The Star Wars galaxy is brimming with announced films, but the studio’s theatrical strategy remains as tangled as ever. Lucasfilm keeps unveiling ambitious projects, though every reveal raises new questions about what’s actually coming next.
At Star Wars Celebration Europe in April 2023, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy introduced three new titles from James Mangold, Dave Filoni, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. This lineup joined previously discussed efforts from Shawn Levy and Taika Waititi, while Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron unexpectedly resurfaced after appearing to be abandoned.
Mangold’s project will trace the earliest days of the Force, while Filoni’s feature is intended as the big-screen culmination of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and Skeleton Crew.
Then came another major pivot in early 2024: Jon Favreau was announced as director of The Mandalorian and Grogu, slated for theaters in 2026. The film will move Din Djarin and Grogu beyond Disney+, effectively wrapping The Mandalorian series. Reports indicated that a planned season four had been shelved.
This complicated expectations surrounding Obaid-Chinoy’s movie, set after The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and bringing Daisy Ridley back as Rey. Rumored titles like “New Jedi Order” and “A New Beginning” surfaced online, though Lucasfilm never confirmed them.
On November 7, 2024, Lucasfilm added yet another turn when Simon Kinberg was hired to launch a new Star Wars trilogy as both writer and producer. Kinberg, recognized for X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) and producing The Martian (2015), was positioned as a new creative force in the saga.
“The new story is not meant to be a continuation of the Skywalker Saga, the name of the overall arc of the popular and pop culture-dominating Star Wars movies known as Episodes 1 through 9,” The Hollywood Reporter explained.
“The intent here is to have brand new characters and a new story, and not have it be a continuation, sources tell [THR]. (Although that does not mean that some characters could not or would not pop up.)”
The news led to speculation about the overlap between Kinberg’s trilogy and Obaid-Chinoy’s planned Rey story. Kennedy emphasized that Kinberg’s films would head in a different direction, but uncertainty persisted.
“But Rey, the scavenger-turned-Jedi played by Daisy Ridley in the last three episode movies, is key to the franchise’s next turn,” THR reported. “That potentially puts Kinberg’s trilogy story development, as early in its conceptual stages as it may be, on a collision course with the Rey standalone movie that is actively in the works with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.”
According to an insider quoted by THR, “[Rey] is the most valuable cinematic asset, in some ways maybe the only one, Star Wars has right now.” The project, previously linked to writer George Nolfi, has faced repeated setbacks.
“According to scooper Daniel Richtman, ‘The Rey movie is on hold once again, as both the Shawn Levy and James Mangold Star Wars films are moving forward first. The project is not canceled — just temporarily on hold,'” SFF Gazette reported.
Richtman later claimed via Cosmic Marvel that Lucasfilm intends to build the New Jedi Order era in the same way Filoni and Favreau’s shows built the Mando-Verse:
Lucasfilm’s plans for the “Star Wars: New Jedi Order” era have reportedly been revealed:
- It will be similar to the Mando-Verse.
- It will begin with Daisy Ridley’s upcoming film.
- It will gradually build toward a major event that brings together characters introduced in past films.
Though her feature film is on pause, Rey will still be back sooner than many fans expected. Lucasfilm revealed that Ridley’s character will headline a 2025 prequel-sequel alongside Finn and BB-8.
Set between The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), “The Jaws of Jakku” takes place on Rey’s desert homeworld.
“Following the events of The Last Jedi, Rey struggles to let go of her lonely childhood on the desert planet of Jakku. Hoping to have a breakthrough in her Jedi training, she returns to her home world with Finn and BB-8 in tow,” the official Audible synopsis reads. “When they meet a young girl on a dangerous mission to save her family, they travel through pitch-black tunnels beneath the sand where they encounter scurrying gnaw-jaws, a haunting terror from the past, and maybe—just maybe—hope for them all.”
Written by Cavan Scott and narrated by Helen Sadler, the Audible exclusive will release on October 9, 2025.
At Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo, Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter was officially announced for 2027 with Ryan Gosling, Mia Goth, and Matt Smith leading the cast. The film takes place five years after The Rise of Skywalker.
Meanwhile, Mangold’s Force-origin story is moving up in Lucasfilm’s priorities. Similar ideas were once developed with Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss before their trilogy was abandoned. Mangold has acknowledged his film draws from some of those concepts.
Fans are already filling the gaps left by the studio’s shifting plans. One fan trailer by Darth Trailer imagines Rey’s future as Star Wars: Episode X—The New Jedi Order.
Despite all the pivots, Lucasfilm appears determined to keep Star Wars thriving on the big screen. The coming years will decide just how the saga’s next era unfolds.
