Following on from the news a year ago that Brooks and Josh Gad were leading the development of a sequel to Brooks’ 1987 ‘Star Wars’ (and other sci-fi movies) comedy riff.
Amazon MGM Studios has announced that, as we perhaps might have predicted, Brooks will be back in front of the camera as well as behind it, playing the mystical, Yoda-spoofing Yogurt.
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Gad is on board to co-write and produce, and will likely be showing up on screen in some capacity.
And that’s not all: there has been a flurry of other casting stories, with Deadline bringing word that Bill Pullman is returning to play Lone Starr, while in even more surprising news, Rick Moranis will be back as the villainous Dark Helmet.
The Wrap, meanwhile, has a report that Daphne Zuniga plans to join her old ‘Spaceballs’ colleagues, playing Princess Vespa.
It’s not just veterans, either: Deadline’s report mentions that ‘One of Them Days’ star Keke Palmer is also aboard the movie, playing an unknown new role called Destiny.
(L to R) Bill Pullman and Mel Brooks in ‘Spaceballs’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The original ‘Spaceballs’, directed by Brooks from a script he wrote with Thomas Meehan and Ronny Graham, starred Bill Pullman as the aforementioned Lone Starr, a scruffy hero in the Han Solo mold who has to stop the nefarious President Skroob (Brooks) from stealing the atmosphere of the peaceful planet Druidia.
Along the way, he comes to the aid of Vespa (Zuniga) and her sarcastic robot maid Dot Matrix (voiced by Joan Rivers). John Candy plays Starr’s faithful half-man/half-dog sidekick Barf and Moranis is superb Vader spoof Dark Helmet.
Though the movie didn’t exactly triumph at the box office (it ended up with $38.1 million worldwide) but has long since been considered a cult classic.
Plot details for the new film have yet to be revealed, but Deadline mentions that people who have not yet read the script describe it as “A Non-Prequel Non-Reboot Sequel Part Two but with Reboot Elements Franchise Expansion Film.” Which if you ask us, sounds like the sort of line Mel Brooks would spin about the movie in order to get a laugh.
Who is making the new ‘Spaceballs’?
Director Josh Greenbaum with Reggie on the set of ‘Strays.’
Josh Greenbaum, who made ‘Strays’ (for which Gad provided a voice) and ‘Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar’, is in the director’s chair. He feels like a good fit for a new ‘Spaceballs’, since he’s proved he can handle wacky comedy with some emotional undertones.
Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment is also aboard, and he’ll producing alongside Brooks, Gad, Jeb Brody and Greenbaum, with Kevin Salter, Adam Merims, Samit, and Hernandez as executive producers.
(L to R) Rick Moranis and George Wyner in ‘Spaceballs’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Moranis is perhaps the most shocking of the new announcements, since he’s barely been seen on screens for more than a decade and hasn’t come back for extensions of other franchises such as ‘Ghostbusters’.
Here’s what he told Heeb magazine back in 2013 about the stalled original plan for a ‘Spaceballs’ sequel:
“I wasn’t privy to what the budget was or anything, but the deal [Brooks] presented me, what he wanted me to do, was not workable. It was two or three years later. He wanted me to… it’s better if I don’t get into the particulars of it. Because it is so specific, it’s counterproductive to talk about it. But I was unable to make a deal, and it would have been something I would have wanted to do. But that ship has sailed.”
Looks like the ship has come back into the harbor!
When will the ‘Spaceballs’ sequel be on screens?
While Amazon MGM Studios has yet to confirm an exact date, Deadline mentions a planned 2027 theatrical launch.
Mel Brooks in ‘Spaceballs’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
What’s the story of Shawn Levy’s ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’?
(L to R) ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’s Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
With the official news out there, we now have a proper, if basic bit of detail for the movie. It’s described as “a standalone adventure taking place approximately five years after the events of 2019’s ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ It is an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen yet.”
Gosling is reportedly playing a character that must protect a young charge against evil pursuers.
Goth will play one of the pursuers.
We do know that Levy, despite being seemingly busy with 500 different projects at once has been developing his untitled ‘Star Wars’ movie since at least 2022, and cameras should be rolling this fall in the UK.
Jonathan Tropper, who collaborated with Levy on films such as ‘This is Where I Leave You’ and ‘The Adam Project,’ has been working on a script for over a year. Levy is also producing the feature via his 21 Laps banner, joining ‘Star Wars’ steward Kathleen Kennedy.
What else is in development for big screen ‘Star Wars’?
(L to R) ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’s Pedro Pascal, director Jon Favreau and Grogu at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ is first among ‘Star Wars’ equals right now, having shot last year and now speeding through post-production.
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Favreau and Filoni introduced a new clip from the movie and a sizzle reel at the Celebration event.
The main scene was action packed, with Snowtroopers inside an AT-AT preparing to engage in battle. Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian cuts open into the hull of the AT-AT, then, in one continuous take, blasts, stabs, pyros, and fights his way through the Snowtroopers, making his way through the hull and then hallway, ending at the door of the cockpit, which quickly closes.
