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Star Warsis easily the biggest and most iconic film franchise of all time. For years, there was just the original Star Wars trilogy, and then there was the prequel trilogy, which made the films a saga. Yet in 2012, Disney acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. and announced that they would not only be making Episodes VII, VIII, and IX, but they would also develop spin-off films. In the span of five years, Disney released a newStar Warsmovie every year with 2015’sThe Force Awakens, 2016’sRogue One, 2017’sThe Last Jedi, 2018’sSolo: A Star Wars Story, and 2019’sThe Rise of Skywalker. Despite four of those five movies making $1 billion at the worldwide box office,Solo: A Star Wars Storyfloppingcoupled with the launch of Disney+ and the COVID-19 pandemic,Star Warsshifted into a television franchise.
That doesn’t mean Disney has given up on moreStar Warsfilms. While there have not been any new films in theStar Warsfranchise to grace the silver screen in over five years, that doesn’t mean there have not beenplenty of announced filmsthat never saw the light of day. While Disney and Lucasfilm have gained a reputation for announcingStar Warsmovies that never happened, they still have plenty in development. It appears they are looking to get back to their plans of having one newStar Warsfilm every year and, in some cases, two 2026 release dates saved for two entries in the franchise: May 22 and August 23, 2025. Here is everyStar Warsmovie in active development right now.
10The Mandalorian & Grogu
June 06, 2025
The Mandalorian & Groguwill be the firstStar Warsfilm released in theaters since 2019’sThe Rise of Skywalker, nearly a seven-year gap by the time the movie arrives on June 06, 2025. The film will be a spin-off of the popular Disney+ seriesThe Mandalorianand is seemingly taking the place of Season 4. Little is known about the film’s plot, but Pedro Pascal is confirmed to reprise his role as Din Djarrin/The Mandalorian and will be joined by Sigourney Weaver in an unknown role. Zeb, the character introduced inStar Wars: Rebelsand who cameoed inThe MandalorianSeason 3, will appear in the film as well.
The Mandalorian & Groguwill be directed by Jon Favreau, the creator ofThe Mandalorianand also the man who kicked off the MCU withIron Man. Favreau wrote the script alongside Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm and writer of many iconicStar Warsseries likeThe Clone Wars,Rebels, andAhsoka.Due to the popularity ofThe Mandalorian, it certainly makes sense why this would the first new Star Wars film Lucasfilm wanted back in theaters.
9Rey New Jedi Order Film
Release Date TBD
AtStar WarsCelebration 2023, Disney and Lucasfilm announced three newStar Warsfilms, andthe one that gained the most traction wasa film centered on Rey(Daisy Ridley), the lead character from the sequel trilogy. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, director of twoMs. Marvelepisodes and an accomplished documentary filmmaker, is set to helm the project. The movie was initially set to be written by Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson, but the duo departed the project in February 2024 with Steven Knight, creator ofPeaky Binders, signed on to write.Knight recently departed the project, and the movie is currently looking for a new screenwriter.
Details of the film’s plot are unclear. Rumors suggested that Lindeloff and Britt-Gibson’s original pitch was for the movie to take place 60 years afterThe Rise of Skywalkerand wanted Helen Mirren to play an older Rey. Instead, Lucasfilm opted to bring Ridley back, and the movie will take place15 years afterThe Rise of Skywalker. The assumption is the movie will center on Rey attempting tobuild a new Jedi Order, a plot point fans had wanted to see Luke Skywalker do for years and was only briefly alluded to in the sequel trilogy and series likeThe Book of Boba Fett.The movie is still expected to begin filming in 2025.
8Simon Kinberg’s New Star Wars Trilogy
The newestStar Warsmovie announced by Lucasfilm is a trilogy written and produced by Simon Kingberg. While initially reported as being Episodes X, XI, and XII, following reports saidit would not be the next entry in the Skywalker Saga but its own separate trilogy of films. Kinberg is best known for his role as a writer and producer on the 20th Century Fox Marvel films, whose credits include producer on the beloved Logan and Deadpool and screenwriter ofX-Men: Days of Future Past, while also being the co-writer of the critically lambastedFantastic Fourand also the writer and director ofDark Phoenix, one of the worst performing films in the franchise.
