Credit: LucasfilmKathleen Kennedy shared a lot of news for fans at the Star Wars Celebration, but now it’s her turn to reveal some great news about Lucasfilm’s future, with several projects thought to be shelved or axed.
IGN was lucky to sit down with Kennedy and talk to her about many different topics for Lucasfilm. Right after coming off the stage from announcing three Star Wars movies, there was much to discuss. Kennedy shares in her interview many fun details about what to expect but makes it clear that while each project has been in development for a few years, things could change before they release.
Rey’s Jedi Academy movie with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Daisy Ridley is more about looking at a galaxy, not at war. The First Order is gone. The galaxy is rebuilding itself, and the question is, “What do the Jedi do now?” Rey believes she has to restart the Order and focuses on bringing the Jedi back together. The movie will be set 15 years after Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019) with the possibility of exploring flashbacks, but most of the story will be in the present time.
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James Mangold’s work on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) led the director to have fun talks with Kathleen Kennedy. Now, the director will get his own movie after pitching an idea about how the Jedi discovered the force. Dave Filoni, on the other hand, will be directing a Mandalorian-centric movie meant to culminate stories he has written for the past decade in an “epic” film.
These projects are exciting, and fans are hyped for the future, but that’s not all that Kennedy shared in her interview. When asked about Lucasfilm’s future Star Wars projects, she was asked about projects that were shelved which led her to share that nothing is shelved currently. Patty Jenkin’s Rogue Squadron, Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie, and other projects are happening.
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She does make it clear that the press has covered certain news that isn’t true because projects like Rogue Squadron are still in the works, but whether or not it will release as a movie or Disney+ series is up in the air. Kathleen Kennedy shares that Lucasfilm is always in talks with talent and wants to work on doing the project and sharing more when the time is right.
Rian Johnson’s trilogy and Donald Glover’s Lando series will happen once they are ready to start working on their projects once again, as Lucasfilm is in no rush to get certain projects created. Unlike before, they are fine telling stories in different eras of Star Wars and not being tied down to a specific time period like they were with the Sequel Trilogy.
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This still leaves the door for several projects to happen, but fans have heard so much over the past couple of years that it’s hard to know what is or isn’t happening at Lucasfilm anymore. Hopefully, things will become clearer over time for fans, and they won’t have to hear things like Rogue Squadron go back and forth in development hell any longer.
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