Even if a person isn’t a sci-fi fanatic, there’s a good chance that they’ve at least heard of the worldwide phenomenon known asStar Wars, the intergalactic franchise that has spanned nearly five decades since the first film was released back in 1977.Characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan Kenobi became instant household names, with dozens of others to follow in the years to come – all of them gaining recognition and fame fromStar Warsmovies.
With the pandemic shutting most of the entertainment world down for the better part of two years,Star Warsfans may have failed to notice that the franchise hasn’t had a cinematic release since December 2019. However, that had nothing to do with the pandemic. Instead, the franchise has decided to take a brief break in releasing movies after they cranked out five from 2015 to 2019. Initially, the next film was scheduled for release sometime in December 2023, with only two moreStar Warsfilms scheduled with release dates in 2025 and 2027. Unfortunately, with Disney having to change things around, presumably for financial reasons and potentially to reevaluate what content fans actually want to see, these releases are now up in the air.
Lucasfilm presidentKathleen Kennedy announcedseveral new projects, including one that centers around Daisy Ridley’s Rey as she attempts to rebuild the Jedi order. While some fans might resent the long wait after being force-fed (pun intended) so manyStar Warsmovies in such a short span of time, it’s actually a good thing that the franchise is stepping away from cinematic releases.
Updated August 20, 2025: This article has been updated following recent announcements regarding futureStar Warsfilms and to reflect the recent television series released on Disney+.
Critics/Fans Were Torn on the Last Few Movies
Star Warsis a franchise that people love and will always love, but that doesn’t mean that they have to love every single project that the franchise produces.The prequels have aged with time, but the original backlash for the trilogy is enough to prove thatStar Warsfans are hard to please. Regardless, wherever a fan or a critic stands on a movie is never the end-all opinion on whether a film is good or bad, as every person gets to decide for themselves.
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With that in mind, it’s no secret that the last few movies –Rise of Skywalker,Solo,The Last Jedi– decisively split fans and critics, with a large majority admitting that they thought the films fell short of the typicalStar Warsstandard. Now, whether this is true or not isn’t the point. The point is thatStar Warsand Disney are both smart enough to realize that having split fans isn’t profitable and only drives people out of theaters. So, stepping away from releasing films is a good thing because it implies to the audiences that the studio is taking their fans seriously – something that people (especially lifelong and loyal fans) always appreciate.
Star Wars TV Shows Are Killing It
Despite not having released any new movies since December 2019, that hasn’t stoppedStar Warsfrom cranking out material. They’re just doing it in the form of TV shows on Disney+. With creator/director Jon Favreau at the helm, live-action shows likeThe Mandalorianwere an instant classic. The series was so popular it has grown outwards with spin-off series likeThe Book of Boba Fettand the recently releasedAhsoka. Andorearned rave reviews and was beloved by many fans, ranking it among the bestStar Warsprojects ever. The animated showThe Bad Batch,which centers around a squadron of mercenary clone troopers, is also praised for its comparison to otherStar Warsanimated shows likeThe Clone WarsandRebels.
While the quality of the various Star Wars series is up for debate, it is hard to argue that the franchise still isn’t relevant for audiences. Audiences are still tuning in to get glimpses of a galaxy far away, but now they can afford to tell more niche stories that might not fit a feature film. The upcoming seriesAcolytelooks to push the boundaries of what Star Wars can be, which is a good thing for the overall brand.
Filling In the Gaps
TheStar Warsuniverse is vast. With books, television shows, video games, movies, and even comics all explaining and expanding upon the lore, there are so many stories to be told. Unfortunately, movies tend to have one big disadvantage that these other forms of media don’t: time.
Even for longer movies, there are only two or three hours at most to tell a complete story. There have been plenty of times when something that the audience really wanted to see had to be left on the cutting room floor because of time constraints. It is tricky to balance the pacing of a movie and building an interesting world for the characters to live in. Fortunately, for television shows, there is an opportunity to cover things that the movies can’t.
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Andoris likely the best example of this.Rogue One: A Star Wars Storywas beloved by many but also received some criticism for its character development. Now, through the Disney+ series, audiences are getting abetter understanding of the character Cassian Andorand more of the dirty dealings of the rebel alliance that were only glimpsed inRogue One. Characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Boba Fett, and Lando can get more of their story told as they might not be the biggest box office draws on their own.
Shows have the advantage of being longer than a movie without being overwhelming. Even for those who have binged an entire season of a show in one day, breaks are necessary, and the pause between episodes provides just enough relief. Miniseries offer the perfect opportunity to give some much-needed time to the characters that got left out in the movies while simultaneously bridging the stories from one movie to the next.
A Long Wait Could Help Bring Fans Back
As already stated, the last few movies left fans torn, resulting in audiences losing faith in the cinematic releases. However, pair the long wait thatStar Warsis taking before their next movie comes out withhow well the shows are doing on Disney+, and Disney has started to win the irritated fans back, and it makes a perfect combination to win over any straggling fans that are still waiting to hop back on theStar Warstrain. They only need to wait for a show about their favorite character to peak that curiosity again.
Keep in mind, the break is expected to only be several years between projects, so it’s not like the 19-year break betweenReturn of the JediandThe Phantom Menaceor even the 10-year hiatus betweenReturn of the SithandThe Force Awakens– it’s not a reboot, it’s a touch-up.Star Warshas heard their fans loud and clear, and they’ve made the decisive choice to take a little time and make sure the next movies perform as well as their shows. Again, some fans might be upset about the wait - but hopefully, those fans will be rewarded soon with a movie that pleases fans and critics alike.
The franchise already hasthree movies in development. One will be directed by Dave Filoni and build off the successful television series and unite plotlines from shows likeThe Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett,andAhsoka. The second is a film set at the dawn of the Jedi and will be directed by James Mangold. The third is a followup to the sequel trilogy, which will take place 15 years afterThe Rise of Skywalkerand see Rey building a new Jedi Order. There will be plenty ofStar Warsmovies on the horizon, and the wait might be enough to get audiences excited again, like whenStar Warsreturned to the big screen in 1999 and 2015.