The sizzle reel, meanwhile, offered a glimpse at Sigourney Weaver’s character –– for whom Mando apparently works –– plus battle scenes (including an AT-AT tumbling off a snowy cliff), Grogu using his powers and swimming. It ended with Jeremy Allen White-voiced Rotta the Hutt, the son of the crime lord Jabba the Hutt, raising his hands in triumph in some sort of fighting arena, and then cut to Grogu in the stands and eating what passes for the Star Wars version of popcorn.
(L to R) ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’s Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
‘Mandalorian’ co-creator and fellow steward Filoni is still putting the pieces together for his own film, while one that continues the story of Rey (Daisy Ridley) is in development from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy but appears to keep hitting stumbling blocks and has been removed from the schedule for now.
And then there’s James Mangold’s film, which explores the origins of the Jedi and early force users and is awaiting a release date.
We’d guess that while Filoni (who promoted earlier this year to Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm) is still going full speed ahead on his movie, he’s also been busy figuring out a second season of ‘Ahsoka.’
Here’s what he said about that:
“I’m so well into that as well… I’ve been writing it, and I’m still the single writer on it, and so I’ve been enjoying doing that, but it’s a challenge, of course, and working some of these arcs through has been a challenge and making sure it’s all going to come out in a way that I think is exciting for fans. I know that they’re interested in where some of the things I developed in Season One. I’m pretty happy with it… Love working with Rosario [Dawson], so I can’t wait to get back to that.”
Beyond those, there are several movies (and potential trilogies) which don’t seem to be moving forward and may have been scrapped altogether, including new potential movies from ‘The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson (who is busy with his ‘Knives Out’ movies and may not wish to dip back into the toxic stew of ‘Star Wars’ fandom after the divisive reaction to his first effort) and ‘Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins, who had a much-touted ‘Rogue Squadron’ story of rebel pilots that appears to have had trouble leaving the development hanger.
When will ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ be in theaters?
(L to R) ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’s director Shawn Levy, Ryan Gosling, Dave Filoni and Kathleen Kennedy at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
With ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ boasting a confirmed release date of May 22nd, 2026, we now have a second ‘Star Wars’ movie on the calendar.
‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ is now due to arrive on May 28th, 2027. Looks like Lucasfilm is finally ready to ramp back up to one movie a year from the galaxy far, far away.
‘Star Wars: Starfighter’s Ryan Gosling at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
(L to R) Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen in ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ on Disney+
Legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) must navigate the galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate.
A hundred years before the rise of the Empire, the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic have prospered for centuries without war. During this time, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jee) against a dangerous warrior (Amanda Stenberg) from his past.
Ahsoka Tano in ‘Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi’. Photo: Disney+.
Journey into the lives of two distinctly different Jedi from the prequel era – Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku. Each will be put to the test as they make choices that will define their destinies.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, former Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), embarks on a crucial mission to confront allies turned enemies and face the wrath of the Empire.
In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) will discover the difference he can make in the struggle against the tyrannical Galactic Empire. He embarks on a path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.
‘The Mandalorian’ season 3 starring Pedro Pascal premieres March 1st on Disney+. Photo: Lucasfilm.
After the fall of the Galactic Empire, lawlessness has spread throughout the galaxy. A lone gunfighter (Pedro Pascal) makes his way through the outer reaches, earning his keep as a bounty hunter.
Returning to Disney+ with the first three episodes of Season 2, ‘Star Wars’ series ‘Andor’ once more follows the struggle of the Rebel Alliance as it ramps up its conflict with the Galactic Empire as seen through the lens of rebel agent Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and an assortment of characters of both sides of the battle.
Season 2 has an interesting release pattern –– the 12 episodes are split across four batches of three, and there is a time jump between batches, covering the four years leading up to the events of ‘Rogue One,’ moving from 4 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin, as seen in ‘Star Wars’) to the immediate events of the movie.
With the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the first season of ‘Andor,’ the pressure on Season 2 is naturally huge, the expectation built further by the delay between seasons (the first run of episodes was all the way back in 2022).
But by any real metric, the new season handily maintains the quality level of the first, bringing real stakes, incredibly layered shades of gray and genuine humanity to the galaxy far, far away.
Still a much more mature take on the world of ‘Star Wars’ (which is to take nothing away from the entertainment value of shows such as ‘The Mandalorian’), ‘Andor’ represents top quality television.
Tony Gilroy leads a writing team that also includes Beau Willimon and Dan Gilroy, and the assembled staff has crafted a thrilling, politically astute, emotional and superb second season.
While it has to handle various time jumps to accommodate the sheer breadth of its storytelling, the series does so with aplomb, managing to say a lot about the personal cost of rebellion and the banal efficiency of pure evil.
This is very far from a basic battle of good vs. bad, and if the action quotient is lower than other shows, when it does feature set pieces, they’re of similar quality.