Details on Kinberg’sStar Warstrilogy are under wraps, partially because Lucasfilm did not announce them; instead, the trades broke the news. Kinberg does have a long history with theStar Warsfranchise under Disney, as he was brought on board in 2012 to form a brain trust to help shape what the sequel trilogy would be before those plans were scrapped when J.J. Abrams was brought on board forThe Force Awakens. Kinberg was one of the creators ofStar Wars: Rebelsand formed a strong working relationship with Dave Filoni. In 2018, Kinberg was hired to pen a script for a Boba Fett movie that was to be directed by James Mangold. That Boba Fett movie was scrapped following the box office disappointment ofSolo: A Star Wars Storyand retooled asThe Book of Boba Fett, but it appears that Kinberg has been primed to make aStar Warsfilm for some time.
7James Mangold’s First Jedi Movie
Speaking of James Mangold, while he did not get to direct the Boba Fett movie,he will direct anotherStar Warsmovie, one that will take audiences back to the very first Jedi.Mangold’sStar Warsfilmwas announced atStar WarsCelebration 2023 and is said to take place25,000 years before the events ofA New Hope, the furthest point in the past anyStar Warsstory has done. Mangold has described the movie as a biblical epic, invoking The Ten Commandments as a source of inspiration.Star WarsproducerSimon Emmanuel saidthe film would be calledJedi Prime. Lucasfilm has not confirmed that name, and it is unclear if that is the official title or a working title.
Lucasfilm had considered doing a trilogy about the First Jedi,which would have been overseenbyGame of Thronescreators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, but the duo departed the project in 2019. It is unclear if this film will use any of their ideas, but Beau Williams signed on to write the script for James Mangold’sStar Warsmovie in April 2024. Mangold developed a good working relationship with Lucasfilm, having directedIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. What is unclear is when the movie will come out, as Mangold is committed to both this film andSwamp Thingfor James Gunn’s new DCUat Warner Bros.
6Dave Filoni Mandoverse Crossover Film
The Mandalorian & Groguis not the only film based on theStar WarsDisney+ series coming; in fact, that was a surprise announcement. At Disney’s Investor Call in December 2020, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that the series set in the New Republic would crossover in an event film, similar to the MCU’sThe Avengers. These series would beThe Mandalorian,The Book of Boba Fett,Ahsoka, andRangers of the New Republicbefore that series was canceled and now replaced withSkeleton Crew. In April 2023, atStar Wars Celebration, it was confirmed thatDave Filoni would direct thisStar Warscrossover film, and it would come to theaters.
Seeds for this epic crossover have been planted across the Disney+ series, seemingly building to a spin on the iconicLegends novels,The Thrawn Trilogy, which feature Admiral Thrawn as the lead villain. The Disney+ series and its epic crossover film will provide a transition story between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy, exploring how the First Order truly rose up in the wake of the Empire’s defeat.The Mandalorian & Groguwill act as a lead-in, and it will arrive afterAhsokaSeason 2 debuts on Disney+ in 2026, sothis film likely won’t be released until 2028.
The Star Wars Mandoverse Has Already Overstayed Its Welcome
While Star Wars is going all in on the Mandoverse with spin-offs and feature films, the franchise might need to move on from this era of stories.
5Lando Movie
Donald Glover’s portrayal of Lando Calrissian inSolo: A Star Wars Storywas a highlight of the film for many, so it wasn’t shocking when Disney announced they would be making a Lando series for Disney+ in December 2020. However, in September 2023, fans were shocked to discover thatLandohad been retooled into a feature film. By 2023, Disney was looking to invest less in streaming series and refocus its attention on feature films, so aStar Warsseries being upgraded from a series to a film isn’t a huge surprise.
Donald Glover and his brother Stephen are set to replace Simien asthe new writer of theLandomovie. So far, no plot details have been given, and no word on the project’s development has been made since the initial announcement. With all the aforementioned movies in development, it’s likely that a Lando movie is not the highest priority for the studio. So it seems that they will slowly be developing it, not needing to rush it until it is ready.
