Here’s every upcoming Star Wars movie in development – including Rey’s New Jedi Order, the Dawn of the Jedi, and an exciting Mandalorian-era movie!
Summary
- Lucasfilm has officially announced release dates for new Star Wars movies, indicating a clear plan for the future of the franchise.
- One of the upcoming movies will focus on Rey’s role as the founder of the New Jedi Order, set 15 years after “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
- Other announced projects include a film centered on Grand Admiral Thrawn in “The Mandalorian” timeline, a movie exploring the origins of the Jedi Order, and a Lando Calrissian film that has shifted from a Disney+ show to a theatrical release.
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The Skywalker saga has come to an end, but there are still a lot more Star Wars movies on the way. The box office failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story and the divisive response to the sequel trilogy led to a hiatus for theatrical Star Wars movies, with Lucasfilm instead pivoting to a succession of Disney+ TV shows. But this pause is now coming to an end, despite a reshuffling of release dates from Lucasfilm.
At Star Wars Celebration 2023, the studio officially announced movies that suggest Lucasfilm has righted the ship. With a much more clear plan in mind, Star Wars is ready to re-emerge in theaters in a way that spans the entire timeline of a galaxy far, far away. In June 2023, Disney oversaw a massive restructuring of its many franchises, including outlining the release dates for new Star Wars movies. Three dates have been officially confirmed for Lucasfilm releases: May 22, 2026, December 18, 2026, and December 17, 2027. While it is unclear which film is attached to which date, here is every upcoming Lucasfilm theatrical project for the next decade.
Related: All 3 Star Wars Movie Announcements: Story, Timeline, Cast, Directors & More
9 Rey Skywalker’s New Jedi Order Movie
One of the three major announcements at Star Wars Celebration 2023 centered around the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey to the Star Wars universe. The central Jedi of the sequel trilogy era, Rey will now serve as the founder of the New Jedi Order in a movie set 15 years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and written by Steven Knight, this untitled movie will introduce a whole new part of the Star Wars timeline.
It is unclear when Rey’s new Jedi Order movie will be released. As per a report by The Hollywood Reporter, Lucasfilm apparently wishes for Rey’s Jedi Order movie to release first, due to it being the farthest along in production. As a result, the aforementioned date of May 22, 2026, could see the release of Rey’s Jedi Order movie, returning Star Wars to a summer release for the first time since Solo: A Star Wars Story. Lucasfilm has named this era as the “New Jedi Order,” making this the unofficial title given to the project by members of the Star Wars fanbase.
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Rey’s New Jedi Order Star Wars Movie – Cast, Story, Timeline, & Everything We Know
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Rey’s New Star Wars Movie Is Inspired By A Luke Skywalker Moment… That Never Happened
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Does The Galaxy Even Want The Jedi? Lucasfilm Boss Teases Big Change In Rey’s New Jedi Order Movie
8 Dave Filoni’s The Mandalorian Movie
Another of the three movies announced at SWCE 2023 is a project directed by Dave Filoni, the climax of The Mandalorian and its respective spin-offs. This untitled The Mandalorian-era movie is expected to focus on the re-emergence of the Imperial genius Grand Admiral Thrawn as heir to the Empire, and center on the climactic battle between Thrawn and the New Republic, including the many heroes sprinkled throughout Filoni and Favreau’s Mandalorian sect of the Star Wars timeline. Initially, THR reported that Lucasfilm wished this film to release in 2026, which could mean it lands on the date of December 18, 2026, seven months after Rey’s Jedi Order movie.
With Filoni set to direct The Mandalorian movie, it is highly likely Jon Favreau will be involved alongside him, potentially as a co-writer given Favreau’s hand in creating the TV shows leading up to this film. While no official cast members have been announced, it is safe to assume that Pedro Pascal, Rosario Dawson, Temeura Morrison, and Lars Mikkelsen will reprise their roles as Din Djarin, Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, and Thrawn respectively. Outside of these characters, other supporting players such as Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand, Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze, and Carl Weathers’ Greef Karga are expected to appear alongside characters that will be featured in the upcoming Skeleton Crew.