On the directorial front, Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz and Alonso Ruizpalacios bring the same high quality in terms of scope, scale and style to the new episodes. Largely eschewing shooting on a volume stage and bringing many locations to life practically, ‘Andor’s visuals are entirely supportive of its high quality scripts.
Confidently recreating looks and locations we all know and love from the original ‘Star Wars’ while also introducing us to more new worlds, the lived-in feel of the galaxy is entirely present and correct.
Diego Luna is once more the heart and soul of the show, whether he’s on a mission, fighting for his life or spending time with Adria Arjona’s Bix Caleen, figuring out how to make a relationship work with such pressure upon them both.
Arjona is similarly great, handed an impressive PTSD storyline as Bix, still recovering from her treatment at the hands of Imperial torturers, reckons with her place in the resistance.
Also excellent? Stellan Skarsgård, who can turn any speech into a must-watch moment and remains superb as the morally slippery Luthen Rael. And Genevieve O’Reilly, while largely siloed in her own storyline, walks the line of political glad-handing and rebellious plotting without missing a beat.
And we’d be remiss if we didn’t praise the contributions of Alan Tudyk, who once more brings the world’s snarkiest droid to life with a combination of performance capture and the most endlessly frustrated attitude this side of ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide’s Marvin the Paranoid Android.
His buddy comedy chemistry with Luna is as great as ever, and he’s got a great line in putdowns.
Also? Ben Mendelsohn sweeps in and steal scenes as Orson Krennic, the hissable, cape-happy villain of ‘Rogue One,’ here an even more petty bureaucrat dedicated to getting the Death Star finished.
Some sequels feel unearned, but ‘Andor’s new run absolutely matches the sterling quality of the first and, even, in a few places, surpassing it. There might not be anything quite as memorable as the prison storyline from the original season, but it’s all still truly impressive.
Our only other gripe? Not enough of sarcastic reprogrammed Imperial Droid K-2SO, but that’s just a personal bugbear.
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What’s the plot of ‘Andor’ Season 2?
The second season takes place as the horizon of war draws near and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) becomes a key player in the Rebel Alliance.
Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound.
‘Andor’ sets the clock back five years from the events of 2016’s ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ to tell the story of the film’s hero and his transformation from disinterested, cynical nobody into a rebel hero on his way to an epic destiny.
Sam Witwer as Darth Maul in ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’. Photo: Lucasfilm.
Preview:
Darth Maul is getting his own ‘Star Wars’ animated series.
Sam Witwer is back to voice the character.
‘Maul: Shadow Lord’ will be on Disney+ next year.
Despite being sliced in half and falling down a shaft following his defeat at the hands of Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, the spiky-headed, devil-faced Darth Maul has enjoyed a long post-movie life, resurrected more than once (and dying again a few times, including a comic book rematch with Obi-Wan that ends with Maul’s horns cut off and a blaster bolt to the head from Owen Lars).
Indeed, Witwer has made quire the career of providing the growly tones for the character, voicing him in animated series ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ and ‘Star Wars Rebels.’
So we should perhaps not be too surprised that he’s now scored his own series, set to be a variety show format where he introduces musical acts from across the galaxy far, far away. All right no, it’s not that. But we would watch that.
Instead, Witwer took the take at Star Wars Celebration 2025 Japan to announce the new series, which will be called ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’ and follows the further adventures of the character’s dodgy dealings in the criminal underworld.
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What’s the story of ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’?
Sam Witwer as Darth Maul in ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’. Photo: Lucasfilm.
The new show is set in the wake of the events of the final season of ‘The Clone Wars.’ Maul tries to rebuild his defunct Shadow Collective criminal syndicate into what will eventually become ‘Solo’s Crimson Dawn on a planet unknown to the Empire, while taking an apprentice, Talon.
A somewhat deep pull from the wider ‘Star Wars’ mythology, George Lucas featured the Twi’lek Darth Talon in his unused treatments of the sequel trilogy that were put aside when Disney went in its own direction for the new movies.
She was to have been the apprentice of Darth Maul, the two serving as the new trilogy’s primary two villains.
As reported in a ‘Star Wars’ Archives tome, Lucas reportedly commented:
“She was the new Darth Vader and most of the action was with her. In early versions, she would have corrupted the character who became Kylo Ren, and in later versions they were combined into the same character.”
And that wasn’t the only Lucas idea for the character –– he briefly considered revealing that wheezing ‘Revenge of the Sith’ cyborg General Grievous was secretly a resurrected Darth Maul in disguise.
What else is happening with small-screen ‘Star Wars’?
On stage at Celebration, Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni confirmed that production on ‘Star Wars: Ahsoka’s second season is gearing up, with Carrie Beck, Lucasfilm’s Vice President of Animation and Live-Action Development, currently in the UK preparing for filming to begin.
We can expect a third season of animated series ‘Star Wars: Visions’ this year (word on a release date might be coming soon at Celebration) and we’re still hoping for a second run of ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,’ though nothing has been announced about that yet.
