Disney Delays Star Wars Movies Release Dates

Disney and Lucasfilm previously announced that a new series of Star Wars films had release dates [...]

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Disney and Lucasfilm previously announced that a new series of Star Wars films had release dates starting in December of 2022 and alternating each year, but the studio announced today that all three of those films have been pushed back by a year. While the studio didn't detail why the projects were delayed, it is likely due not only to theaters around the world currently being closed in hopes of quelling the coronavirus pandemic, but also due to movies and TV productions around the world all being postponed, making it unclear when development on any major new films could advance. Prior to theater closures, Disney had yet to reveal what any of these films would be, leaving fans to speculate when they were planning on announcing what projects would hold which dates.

The following adjustments have been made:

  • Untitled Star Wars previously dated December 16, 2022 moves to December 22, 2023
  • Untitled Star Wars previously dated December 20, 2024 moves to December 19, 2025
  • Untitled Star Wars previously dated December 18, 2026 moves to December 17, 2027

All three of these films were announced prior to the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and at a time when Game of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were set to helm a series of films for the studio. Disney exec Bob Iger had even mentioned that the first announced release date would be occupied by a film from the pair, only for the duo to part ways with the studio last year. While The Rise of Skywalker was a financial success and earned a positive response from many fans, it earned the worst critical reception of any of Disney's Star Wars movies, with reactions rivaling the disappointing reviews of the prequel trilogy.

Additionally, these dates were all announced prior to the launch of Disney+ and the first live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian. That series proved to be a major success with both fans and critics, which, when combined with the underwhelming response to the massive blockbuster of The Rise of Skywalker, saw the studio turn their attention towards smaller stories, resulting in the announcement of multiple live-action series.

The studio previously announced that Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson would be developing a trilogy of films, while Thor: Ragnarok filmmaker Taika Waititi would direct a film and that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige would develop a film. Given how long it's been since any official status updates on these projects, fans are still in the dark about what films we can expect to move forward first.

Stay tuned for details on the future of Star Wars.

What do you think of these delays? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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