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Credit: LucasfilmAt Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced the next phase of the ever-expanding Skywalker Saga. Now, the title of the post-sequel trilogy-era film has reportedly been confirmed.
47 years ago, George Lucas debuted his science-fiction space opera Star Wars (1977). Over the almost five decades that have followed, the Star Wars franchise has exploded into a multi-media billion-dollar enterprise owned by the planet’s most powerful entertainment entity–The Walt Disney Company.
Eventually, Lucas’ Star Wars became Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope and a further eight installments were released from 1980 through 2019. Interspersed have been additional movies, such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), and multiple animated and live-action TV shows.
But for all of its popularity and longevity, Star Wars is suffering from a divided fandom. After Disney’s sequel trilogy wrapped with Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019), questions have risen regarding the future of Lucasfilm’s movie slate.
Kathleen Kennedy said in 2022 that new movies had been in “movement all along,” but nothing concrete was ever shared. Flimsy reports of Taika Waititi, Shawn Levy, and even Rian Johnson—who helmed the extra-divisive Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi (2017)—have been shared over the years, but it wasn’t until last year’s Star Wars Celebration event that momentum really got going.
At the convention, Kennedy shared that three new movies had been developed: one by James Mangold, another by Dave Filoni, and a third by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. While Mangold is tackling the so-called “Dawn of the Jedi” era, and Filoni is pushing the New Republic to the big screen, Obaid-Chinoy is tasked with resurrecting the Jedi Order.
Obaid-Chinoy’s movie sees the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker, who was last seen fighting her grandfather, Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), on the Sith hideaway Exegol in The Rise of Skywalker. She will return, tasked with rebuilding the Jedi Order, in the film set 15 years after the events of the sequel trilogy finale.
While the Rey movie has been colloquially called the “New Jedi Order” movie for the last 12 months, a new production report has been shared online. The report reveals that the current name of the Star Wars movie is allegedly Star Wars: Episode X — A New Beginning.
This is yet another instance of the name being rumored, as the Cosmic Circus also shared the potential title in February 2024.
“Recent reports confirm that the official title for the film is Star Wars: Episode X – A New Beginning, the Production List claims. “While some sources previously speculated on the title being “New Jedi Order,” it is now clear that the latter was simply a working title.”
Neither Disney nor Lucasfilm have confirmed the new movie’s title, but A New Beginning is certainly fitting for the latest entry in the Skywalker Saga.
“Filming is scheduled to begin later this year, with pre-production activities already underway,” the report continues. “The production will span multiple locations worldwide, utilizing a mix of real-world settings and advanced studio environments to bring the galaxy far, far away to life.”
This title, if correct, follows a four-decade-old tradition of suggesting a powerful new element of the Force will be introduced. Aside from Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999), which reflects the ominous nature of the prequel trilogy and the rise of Darth Vader, the other two trilogy openers give a more hopeful tone–A New Hope and The Force Awakens (2015).
The New Jedi Order era movie establishes Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker as the new lead Jedi Master of the franchise. When asked by Den of Geek if Rey’s Jedi role was different to Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill), Ridley gave a coy “short answer” and simply said “yes.”
Disney’s sequel trilogy uncovered Luke’s past following the events of the original trilogy finale, Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi (1983). The tragic result of trying to start his own Jedi Order led him to a life of exile on the planet Ahch-To.
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Fans Forget Luke Skywalker as Franchise Confirms Historic Jedi Replacement
Other than Daisy Ridley’s involvement and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s confirmation as director, no other cast or creative has been announced. A release date is also not confirmed, although the next three dates have been revealed.
Per IGN, “the release dates for the next three Star Wars movies now stand at May 22, 2026, December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027.”
Fans know that Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu, the movie that is leading the feature slate, is the one that will be released on May 22, 2026.
2026 is a big year for Disney, with Bob Iger’s House of Mouse releasing a slew of highly anticipated films, including Avengers 5 (formerly Avengers: The Kang Dynasty), Toy Story 5, The Mandalorian & Grogu, and most likely Frozen III.
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Day: George Lucas To Make ‘Star Wars’ Return, Report Says
To keep fans satiated for the time being, Disney+ is airing new episodes of Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte weekly. The series is set 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace and details the arrival of dark side powers in the galaxy far, far away.
What do you think of this potential title for the Daisy Ridley movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!