‘Maul: Shadow Lord’s Sam Witwer at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
In addition to his duties with the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy, including supplying additional voices to several of the main ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy movies, the aforementioned ‘Skeleton Crew’ and ‘Star Wars: Ahsoka,’ and a host of other animated ‘Wars’ work, Witwer has forged quite the career in front of the camera and as a voiceover artist.
It’s certainly a bold move for the company, which has not released a movie since December 2019’s ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ and has ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ in theaters on May 22nd, 2026.
Here’s the tweet that Lucasfilm put out at the same time as Kennedy and Filoni were on stage:
What’s the story of Shawn Levy’s ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’?
‘Star Wars: Starfighter’s director Shawn Levy at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
With the official news out there, we now have a proper, if basic bit of detail for the movie. It’s described as “a standalone adventure taking place approximately five years after the events of 2019’s ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ It is an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen yet.”
We do know that Levy, despite being seemingly busy with 500 different projects at once has been developing his untitled ‘Star Wars’ movie since at least 2022.
(L to R) ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’s director Shawn Levy, Ryan Gosling, Dave Filoni and Kathleen Kennedy at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
Jonathan Tropper, who collaborated with Levy on films such as ‘This is Where I Leave You’ and ‘The Adam Project,’ has been working on a script for over a year. Levy is also producing the feature via his 21 Laps banner, joining ‘Star Wars’ steward Kennedy.
Gosling’s deal has closed and production on the new movie will kick off in the fall, which means Levy will likely press pause on working on the planned boyband comedy that his usual Ryan –– that would be Reynolds –– has been developing. Still, given Levy’s work ethic, we wouldn’t be surprised if he knocked that out this summer before diving into ‘Star Wars.’
‘Star Wars: Starfighter’s Ryan Gosling at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
Gosling, who was one of the key elements in 2023’s monster hit ‘Barbie’ had a slightly less successful 2023, as romantic action comedy ‘The Fall Guy’ –– which was perfectly entertaining in our opinion –– failed to land at the box office and only earned $181 million from a $125 budget.
That one errs more towards the sci-fi than space opera, featuring an astronaut who has to try and save the planet. It’ll arrive on May 20th, 2026, and a first look was teased by Amazon MGM Studios at the company’s CinemaCon presentation this month.
Behind the camera, Gosling is an executive producer on a Donald E. Westlake adaptation called ‘The Actor,’ though that movie has yet to land a release date.
And oddly, Gosling’s name has been linked with ‘Star Wars’ in the past, when rumors spread online in 2013 that he and Zac Efron were being eyed by ‘The Force Awakens’ filmmaker J.J. Abrams for a part that may have eventually become Kylo Ren (as played in the sequel trilogy by Adam Driver).
Who else has been rumored for ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’?
But the same day, Variety reported that Madison had decided to pass on the role. While it seems as though she’s passing up a big opportunity, it’s not like the actor is exactly short of offers at the moment –– she is very much in demand, including by Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ reboot.
What else is in development for big screen ‘Star Wars’?
(L to R) ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’s Pedro Pascal, director Jon Favreau and Grogu at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ is first among ‘Star Wars’ equals right now, having shot last year and now speeding through post-production.
eaZX2E5uDRUrzMZDbzwwV4
Favreau and Filoni introduced a new clip from the movie and a sizzle reel at the Celebration event.
The main scene was action packed, with Snowtroopers inside an AT-AT preparing to engage in battle. Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian cuts open into the hull of the AT-AT, then, in one continuous take, blasts, stabs, pyros, and fights his way through the Snowtroopers, making his way through the hull and then hallway, ending at the door of the cockpit, which quickly closes.
The sizzle reel, meanwhile, offered a glimpse at Sigourney Weaver’s character –– for whom Mando apparently works –– plus battle scenes (including an AT-AT tumbling off a snowy cliff), Grogu using his powers and swimming. It ended with Jeremy Allen White-voiced Rotta the Hutt, the son of the crime lord Jabba the Hutt, raising his hands in triumph in some sort of fighting arena, and then cut to Grogu in the stands and eating what passes for the Star Wars version of popcorn.
(L to R) ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’s Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
‘Mandalorian’ co-creator and fellow steward Filoni is still putting the pieces together for his own film, while one that continues the story of Rey (Daisy Ridley) is in development from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy but appears to keep hitting stumbling blocks and has been removed from the schedule for now.
And then there’s James Mangold’s film, which explores the origins of the Jedi and early force users and is awaiting a release date.
We’d guess that while Filoni (who promoted earlier this year to Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm) is still going full speed ahead on his movie, he’s also been busy figuring out a second season of ‘Ahsoka.’
