(Left) ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’s Dave Filoni at Lucasfilm Animation’s 20th Anniversary at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Chiba, Japan. Photo by Christopher Jue/Getty Images for Disney. (Right) President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
Preview:
Kathleen Kennedy is officially stepping down as president of Lucasfilm.
Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan will become co-presidents.
The next ‘Star Wars’ movie, ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu,’ is due in May.
There is big news coming from Lucasfilm, the company that produces the ‘Star Wars’ movies and TV shows.
After plenty of speculation across the last year or so, company president Kathleen Kennedy, who has run it for 14 years, has confirmed she’ll step down.
The new President/Chief Creative Officer is ‘The Mandalorian’ co-creator Dave Filoni, who has been Lucasfilm EVP and Chief Creative Officer. Serving as Lucasfilm’s new Co-President is Lynwen Brennan, the longtime President & GM of Lucasfilm Business.
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Filoni, of course, has long been involved with ‘Star Wars,’ having been recruited by Lucas to work on animated adventures, but earning his stripes working alongside Jon Favreau on the expanding small-screen universe.
Kennedy, who turns 73 this year, is 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 –– Filoni and Brennan are 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.
Since then, she has steered the franchise ship through highs (the $2 billion success of ‘The Force Awakens,’ the small screen universe-building of ‘The Mandalorian’) and lows (‘Solo: A Star Wars Story,’ lesser-performing Disney+ series such as ‘The Acolyte’).
Who is Lynwen Brennan?
(L-R) Ron Howard, Lynwen Brennan, Phil Tippett, Rose Duignan, Joe Johnston and Dennis Muren attend the “Light & Magic” presentation at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 27, 2022. The ILM documentary series premieres exclusively on Disney+ July 27, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney).
Brennan joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1999, rising through the ranks to become ILM President in 2009 (including Skywalker Sound), Lucasfilm EVP/General Manager in 2015, and President & General Manager, Lucasfilm Business, in 2024.
She leads Lucasfilm’s business strategy and franchise and production operations and has overseen ILM’s expansion into several studios worldwide, establishing it as the industry’s preeminent VFX studio at the forefront of production technology.
The new join initiative sounds a lot like the DC Studios split in duties between James Gunn, who handles the creative side and Peter Safran, who tackles business issues.
What’s happening in the on-screen ‘Star Wars’ universe?
Big screen Mando spin-off ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ is first among ‘Star Wars’ equals right now, having shot last year and now speeding through post-production for a release on May 22. That will be followed by Shawn Levy’s ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’, which stars Ryan Gosling and is scheduled for May 28 next year.
Filoni is still putting the pieces together for his own film (though that might be on hold given the new gig unless he goes the Gunn route and keeps writing and directing projects), and there are a variety of others in different stages of development.
(L to R) ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’s Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Photo: Lucasfilm.
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.
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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.
(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.
Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich in ‘The Iron Claw.’ Photo: A24.
Preview:
Jeremy Allen White is attached to a new Netflix limited series.
He’ll star in and produce ‘Enigma Variations.’
The project adapts a book from ‘Call Me by Your Name’ writer André Aciman.
Because he clearly doesn’t have a busy enough schedule as it is, Jeremy Allen White is adding yet another project to his growing To Do list.
The actor, who appeared in ‘Shameless’ but has gone on to wide acclaim starring in FX series ‘The Bear,’ is now, per Variety, attached to a new limited series for Netflix called ‘Enigma Variations.’
It’ll draw from the eponymous André Aciman novel, which was published in 2017.
Aboard as main writer, showrunner and executive producer is Amanda Kate Shulman, who last worked on Prime Video’s fantasy series ‘The Wheel of Time.’
Male Actor in a Comedy Series, Jeremy Allen White, ‘The Bear’ 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Show, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA – 24 Feb 2024. Credit: Photo by Christopher Polk/Shutterstock for SAG.
Here’s your official logline for the book…
The novel charts the life of a man named Paul, whose loves remain as consuming and as covetous throughout his adulthood as they were in his adolescence.
Whether the setting is southern Italy, where as a boy he has a crush on his parents’ cabinetmaker, or a snowbound campus in New England, where his enduring passion for a girl he’ll meet again and again over the years is punctuated by anonymous encounters with men—whether he’s on a tennis court in Central Park or on a New York sidewalk in early spring.
Paul’s attachments are ungraspable, transient, and forever underwritten by raw desire. Ahead of every step Paul takes, his hopes, denials, fears, and regrets are always ready to lay their traps. Yet the dream of love lingers. We may not always know what we want. We may remain enigmas to ourselves and to others. But sooner or later, we discover who we’ve always known we were…
What else has André Aciman written?
(L to R) Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer in 2017’s ‘Call Me by Your Name.’
Aciman, an Italian-American writer born in Alexandria, Egypt. A distinguished professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, he’s also had quite the career as a writer.
His novels also include ‘Eight White Nights,’ ‘Harvard Square’ and ‘Find Me,’ but the most famous in adaptation terms is 2007’s ‘Call Me by Your Name.’
More recently, he’s been filming the Bruce Springsteen pic ‘Deliver Me from Nowhere’ (as Springsteen) and ‘The Bear’s fourth season will be with us at some point this year.
Nicknamed “Pedunkee Mufkin” (translated as Punky Muffin) by his father and also nicknamed “Stinky” by Ahsoka Tano, was a male Hutt and the son of Jabba the Hutt.
