For most of its history, Star Wars in theaters revolved around the Skywalker family. But that story is finally over.
With the nine-film saga concluding in 2019 with The Rise of Skywalker, Lucasfilm’s theatrical strategy is shifting toward standalone stories set across different corners of the galaxy.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Launches a New Era
The next film, The Mandalorian & Grogu, arrives May 22 as the franchise’s first theatrical release since the end of the saga. While it continues characters introduced in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, the film is closer in spirit to previous Star Wars side stories than the mainline episodic films.
The approach echoes earlier theatrical projects such as the animated The Clone Wars (2008), Gareth Edwards’ war-drama prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), and Ron Howard’s origin story Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). Like those films, the upcoming slate appears less concerned with continuing a central family narrative and more focused on standalone adventures within the universe.
Related: Disney Has Already Changed ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu,' Removed Key Scenes : Disney Fanatic
That strategy will continue with Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, which is scheduled for release in 2027. The film is expected to take place several years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker but will tell a new story with a largely original cast of characters.
Lucasfilm's newly appointed co-president Dave Filoni, who co-wrote The Mandalorian & Grogu with director Jon Favreau, recently addressed the shift in an interview with Empire. According to Filoni, the film arrives in a fundamentally different moment for the franchise.
He told Empire that the sequel trilogy opener The Force Awakens was “a completely different entity” to The Mandalorian & Grogu, adding that, without the constraints of the Skywalker Saga, “we’re in a completely different era of Star Wars now.”
The Rey Film Is Still Happening
With all that said, the untitled Rey-centered film announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023 is still reportedly in development. It's said to revolve around Rey as she attempts to rebuild the Jedi Order, with Daisy Ridley returning to the role.
However, although it's expected to follow the events of The Rise of Skywalker, it's likely to sever ties with the long-running saga that started with George Lucas' A New Hope in 1977, paving the way for new stories and a new era.
As the studio prepares its next run of theatrical releases, the direction is clear: future Star Wars films are no longer bound to the saga that once defined the franchise.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Cast and Synopsis
“The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy,” the film's official synopsis on StarWars.com reads. “As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu.”
The Mandalorian & Grogu stars Pedro Pascal (Din Djarin/The Mandalorian), Sigourney Weaver (Ward), Jeremy Allen White (Rotta the Hutt), and Grogu.
Characters from the Disney+ series such as The Armorer (Emily Swallow), Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), IG-11 (Taika Waititi), Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), Cara Dune (Gina Carano), Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), and Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) are not expected to return.
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