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Credit: LucasfilmAnother day, another dose of Star Wars news.
Lucasfilm is seemingly doing everything and nothing all at once. It has been almost five years since the galaxy far, far away was on the big screen in a movie capacity, and it will be almost seven when the next one debuts.
Ever since Disney’s divisive sequel trilogy, Lucasfilm has been apprehensive to deliver a new cinematic adventure. Instead, the studio has focused its efforts on streaming, with multiple shows hitting Disney+ since 2019’s The Mandalorian Season 1.
In fact, after three seasons, Mando and Grogu will hit the big screen first in Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s The Mandalorian and Grogu—presumably the replacement to the once active The Mandalorian Season 4.
The New Republic era has been a big center point for expanding the Star Wars franchise, with The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and now Skeleton Crew all padding out that part of the timeline.
Scheduled for May 22, 2026, The Mandalorian and Grogu was meant to be followed by another feature film in December of that same year. However, in November Disney replaced the slot–thought to be for the troubled Rey Skywalker production from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy–with 20th Century’s Ice Age 6 (2026).
So, despite multiple projects having been announced, just The Mandalorian and Grogu is officially confirmed.
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman (via Comic Book Movie), Lucasfilm has now shelved Taika Waititi’s untitled Star Wars movie–the one the director said would “piss people off”–and is moving forward with Patty Jenkins’ on again off again Star Wars: Rogue Squadron movie.
It was back in March 2024 that the Wonder Woman helmer spoke about the end of one franchise and the potential beginning of another.
“So, when I left Star Wars to do Wonder Woman 3, I thought maybe I’ll come back to Star Wars after Wonder Woman 3,” Jenkins told Collider at the time. “So we did a deal for that to happen, started a deal, but I thought I was doing Wonder Woman.”
She added: “When that went away, Lucasfilm and I were like, oh, we gotta finish this deal. We finished the deal right as the [WGA/SAG-AFTRA] strike was happening. So I now owe a draft of Star Wars and so we will see what happens there. You know, like, who knows?”
Not immune to the stumbling nature of Lucasfilm’s movie slate, Jenkins acknowledged that the Disney-owned Star Wars studio has a long path ahead of them.
“It’s hard, they have a hard job in front of them of what’s the first movie they’re gonna do,” Jenkins said. “They have other directors who have been working, but I am now, you know, I’m back on doing Rogue Squadron and we’ll see what happens. We need to develop, you know, get it to where we’re both super happy with it.”
Announced in December 2020, Rogue Squadron promised to introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots in a high-speed adventure that would take the Star Wars saga into uncharted territory. By late 2021, Disney removed Rogue Squadron from its release calendar, leaving its future uncertain.
While no official release date has been announced, the project—according to Richtman—is now in active development, offering hope to fans eager to see a new direction for the franchise.
Beyond Rogue Squadron, Lucasfilm has a slate of exciting Star Wars films in various stages of development. One of the most anticipated is Daisy Ridley’s return as Rey Skywalker, where she will lead a film exploring the establishment of a new Jedi Order.
Meanwhile, Dave Filoni will direct a feature film bringing the stories of the New Republic era to a climax, and James Mangold will explore the origins of the Force in a so-called “Dawn of the Jedi” movie.
Taika Waititi, known for his unique storytelling in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), was also working on an untitled Star Wars film at one point. In late 2023, while on The Kelly Clarkson Show talking about Next Goal Wins (2023), Waititi said he wanted to get the film “right.”
“I’ve been developing [the Star Wars film] for a few years, but I think with any film, but that one in particular, it’s something I’d really like to get right, so I don’t want to rush it,” he told the American Idol winner. “It’s going to bubble along on the side.”
It seems that the bubble has finally popped, at least according to these latest reports.
In a curveball announcement, Simon Kinberg is also developing a new trilogy that supposedly steps outside the Skywalker Saga, promising to usher in a fresh narrative era for the franchise. This potentially could be the new Episodes X through XII, leaving the future of Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey movie, which was largely thought to be the tenth installment in the Skywalker Saga, on tenuous ground.
With each new story, the Star Wars universe grows, balancing the legacy of its iconic characters with bold explorations of uncharted territory. Fans can only wait with excitement–and apprehension–for what comes next in this ever-evolving galaxy.
How do you feel about Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie being shelved? Are you excited to see Rogue Squadron? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!