What’s Rotta’s story? During the Clone Wars, he was secretly kidnapped by the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which was orchestrated by Count Dooku with help from Ziro, Rotta’s great-uncle. The plot was meant to discredit the Jedi Order and scuttle negotiations between the Galactic Republic and the Hutts, but the Jedi were able to rescue him.
He was later kidnapped and rescued again. We do have to wonder what fate will befall him in the new movie, but the choice of White to provide his voice points to him being more of a grown character this time around.
White joins a cast that includes Pedro Pascal, who will be the titular Mando/Din Djarin, Sigourney Weaver (in a mystery role) and Johnny Coyne, who reprises his relatively small role of an Imperial warlord.
The movie is jetting on to screens on May 22nd next year.
When will ‘Enigma Variations’ be on Netflix?
Given White’s in demand schedule, we’d figure it’ll take a while for this to come together.
Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen in ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere.’ Photo: 20th Century Studios.
(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.
A scene from in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’ Photo: Lucasfilm.
Preview:
Patty Jenkins has offered an update on the status of ‘Star Wars: Rogue Squadron’.
The ‘Wonder Woman’ director says that her movie is back in development.
‘Rogue Squadron’ was announced in 2020 but has been in limbo ever since.
One of the more exciting ‘Star Wars’ related projects announced a long time ago has seemed to be far, far away in terms of development and release date. ‘Rogue Squadron’ was touted as the next big, non-‘Wonder Woman’ movie from director Patty Jenkins, who at the time was riding high on the success of the Gal Gadot-starring superhero film and had the eagerly-anticipated follow-up, ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ on the way.
What a difference four years makes. Since then, we’ve seen ‘1984’ land to mixed critical response and with its box office hit by the pandemic and the simultaneous release on what was then called HBO Max. ‘Rogue Squadron’ has been seemingly stuck in development limbo with re-writes, and Disney unceremoniously yanked the movie from its release schedule in 2022. Add to that the fact that diminishing returns from the big screen ‘Star Wars’ movies led to the company switching focus to the more successful TV.
Meanwhile, part of the ‘Rogue Squadron’ delay was Jenkins pivoting to a third ‘Wonder Woman’ movie with Gadot expressing excitement to return, a desire that has since been scuppered by a change in regime at DC Studios, the Warner Bros. comic book arm handed to James Gunn and Peter Safran to oversee.
But it appears there is some potentially promising news on the ‘Star Wars’ front…
What has Patty Jenkins said about ‘Star Wars: Rogue Squadron’?
‘Wonder Woman’ director Patty Jenkins at Comic Con International in San Diego, California.
“When I left ‘Star Wars’ to do ‘Wonder Woman 3’, and I started working on that, we talked about, ‘Well, maybe I’ll come back to ‘Star Wars’ after ‘Wonder Woman 3’,’ so we started a deal for that to happen. When ‘Wonder Woman 3’ then went away, Lucasfilm and I were like ‘Oh, we’ve got to finish this deal.’ We finished the deal right as the strike was beginning, so I now owe a draft of ‘Star Wars’.”
She also commented on the potential for the new movie, given that the development schedule for ‘Star Wars’ movies has begun to ramp up again:
“They have a hard job in front of them of, ‘What’s the first movie they’re going to do? They have other directors who have been working, but I am now back on doing ‘Rogue Squadron’. We’ll see what happens. We need to get it to where we’re both super happy with it.”
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What’s happening with the other ‘Star Wars’ movies?
(L to R) Dave Filoni, Daisy Ridley and director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
The leader in terms of forward movement right now is ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’, which Jon Favreau is gearing up to direct based on the sprawling TV universe he’s created alongside Dave Filoni.
Then there is a new story for Daisy Ridley’s sequel trilogy character Rey –– rumored to be titled ‘New Jedi Order’ –– directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, which is inching towards pre-production.
Before you go setting your S-foils to ticket buying position, cool your thrusters: the movie is still at the development stage. The next likely release from the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy is ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’, which looks to be targeting a 2026 slot alongside ‘New Jedi Order’.
‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ is official at Disney and Lucasfilm.
Jon Favreau is in the director’s chair.
The movie has yet to announce a release date.
For the past few years, ‘Star Wars’ has lived on the small screen much more than cinemas thanks to the success of ‘The Mandalorian’. But while there has been talk of a film set in the same universe from Dave Filoni, Disney and Lucasfilm have now announced that its Jon Favreau who is heading up the shows’ transition from TV to theater.
The big announcement of the movie offered up no details on what the plot will be, but you have to figure it’ll continue the story of the characters’ journey from the show –– including Mando’s ongoing struggle with his cultural legacy and Grogu’s increasing Force powers.
Plus there are plenty of dangling plot threads just waiting to be expanded or tied up in a big screen outing.
We don’t yet know who else is behind the movie, but surely Filoni –– Favreau’s creative partner in all things ‘Star Wars’ –– has had a hand in the script.
What has been said about the new movie?
Jon Favreau attends the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
Here’s Favreau’s statement on the new movie:
“I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created. The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting.”
What else is in development for big screen ‘Star Wars’?
(L to R) Dave Filoni, Daisy Ridley and director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
While it appears the Mando movie is flying into first position, we do know that Dave Filoni is still putting the pieces together for his own film, while one that continues the story of Rey (Daisy Ridley) is on the way from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and writer Steven Knight, due in 2027.
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 was recently promoted 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’, which may well lead to his big screen outing.
When will ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ be in theaters?
Lucasfilm has yet to confirm a release date, but a 2024 shoot points to a potential return for ‘Star Wars’ Christmas premieres in 2025.
The cast and crew of ‘The Mandalorian’ season 3 at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