Here’s what he said about that:
“I’m so well into that as well… I’ve been writing it, and I’m still the single writer on it, and so I’ve been enjoying doing that, but it’s a challenge, of course, and working some of these arcs through has been a challenge and making sure it’s all going to come out in a way that I think is exciting for fans. I know that they’re interested in where some of the things I developed in Season One. I’m pretty happy with it… Love working with Rosario [Dawson], so I can’t wait to get back to that.”
Beyond those, there are several movies (and potential trilogies) which don’t seem to be moving forward and may have been scrapped altogether, including new potential movies from ‘The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson (who is busy with his ‘Knives Out’ movies and may not wish to dip back into the toxic stew of ‘Star Wars’ fandom after the divisive reaction to his first effort) and ‘Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins, who had a much-touted ‘Rogue Squadron’ story of rebel pilots that appears to have had trouble leaving the development hanger.
When will ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ be in theaters?
(L to R) ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’s director Shawn Levy, Ryan Gosling, Dave Filoni and Kathleen Kennedy at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
With ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ boasting a confirmed release date of May 22nd, 2026, we now have a second ‘Star Wars’ movie on the calendar.
‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ is now due to arrive on May 28th, 2027. Looks like Lucasfilm is finally ready to ramp back up to one movie a year from the galaxy far, far away.
(L to R) ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’s Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
Preview:
Kathleen Kennedy will reportedly leave Lucasfilm this year.
She’s been the main guiding hand for Star Wars for more than a decade.
The news is, however, not official.
If this news pans out, we could, to paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi in ‘Star Wars,’ feel a great disturbance in the fandom force, as if millions (well, thousands) of voices that cried out in anger were suddenly silenced.
Because according to Puck, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy, who has been overseeing the galaxy far, far away on screens big and small, is reportedly ready to step down.
We’ll caution at this point, that the news is still within the realm of speculation, though the Puck article mentions that Kennedy has been doing plenty that suggests she’s ready to switch her focus away from leading Lucasfilm, including selling property in Malibu, near Los Angeles, and collecting a host of career awards.
(L-R) Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Deborah Chow, Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm, Ewan McGregor, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Hayden Christensen attend the studio showcase panel at Star Wars Celebration for “Obi-Wan Kenobi” in Anaheim, California on May 26, 2022. The series streams exclusively on Disney+. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
Kennedy, who turns 72 this year, is also likely looking to work on projects that don’t generate the ire that more recent developments in ‘Star Wars’ fandom have (let’s be honest here –– whoever takes over the job assuming she departs is unlikely to stop hearing from dissatisfied fans) and instead return to working more as a producer alongside husband and business partner Frank Marshall.
After all, she had a long-established career producing a variety of movies before Kennedy joined Lucasfilm in 2012 as co-chair alongside ‘Star Wars’ creator George Lucas.
Shortly after, Lucas exited his post as Disney acquired the company for $4 billion, and Kennedy was elevated to president.
We’ll have to wait for Kennedy to truly announce whether she’s leaving the company –– the Puck story makes mention of her looking to go last year, even going so far as to set up an exit interview with a journalist, before opting to stay longer.
Transitioning to someone else this year makes some sense since it’s a relatively quiet period for ‘Star Wars’ –– only ‘Andor’ season 2 and some shows for younger viewers are scheduled, and it won’t be back on the big screen until Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ in 2026.
As for who might succeed her? Dave Filoni surely seems like the logical person since he ascended to chief creative officer in 2023. But he may want to stay more closely involved with writing and directing projects himself and leave the business side to someone else.
‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ is first among ‘Star Wars’ equals right now, having shot last year and now speeding through post-production for a release next year.
‘Mandalorian’ co-creator and fellow steward Filoni is still putting the pieces together for his own film, and more recently, we learned that one with Shawn Levy in the director’s chair took a leap towards hyperspace thanks to Ryan Gosling entering talks to star.
Jonathan Tropper, who collaborated with Levy on films such as ‘This is Where I Leave You’ and ‘The Adam Project,’ has been working on that script for over a year. Levy is also producing the feature via his 21 Laps banner.
The time period for the potential new offering is unknown, though it reportedly charts its own course and doesn’t feature anyone from the Skywalker saga, with the emphasis on this being a standalone adventure.
Then there’s James Mangold’s film, which explores the origins of the Jedi and early force users and is awaiting a release date.
(L to R) Director James Mangold, Dave Filoni, and director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
While Filoni is still going full speed ahead on his movie, he’s also been busy figuring out a second season of ‘Ahsoka.’
Here’s what he said about that:
“I’m so well into that as well… I’ve been writing it, and I’m still the single writer on it, and so I’ve been enjoying doing that, but it’s a challenge, of course, and working some of these arcs through has been a challenge and making sure it’s all going to come out in a way that I think is exciting for fans. I know that they’re interested in where some of the things I developed in Season One. I’m pretty happy with it… Love working with Rosario [Dawson], so I can’t wait to get back to that.”
‘Andor’s second season, meanwhile, premieres on April 22nd, and it’ll be divided into four three-episode chapters.
