation was a major letdown for fans who were excited to see what the architect of Marvel’s success could bring to their other favorite franchise.
5) Rian Johnson’s Star Wars Trilogy
Shortly before the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017, Lucasfilm announced that director Rian Johnson would be given his own trilogy of Star Wars films. The new series was said to be separate from the Skywalker Saga and would introduce new characters from an unexplored corner of the galaxy. This news signaled a bold new direction for the franchise, free from the constraints of existing storylines.
In the years following the announcement, both Johnson and Lucasfilm maintained that the project was still happening, but Johnson’s focus shifted to his successful Knives Out franchise. He eventually confirmed that the trilogy was no longer being actively developed, stating that while the idea was “very conceptual,” nothing concrete ever came of it beyond initial conversations. Though he remains open to returning to the galaxy far, far away someday, the cancellation was a disappointment for those who appreciated Johnson’s willingness to take creative risks.
4) The Hunt for Ben Solo
In a recent revelation, actor Adam Driver confirmed he had spent two years developing a post-Rise of Skywalker film with director Steven Soderbergh. Titled The Hunt for Ben Solo, the movie would have explored the character’s survival and subsequent journey. Driver, who felt there was “unfinished business” for his character, brought the concept to Soderbergh, and they developed a story that was then turned into a full script by writer Scott Z. Burns.
According to Driver, the script was pitched to Lucasfilm executives, including Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni, who “loved the idea” and understood their character-driven angle. However, when the project was taken to Disney executives Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, it was rejected because “they didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive.” Driver called the screenplay “one of the coolest…scripts I had ever been a part of,” and its rejection is a significant blow to fans who wanted a more emotionally resonant conclusion for one of the sequel trilogy’s most complex characters.
3) James Mangold’s Boba Fett Movie
For years, a standalone film centered on Boba Fett, the galaxy’s most feared bounty hunter, was one of the most anticipated projects among the Star Wars faithful. The movie went through several iterations, with director James Mangold becoming attached to write and direct in 2018. Mangold described his vision for the film as a “borderline R-rated, single planet spaghetti Western,” suggesting a gritty adventure that would finally pull back the helmet on the enigmatic character.
Following the poor box office performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Disney and Lucasfilm reconsidered their strategy for standalone films, and the Boba Fett movie was officially canceled. The concept was eventually reworked into the Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett. While the show did explore parts of the bounty hunter’s past, many felt it strayed from the darker tone a movie like Mangold’s would have delivered. The unmade film represents a missed chance to deliver a definitive take on one of the franchise’s most popular characters.
2) Guillermo del Toro’s Jabba the Hutt movie
The idea of a Star Wars gangster film directed by the master of monsters, Guillermo del Toro, is the kind of dream project that gets fans’ imaginations running wild. Del Toro himself confirmed he was developing a movie focused on the rise and fall of Jabba the Hutt, comparing it to a crime saga like The Godfather. The project was far more than just an idea, as screenwriter David S. Goyer confirmed he wrote a full script for del Toro to direct.
Despite having a completed script and “a lot of cool artwork” produced, the project was never greenlit by Lucasfilm. Goyer cited “a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff going on at Lucasfilm at the time” as the reason it stalled. The cancellation was a massive disappointment for those who longed to see a more genre-specific Star Wars story. Del Toro’s unparalleled ability to create breathtaking creatures and immersive worlds could have resulted in a cinematic masterpiece, and its loss is one of the most tantalizing “what ifs” in the franchise’s history.
1) Star Wars: Underworld
Long before the Disney era, George Lucas was developing a groundbreaking live-action series titled Star Wars: Underworld. Announced in 2005 and set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, the show was set to explore the criminal underbelly of Coruscant, with producer Rick McCallum describing it as “dark, sexy, violent.” Over 60 third-draft scripts were completed by a team of acclaimed writers, promising a complex look at the franchise that would have focused on smugglers, bounty hunters, and the rise of the Empire from a street-level perspective.
The primary reason for Underworld‘s cancellation was its astronomical budget, with each episode estimated to cost $40 million, a figure that was technologically and financially unfeasible at the time. Test footage was shot, but the project was ultimately shelved, and the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012 sealed its fate. The loss of Star Wars: Underworld is arguably the greatest tragedy in the franchise’s development history, as it promised a level of narrative depth that could have been a revolutionary piece of television.
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