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Everything We Know About The Mandalorian Star Wars Movie
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Grand Admiral Thrawn Confirmed As Mandalorian Movie’s “Big Bad”
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Star Wars Already Teased The Perfect Title For The Mandalorian Movie
7 James Mangold’s Dawn Of The Jedi Movie
Finally, the last film announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023 will be set over 25,000 years before the beginning of the Skywalker Saga. Directed by James Mangold, this will introduce viewers to yet another part of the Star Wars timeline – the very “Dawn of the Jedi.” This designation is, again, being used to refer to the project, but it’s unclear whether this will be the final title. Mangold’s work with Lucasfilm on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny clearly built a strong relationship, and he pitched this project directly.
“Dawn of the Jedi” will focus on the origins of the Jedi Order and their first connection to the Force. Mangold described the movie as a “biblical epic,” akin to The Ten Commandments, meaning it will likely delve into the philosophical and religious aspects of the Force and the Prime Jedi. Little is known about this mysterious being, who was teased in a mural in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which seemed to hint he had a very different philosophy to the likes of Master Yoda. He was presented as the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light.
After Mangold’s work on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the director has commitments to a Bob Dylan biopic named A Complete Unknown. This film begins shooting in August 2023, meaning Mangold will be tied up with this project until at least Christmas 2024. As a result, Mangold could then start production on his Star Wars movie in 2025/2026, aiming for the third and final release date of December 17, 2027. While this is all just speculation, including when the other two movies release, it seems this is the most likely course of action until Lucasfilm officially assigns each project to the three respective dates.
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Dawn of the Jedi: What We Know About The Star Wars Origin Movie
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Star Wars Destroys Jedi Origin Movie Theory & Makes 25,000-Years-Ago Prequel More Exciting
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6 Lando
Originally conceived as a Disney+ show, Lucasfilm confirmed that Lando is shifting to a feature film format. Haunted Mansion‘s Justin Simien was initially tapped to write and oversee the project, but was replaced by Donald and Stephen Glover shortly before the WGA strike. Withe Donald Glover reprising his role of Lando Calrissian and the brothers overseeing the film’s development, consistency with the character’s portrayal in Solo: A Star Wars Story can be expected.
The pivot to a theatrical release is somewhat surprising, given the catastrophic box office results for Solo. Glover’s casting as Lando indicated a desire on Lucasfilm’s part to maintain a working relationship, demonstrated by the 2020 announcement that Lando would be a show. But Disney is looking to be more strategic by cutting streaming costs, only granting studios the budgets for projects likely to succeed. While The Mandalorian and its spinoffs will be unaffected, Lando‘s only hope of continuing became the big screen. No release date for Lando has been set, but writing will commence after the Hollywood strikes conclude.
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Lando: Cast & Everything We Know So Far
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We Know Exactly What Star Wars’ Lando TV Show Should Be Called
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Lando Can Fix Star Wars’ Nostalgia Problem & Show Its Post-TROS Future
5 Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Movie
Writer/director Shawn Levy confirmed he was tapped by Lucasfilm to helm an untitled Star Wars film. After word was first broken by the trades, Levy shared on social media that the film is a dream project. The film is set to begin production once Levy’s work on Deadpool 3 has concluded, though the Hollywood strikes have complicated matters. Providing an update on the film, Levy stated that his Star Wars project is stuck in a “holding patternI” like much of the industry, and he had only just begun development before the strikes. With substantial work still to be done, Levy’s Star Wars movie is several years out from release.
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Shawn Levy Confirms His Star Wars Movie Is In A “Holding Pattern”
4 Rian Johnson’s Star Wars Trilogy
Lucasfilm was clearly impressed by Rian Johnson’s work on Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In November 2017, they announced he would launch a new Star Wars trilogy outside of the Skywalker saga. Remarkably, Johnson’s pitch didn’t even include a story; he’s still in the early stages of drafting a story, so there isn’t much news about this trilogy yet. Given the divisiveness of The Last Jedi, though, it was rumored that Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy had been canceled, but the writer-director stepped in to debunk those rumors on social media.
