Latest Star Wars Rumors Detail the Fate of Dave Filoni’s MandoVerse Movie (and It Makes Sense)

At Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, Lucasfilm officially announced three new movies during a major panel: James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi, Dave Filoni’s New Republic movie, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Jedi Order. Nearly three years later, none of these projects have taken any meaningful steps forward. Mangold’s film is on hold due to its mold-breaking script and concept. New Jedi Order has cycled through multiple writers in an attempt to crack the story. And as Filoni assumes his new role of Lucasfilm co-president, his film seems to be on the back burner for the time being. However, the latest Star Wars rumors shed some light on where that movie currently stands.

According to a report from Daniel Richtman (via LRM Online), Filoni’s New Republic movie isn’t a guarantee just yet. It’s still on the table for now, but if this summer’s The Mandalorian and Grogu underwhelms at the box office, Lucasfilm could pivot and repurpose Filoni’s film as a limited series for Disney+ instead. Richtman also notes that Ahsoka Season 3 “isn’t greenlit yet and may never happen.”

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It’s important to take this latest update with a grain of salt since it’s just a rumor for now, but it’s one that makes a good deal of sense. It wouldn’t be surprising if The Mandalorian and Grogu had an impact on which Star Wars movies get the green light moving forward. This is something of a test for Lucasfilm, transitioning the New Republic storylines that have dominated the Disney+ shows to movie theaters. If The Mandalorian and Grogu is a big box office hit, it will pave the way for Lucasfilm to make more films set in this era. Should it fall short of expectations, the studio could look to go in a different direction.

Disney told Andor creator Tony Gilroy that “streaming is dead,” but Lucasfilm continues to produce new content for Disney+. The studio may be prioritizing feature films over TV shows now, but they’re not abandoning the streaming service entirely. They could easily shift gears and turn Filoni’s big MandoVerse crossover into a limited series, wrapping up any lingering plot threads from Mandalorian and Grogu and Ahsoka Season 2. That wouldn’t be the first time Lucasfilm took that approach; spinoff movies revolving around fan-favorite characters Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi were changed to TV series, so there’s a precedent.

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If Lucasfilm goes this route for Filoni’s project, odds are it would be positioned as a definitive finale for the New Republic era on screen. After investing so much time and resources into setting things up (including the ballyhooed return of Grand Admiral Thrawn), Lucasfilm wouldn’t drop the storylines completely; Filoni and Co. would be given the opportunity to wrap things up. Granted, Disney pulled the plug on The Acolyte when that series clearly had more story to tell, but The Mandalorian and the New Republic era is a different situation, having gone on for an extended period of time. The Mandalorian was the flagship series of Disney+ when it launched, so it will get a proper finale one way or another.

It will be interesting to see how The Mandalorian and Grogu fares at the box office. On one hand, it feels like a safe bet given the enduring popularity of the Star Wars franchise, which has only one commercial disappointment to its name. However, that infamous bomb was Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was the last time Disney released a Star Wars film over the summer movie season. Right now, there seems to be a lack of palpable enthusiasm for The Mandalorian and Grogu due to an underwhelming marketing campaign, but there’s still time to turn things around and get people excited. Hopefully, the next batch of promotional materials will help set the stage for a lucrative box office run.

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