Beyond those, there are several movies (and potential trilogies) which don’t seem to be moving forward and may have been scrapped altogether, including new potential movies from ‘The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson (who is busy with his ‘Knives Out’ movies and may not wish to dip back into the toxic stew of ‘Star Wars’ fandom after the divisive reaction to his first effort) and ‘Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins, who had a much-touted ‘Rogue Squadron’ story of rebel pilots that appears to have had trouble leaving the development hanger.
When will the next ‘Star Wars’ movie be in theaters?
So far, only ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ has a confirmed release date, that being May 22nd, 2026.
Disney and Lucasfilm do have an untitled ‘Star Wars’ movie on their release calendar for December 17th, 2027, though the companies have yet to reveal which of the developing projects will take that spot.
Now, Ford is playing the President once again in Marvel’s ‘Captain America: Brave New World‘, which opens in theaters on February 14th and sees the actor taking over the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross from the late William Hurt, opposite Anthony Mackie in the title role.
In honor of Ford’s new film, Moviefone is counting down the 30 best movies of Harrison Ford’s illustrious career, including his latest!
(L to R) Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in ‘Cowboys & Aliens.’ Photo: Universal Pictures / Timothy White.
A stranger (Daniel Craig) stumbles into the desert town of Absolution with no memory of his past and a futuristic shackle around his wrist. With the help of mysterious beauty Ella (Olivia Wilde) and the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford), he finds himself leading an unlikely posse of cowboys, outlaws, and Apache warriors against a common enemy from beyond this world in an epic showdown for survival.
Respected lawyer, Henry Turner (Ford) survives a convenience-store shooting only to find he has lost his memory, and has serious speech and mobility issues. After also losing his job—where he no longer ‘fits in’—his loving wife (Annette Bening) and daughter (Mikki Allen) give him all their love and support.
Frankie McGuire (Brad Pitt), one of the IRA’s deadliest assassins, draws an American family into the crossfire of terrorism. But when he is sent to the U.S. to buy weapons, Frankie is housed with the family of Tom O’Meara (Ford), a New York cop who knows nothing about Frankie’s real identity. Their surprising friendship, and Tom’s growing suspicions, forces Frankie to choose between the promise of peace or a lifetime of murder.
Barney (Sylvester Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.
Finding himself in a new era, approaching retirement, Indy (Ford) wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival (Mads Mikkelsen), Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artifact doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
(L to R) Bonnie Bedelia and Harrison Ford in ‘Presumed Innocent’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Rusty Sabich (Ford) is a deputy prosecutor engaged in an obsessive affair with a coworker (Greta Scacchi) who is murdered. Soon after, he’s accused of the crime. And his fight to clear his name becomes a whirlpool of lies and hidden passions.
A couple of high school graduates (Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard) spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.
Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is hired by a mysterious client’s brusque aide to tail a young couple. Tracking the pair through San Francisco’s Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan (John Cazale) manage to record a cryptic conversation between them. Tormented by memories of a previous case that ended badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the resulting tape, trying to determine if the couple is in danger.
Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo (Ford) and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and his army of Stormtroopers.
(L to R) John Mahoney and Harrison Ford in ‘Frantic’. Photo: Warner Bros.
The wife (Betty Buckley) of an American doctor (Ford) suddenly vanishes in Paris and, to find her, he navigates a puzzling web of language, locale, laissez-faire cops, triplicate-form filling bureaucrats and a defiant, mysterious waif (Emmanuelle Seigner) who knows more than she tells.
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, “does not exist, nor will it ever exist.” His goal is to locate – and eliminate – a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.
Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) leads a mission to rescue his friend Han Solo (Ford) from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, while the Emperor seeks to destroy the Rebellion once and for all with a second dreaded Death Star.
After arriving in India, Indiana Jones (Ford) is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees – and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Ford), Sam (Anthony Mackie) finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is an ambitious secretary with a unique approach for climbing the ladder to success. When her classy, but villainous boss (Sigourney Weaver) breaks a leg skiing, Tess takes over her office, her apartment and even her wardrobe. She creates a deal with a handsome investment banker (Ford) that will either take her to the top, or finish her off for good.
When Claire Spencer (Michelle Pfeiffer) starts hearing ghostly voices and seeing spooky images, she wonders if an otherworldly spirit is trying to contact her. All the while, her husband (Ford) tries to reassure her by telling her it’s all in her head. But as Claire investigates, she discovers that the man she loves might know more than he’s letting on.
The powerful story of Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), the legendary baseball player who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he joined the roster of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The film follows the innovative Dodgers’ general manager Branch Rickey (Ford), the MLB executive who first signed Robinson to the minors and then helped to bring him up to the show.
(L to R) Harrison Ford, Liesel Matthews and Wendy Crewson in ‘Air Force One’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Russian terrorists (Gary Oldman) conspire to hijack the aircraft with the president (Ford) and his family on board. The commander in chief finds himself facing an impossible predicament: give in to the terrorists and sacrifice his family, or risk everything to uphold his principles – and the integrity of the nation.