4Rogue Squadron
Rogue Squadronwas supposed to be the first in a new slate ofStar Warsfilms following the conclusion ofThe Skywalker Saga. The movie was announced in December 2020 during a Disney Investor Call with a special video of director Patty Jenkins suiting up in an X-wing fighter uniform. Despite being announced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie was given a July 24, 2025 release date. Matthew Robbinson was hired to write the script in May 2021, and things moved along nicely until November of that year when the moviehit production delays.
Some claimed the reasonRogue Squadronfaced production issues was that Lucasfilm had cold feet following the negative reaction to Patty Jenkins’Wonder Woman 1984. That film was released in theaters and on HBO Max 15 days afterRogue Squadronwas announced. The movie was removed from the release schedule in September 2022. While Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy hinted thatRogue Squadroncould be reworked into a Disney+ series in 2023, later that year, Patty Jenkins’s schedule became freer following the news that DC Studios had canceled herWonder Woman 3plans in favor of James Gunn’s new DCU plans. Patty Jenkins and Lucasfilm seem to be committed to revampingRogue Squadronas Jenkins signed a new contract with Lucasfilm in March 2024 to write and direct the movie.
3Taikia Waititi’s Movie
OnMay the Fourth, 2020, Disney officially confirmed thatTaika Waititi would be writing and directing a newStar Warsfilm. Waititi is no stranger toStar Wars, as he voiced IG-11 inThe Mandalorian. He has also developed a good working relationship with Disney as he directedThor: RagnarokandThor: Love and Thunderfor Marvel Studios, while Searchlight Pictures released his Academy Award-winningJojo Rabbitand the more recent critical disappointment,Next Goal Wins.
Waititi’sStar Warsfilmhas faced multiple delays, partly due to Waititi working on bothThor: Love and ThunderandNext Goal Wins, but also the WGA Strike of 2023, which prevented Waititi from working on the film.The film was expected to be released in 2023 and 2024, but it has not even begun casting. While Waititi has made hints that the movie might not happen, Lucasfilm has not officially confirmed anything. Waititi said hisStar Warsfilm would introduce new characters andjokingly saidit would likely upset some fans, so maybe the movie isn’t their highest priority.
2Shawn Levy Film
In November 2022, news broke that Shawn Levy was setto direct a newStar Warsfilm, which he would begin work on followingDeadpool & WolverineandStranger ThingsSeason 5. The project was put on hold due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strike of 2023, and no news has been made about the project since, other thanDeadpool & Wolverineseemingly impacting how Levy would approach the film.No details were ever given about whatStar Warsfilm Levy was going to direct, so it is entirely possible he could be working on the Simon KinbergStar Warstrilogy. With Levy’sDeadpool & Wolverinehaving grossed $1.3 billion, Disney and Lucasfilm likely want to fast-track whatever this film is.
1Rian Johnson’s Star Wars Trilogy
The big one that fans are still waiting to get official confirmation on either being in development or completely scrapped isRian Johnson’sStar Warstrilogy. Disney announced the film in November 2017, one month before the release ofThe Last Jedi. Considering that Johnson’sThe Last Jediwas the only Star Wars film under Disney that did not face some creative behind-the-scenes problems, it certainly made sense that they would trust him to lead a newStar Warstrilogy.
The Last Jedi’s $1.3 billion box office gross and critical acclaim would typically guarantee this new trilogy would be a high priority, butThe Last Jediquickly got caught up in a culture war. The claims of how much fans hated it have been hotly contested for years, with some pointing to low audience scores to prove fans hated it, while others have claimed thescore was manipulated by botsto bring it down in an attempt to paint a narrative that audiences did not like the movie.
Either way, it was a lot of press and noise that Lucasfilm likely wanted to avoid, and in the years since, news on Rian Johnson’sStar Warstrilogy has been quiet. Part of it has been that Johnson has been busy working onKnives Outfilms and the Peacock Original series,Poker Face. In April 2023,Kathleen Kennedy told Variety,
“Rian and I talk all the time. He is unbelievably busy. So we’re not actively involved in anything at the moment because he’s doing another one of the ‘Glass Onion’ movies, and then God knows what else. But he really wants to step back into the space. It’s a big commitment of time, so that’s really on him.”
The project is not officially dead, but it appears nobody, neither Johnson nor Lucasfilm, was actively developing it at the time.
