As George Lucas infamously said about Star Wars: “It’s like poetry. It rhymes.” The creator may be gone, but his message continues to prove true in myriad ways for the franchise. In 2015, 10 years after the divisive prequels had ended and left its big screen future uncertain, Disney brought the saga roaring back to life. Now, another decade later, the Mouse House is once again gearing up to try to revive Star Wars as a successful movie franchise, after the sequels also proved extremely divisive.
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Lucasfilm’s plans for future Star Wars movies begin with The Mandalorian and Grogu in 2026, followed by Star Wars: Starfighter in 2027. Beyond that, details are a little murky. Kathleen Kennedy confirmed multiple Star Wars movies are in development, including projects from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold, Taika Waititi, and Simon Kinberg; which ones happen and when are still up in the air. One recent report shed some clarity on things, however, but it also sounds like something we’ve seen before.
New Star Wars Movie Rumors Explained
One of the undated movies that does at least have a star attached is Obaid-Chinoy’s New Jedi Order film, which will bring back Daisy Ridley as Rey. First announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2023, there hasn’t been much progress on it, with the project passing through various writers. But now, according to Daniel RPK on Patreon, there are some firm plans not only for that movie, but for the entire New Jedi Order era, including:
- Rey’s movie will be the first of several taking place in the post-The Rise of Skywalker timeline, not dissimilar to what Dave Filoni has created on Disney+ with The Mandalorian.
- These stories will eventually build to one big event, with multiple old characters returning.
As ever with Star Wars, such things need to be taken with a large pinch of Crait’s surface, as nothing is confirmed and Rey’s movie itself doesn’t have a firm production timeline. It is also worth noting that Starfighter, which stars Ryan Gosling, will technically be the first movie to take place after The Rise of Skywalker‘s events. Presumably, the difference here is that it is designed as a complete standalone, rather than part of the plans that will have a culminating event. Still, the rumors are interesting in what they mean for Star Wars’ future, and how they connect to its past.
The Rise of Skywalker Failed To Be Star Wars’ Endgame
While not the result of multiple disparate stories (though detractors of Star Wars: The Last Jedi might say otherwise), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was itself a culminating event movie, essentially the endgame of the Skywalker Saga. It wasn’t just bringing together the sequel trilogy, but over 40 years of Star Wars. Multiple old characters came along for the ride, too: Lando Calrissian was back, Luke Skywalker’s Force Ghost turned up, Han Solo appeared as a memory, even Wedge Antilles joined in the fun and, of course, somehow Palpatine returned.
Unfortunately, it was those attempts at ending the Skywalker Saga – and trying too hard to please fans, particularly those let down by The Last Jedi – that led to so many problems. The Rise of Skywalker was incohesive, overstuffed, and chose fan service instead of genuinely interesting plot or character developments at every turn. Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame was a smash success while doing something similar, because those elements felt logical and earned, which couldn’t be said for Star Wars.
Is This Star Wars Approach A Good Idea?
Based on what happened with The Rise of Skywalker, it’s easy to be skeptical about these plans for Star Wars’ post-sequel timeline – if they ever come to fruition. Firstly, Lucasfilm needs to focus on proving it can get back to making quality movies again, which won’t begin with Rey’s New Jedi Order, but rather The Mandalorian and Grogu and then Starfighter.
Even beyond those, it should be taking things one step at a time. It’s already struggled to get Rey’s movie to a place where it could flesh out its cast and begin production, never mind use it as a launchpad for a whole new era of films. Rey is a great character, and Ridley deserves the chance to star in a Star Wars movie again. If that does set up or lead to a new trilogy or other spinoffs, that could be great, but it has to be because that new adventure is a worthwhile one.
Expanding beyond the sequel trilogy is a good thing because it’s something new. At the same time, that also makes the idea of old characters returning concerning. Star Wars needs to embrace the future and create new things; it can’t simply rely on characters like Luke over and over and over. It’s already made that mistake, and hopefully, Rey’s movie and what comes after it can actually deliver and focus on, well, a New Jedi Order.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will be released in theaters on May 22nd, 2026. Star Wars: Starfighter is currently slated for May 28th, 2027.
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