Allie Fox (Ford), an American inventor exhausted by the perceived danger and degradation of modern society, decides to escape with his wife (Helen Mirren) and children to Belize. In the jungle, he tries with mad determination to create a utopian community with disastrous results.
In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones (Ford) to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery). He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man’s notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody), along with Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!
Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and dashing captain Han Solo (Ford) team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.
A sheltered Amish child (Lukas Haas) is the sole witness of a brutal murder in a restroom at a Philadelphia train station, and he must be protected. The assignment falls to a taciturn detective (Ford) who goes undercover in a Pennsylvania Dutch community. On the farm, he slowly assimilates despite his urban grit and forges a romantic bond with the child’s beautiful mother (Kelly McGillis).
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard (Ford) is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife (Sela Ward) and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble (Ford) escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.
The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda (Frank Oz). But Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), cocky Han Solo (Ford), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and droids C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.
Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
When Dr. Indiana Jones (Ford) – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.
(Left) ‘Elevation’ director George Nolfi. (Right) Daisy Ridley as Rey in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. Photo: Lucasfilm.
Preview:
George Nolfi is the newest writer aboard ‘New Jedi Order.’
The movie aims to continue Rey’s –– played by Daisy Ridley –– story.
Documentarian Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is aboard to direct.
A new week, a new writer for the ‘Star Wars’ movie that seems to be stuck in a Sarlacc’s gut of development hell.
Yes, the movie currently known as ‘Star Wars: New Jedi Order,’ which was confirmed with much fanfare at Star Wars Celebration a long time ago (well, April 7th, 2023) in a galaxy far, far away (er, London), has found yet another write to work on its script.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’. Photo: Lucasfilm.
The new story is said to take place 15 years after the events seen in 2019’s ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ with Ridley’s character now a mentor to a new crop of Jedis.
You can imagine that it won’t be an easy task fraught with danger, but it might be easier than actually getting the movie made.
‘Lost,’ ‘The Leftovers’ and ‘Watchmen’ writer Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson were the initial duo on the project, working on it before Obaid-Chinoy was brought on.
By the time Ridley was revealed as returning, ‘Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight was tapping away at the keyboard. But by October 2024, he was no longer on the project.
What else has George Nolfi written?
(L to R) Morena Baccarin and Anthony Mackie in ‘Elevation’. Photo: Vertical.
Nolfi is known for writing elevated thrillers across a variety of genres.
He worked on two ‘Bourne’ action thrillers with Matt Damon (who, of course, was also a lead in Ocean’s Twelve’), before going on to make his directorial debut with ‘The Adjustment Bureau,’ a 2011 sci-fi thriller that starred the actor alongside Emily Blunt.
Nolfi also directed and co-wrote 2020’s ‘The Banker,’ a period drama of race and finance that starred Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson, and then reunited with Mackie for 2024’s ‘Elevation,’ a postapocalyptic thriller.
What else is in development for big screen ‘Star Wars’?
(L to R) Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm and Jon Favreau appears at the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California on August 09, 2024. Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney.
Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ is first among ‘Star Wars’ equals right now, having shot last year and now speeding through post-production for a release next year.
‘Mandalorian’ co-creator and fellow steward Dave Filoni is still putting the pieces together for his own film, and more recently, we learned that one with Shawn Levy in the director’s chair took a leap towards hyperspace thanks to Ryan Gosling entering talks to star.
Jonathan Tropper, who collaborated with Levy on films such as ‘This is Where I Leave You’ and ‘The Adam Project,’ has been working on that script for over a year. Levy is also producing the feature via his 21 Laps banner, joining ‘Star Wars’ steward and Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy.
The time period for the potential new offering is unknown, though it reportedly charts its own course and doesn’t feature anyone from the Skywalker saga, with the emphasis on this being a standalone adventure.
(L to R) Director James Mangold, Dave Filoni, and director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
Then there’s James Mangold’s film, which explores the origins of the Jedi and early force users and is awaiting a release date.
We’d guess that while Filoni (who promoted earlier this year to Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm) is still going full speed ahead on his movie, he’s also been busy figuring out a second season of ‘Ahsoka.’
Here’s what he said about that:
“I’m so well into that as well… I’ve been writing it, and I’m still the single writer on it, and so I’ve been enjoying doing that, but it’s a challenge, of course, and working some of these arcs through has been a challenge and making sure it’s all going to come out in a way that I think is exciting for fans. I know that they’re interested in where some of the things I developed in Season One. I’m pretty happy with it… Love working with Rosario [Dawson], so I can’t wait to get back to that.”
Beyond those, there are several movies (and potential trilogies) which don’t seem to be moving forward and may have been scrapped altogether, including new potential movies from ‘The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson (who is busy with his ‘Knives Out’ movies and may not wish to dip back into the toxic stew of ‘Star Wars’ fandom after the divisive reaction to his first effort) and ‘Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins, who had a much-touted ‘Rogue Squadron’ story of rebel pilots that appears to have had trouble leaving the development hanger.