In the years since Johnson’s trilogy was announced, both the director and Kathleen Kennedy have addressed whether the films will still be made. As late as Star Wars Celebration 2023, Kennedy was once again asked about the status of Johnson’s trilogy by Variety. The Lucasfilm President reiterated much that has already been said of the films since their announcement: that Johnson is incredibly busy with Netflix making a third Knives Out movie, though both Lucasfilm and Johnson remain eager to work together again in the future. This means that Johnson’s trilogy is still on the table, though likely will not enter active development until the filmmaker’s other commitments are fulfilled.
3 Taika Waititi’s Star Wars Movie
In May 2020, Lucasfilm announced that Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit director Taika Waititi is set to helm a future Star Wars film. Waititi will direct and co-write the project with Oscar nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns. In December 2020, during Disney’s Investor Day presentation, it was confirmed that Waititi and Wilson-Cairns had begun work on the film’s script and an art concept showcased a diamond-like object in space. When asked by Variety about the state of Waititi’s film in April 2023, Kennedy had this to say:
“Taika is still working away. He’s writing the script himself. He doesn’t really want to bring others into that process and I don’t blame him. He has a very, very unique voice. So we want to protect that and that’s what he’s doing. But we’re going to make that one day.”
The future of Waititi’s Star Wars film has since seemed bleak. With the creator taking several years to attempt to crack the project’s story, the Star Wars movies announced at Celebration have since become a priority for Lucasfilm. Waititi congratulated Levy for earning a Star Wars film himself, joking that the latter may manage to finish a script. As the screenwriting remains an issue and Lucasfilm has placed new emphasis on three eras for the theatrical slate, it appears the only thing stopping Waititi’s film from being cancelled is an official announcement.
2 Canceled Star Wars Movies
There have been many false starts for Lucasfilm over the years, including a range of Star Wars anthology films that were passed on after Solo: A Star Wars Story – some of which were changed into Disney+ TV shows. Boba Fett originally had Josh Trank as director back in 2014, but he left the project around the release of Fantastic Four. Director James Mangold – recently announced as the director for Star Wars’ Dawn of the Jedi film – reportedly stepped in after Trank’s exit, but development was stopped a few months later in favor of what became The Book of Boba Fett, released in 2021.
Similarly, in February 2018, Lucasfilm announced that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were developing a new Star Wars movie series. However, the duo left the project in October 2019, for unclear reasons. Many rumors circulated that the poorly-written culmination of Game of Thrones was to blame for Benioff and Weiss’ project not taking off, with the filmmakers largely disappearing from pop culture since the show’s less-than-satisfying ending.
In April 2023, both Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron and a mysterious film by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige were shelved. Feige’s film and Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron were announced in 2019 and 2020 respectively, with both undergoing slow pre-production processes. This time round, the cancelations seem to have been related to Lucasfilm’s current change in direction.
1 Upcoming Star Wars TV Shows
It’s not just on the big screen that Star Wars has an exciting future. With the release of Disney+, there will be multiple live-action TV series set in a galaxy far, far away. These include:
-
Ahsoka –
This show follows Rosario Dawson as the live-action former Jedi in a race against evil to stop the rise of Grand Admiral Thrawn. The show introduced a new galaxy to
Star Wars
, unlocking limitless possibilities for the franchise. -
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew –
Another show set in
The
Mandalorian
-era,
Skeleton Crew
will be an Amblin-inspired space adventure following a group of children adrift in space with the help of Jude Law’s mysterious Jedi character. The show is expected to premiere on Disney+ in 2024. -
The Acolyte
–
Star Wars’
first High Republic era live-action show,
The Acolyte
is set around a century before the events of
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
.
Russian Doll
co-creator Leslye Headland serves as both writer and showrunner. -
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
season 3 – Officially announced at SWCE 2023,
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
will return for a third and final season in 2024. -
Andor
season 2 – After the overwhelmingly positive reception to
Andor
, season 2 of the show will release on Disney+ in 2025. The series will span the four years between the end of
Andor
season 1 and
Rogue One,
leading audiences right into Andor’s appearance in the latter. -
The Mandalorian
season 4 – Showrunner Jon Favreau has confirmed the scripts have already been completed, with preproduction underway.