When will the next ‘Star Wars’ movie be in theaters?
So far, only ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ has a confirmed release date, that being May 22nd, 2026.
Disney and Lucasfilm do have an untitled ‘Star Wars’ movie on their release calendar for December 17th, 2027, so we’ll see which one of the other projects secures that berth –– right now, our guess is Levy’s.
In this case, we mean ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ which has earned more than $1.33 billion worldwide and helped turn Marvel’s fortunes around while boosting Disney’s box office to a great degree last year.
That movie’s director, prolific filmmaker/producer Shawn Levy, is naturally now of great value to the studio, so his other projects based there are getting renewed attention.
What’s the story of Shawn Levy’s ‘Star Wars’ movie?
Shawn Levy attends the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
As with most things in development under the Lucasfilm banner, details are scarce. We do know that Levy, despite being seemingly busy with 500 different projects at once (including the aforementioned ‘Deadpool’ movie and producing/directing duties on the final season of ‘Stranger Things’ to name just two) has been developing his untitled ‘Star Wars’ movie since at least 2022.
Jonathan Tropper, who collaborated with Levy on films such as ‘This is Where I Leave You’ and ‘The Adam Project,’ has been working on a script for over a year. Levy is also producing the feature via his 21 Laps banner, joining ‘Star Wars’ steward and Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy.
The time period for the potential new offering is unknown, though it reportedly charts its own course and doesn’t feature anyone from the Skywalker saga, with the emphasis on this being a standalone adventure.
If Gosling’s deal closes, the hope is to have the new movie shooting in the fall, which means Levy would likely press pause on working on the planned boyband comedy that his usual Ryan –– that would be Reynolds –– has been developing. Still, given Levy’s work ethic, we wouldn’t be surprised if he knocked that out this summer before diving into ‘Star Wars.’
Of course, for now, it’s all unofficial, with neither Lucasfilm nor Disney offering comment, but with Star Wars Celebration set for April this year in Tokyo, we could see more solid news then.
Gosling, who was one of the key elements in 2023’s monster hit ‘Barbie’ had a slightly less successful 2023, as romantic action comedy ‘The Fall Guy’ –– which was perfectly entertaining in our opinion –– failed to land at the box office and only earned $181 million from a $125 budget.
That one errs more towards the sci-fi than space opera, featuring an astronaut who has to try and save the planet. It’ll arrive on May 20th, 2026.
Behind the camera, Gosling is an executive producer on a Donald E. Westlake adaptation called ‘The Actor,’ though that movie has yet to land a release date.
And oddly, Gosling’s name has been linked with ‘Star Wars’ in the past, when rumors spread online in 2013 that he and Zac Efron were being eyed by ‘The Force Awakens’ filmmaker J.J. Abrams for a part that may have eventually become Kylo Ren (as played in the sequel trilogy by Adam Driver).
What else is in development for big screen ‘Star Wars’?
(L to R) Director James Mangold, Dave Filoni, and director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ is first among ‘Star Wars’ equals right now, having shot last year and now speeding through post-production for a release next year.
‘Mandalorian’ co-creator and fellow steward Dave Filoni is still putting the pieces together for his own film, while one that continues the story of Rey (Daisy Ridley) is in development from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy but appears to keep hitting stumbling blocks and has been removed from the schedule for now.
And then there’s James Mangold’s film, which explores the origins of the Jedi and early force users and is awaiting a release date.
We’d guess that while Filoni (who promoted earlier this year to Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm) is still going full speed ahead on his movie, he’s also been busy figuring out a second season of ‘Ahsoka.’
Here’s what he said about that:
“I’m so well into that as well… I’ve been writing it, and I’m still the single writer on it, and so I’ve been enjoying doing that, but it’s a challenge, of course, and working some of these arcs through has been a challenge and making sure it’s all going to come out in a way that I think is exciting for fans. I know that they’re interested in where some of the things I developed in Season One. I’m pretty happy with it… Love working with Rosario [Dawson], so I can’t wait to get back to that.”
Beyond those, there are several movies (and potential trilogies) which don’t seem to be moving forward and may have been scrapped altogether, including new potential movies from ‘The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson (who is busy with his ‘Knives Out’ movies and may not wish to dip back into the toxic stew of ‘Star Wars’ fandom after the divisive reaction to his first effort) and ‘Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins, who had a much-touted ‘Rogue Squadron’ story of rebel pilots that appears to have had trouble leaving the development hanger.
When will the next ‘Star Wars’ movie be in theaters?
(L to R) Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm and Jon Favreau appears at the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California on August 09, 2024. Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney.
So far, only ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ has a confirmed release date, that being May 22nd, 2026.
Disney and Lucasfilm do have an untitled ‘Star Wars’ movie on their release calendar for December 17th, 2027, so if the Levy film does hit lightspeed, chances are it could fly into that slot.
