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Credit: LucasfilmThe Star Wars franchise may be returning to the big screen next year with Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026), but more interesting things are seemingly happening beyond the movie slate.
It’s no secret that the Star Wars fandom is desperate for the galaxy far, far away to return to movie theaters. It will have been an almost seven-year drought when Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu finally drops–and even then, this flick may see the fourth season of The Mandalorian sacrificed from Disney+.
The franchise is in flux, so much so, in fact, that rumors recently swirled of the impending exit of Lucasfilm’s sitting president Kathleen Kennedy. The handpicked executive shut down reports of her retirement from filmmaking and, at the same, time set the record clear on the forthcoming movie slate.
Following Favreau’s big screen effort, production will move forward on Shawn Levy’s film. Fresh off the success of his billion-dollar Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) for Disney’s Marvel Studios, the director will turn to the Mouse’s other powerful IP and bring an apparently standalone adventure–which may or may not star Barbie leading man Ryan Gosling.
Further afield will be James Mangold’s “biblical” Force origin epic, as well as Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s turbulent Rey Skywalker movie, Dave Filoni’s Mando-Verse event, and the recently confirmed Simon Kinberg trilogy that has gone to script. The latter is said to be moving the almost five-decade-old franchise into a new era, firmly leaving the Skywalker Saga behind.
While the big screen projects simmer in the background, Disney and Lucasfilm are readying their next Disney+ series: Andor Season 2. Starring Diego Luna as the titular Cassian Andor, Tony Gilroy’s series is a critically acclaimed hit and will surely look to restore confidence in the Star Wars streaming catalog.
The Disney+ shows have never been unanimously beloved or successful, but the arrival of The Acolyte on the platform last summer caused a ruckus not yet seen over a Star Wars show.
From the initial announcement of the “female-centric” project to the casting of its stars, The Acolyte consistently found itself at the epicenter of social, political, and cultural discourse.
Led by a queer woman in the form of Leslye Headland and featuring a diverse ensemble cast that included Amandla Stenberg (Osha/Mae Aniseya), Lee Jung-jae (Jedi Master Sol), Manny Jacinto (Qimir/The Stranger), and Jodie Turner-Smith (Mother Aniseya), the nine-episode Star Wars series became one of the lowest-rated entries in the franchise due to severe review-bombing from the offset.
While the series was praised by some for its inclusivity as well as its expansion of Star Wars lore (hello, bleeding kyber crystals), others denounced the show as a “woke” enterprise that damaged the franchise’s history.
Despite its run leaving major lingering questions, such as Darth Plagueis’s cameo and Jedi Master Yoda’s awareness of the Brendok disaster, The Acolyte was ultimately canceled.
While this was deemed to be due to low viewership, Disney Entertainment chief Alan Bergman later expanded on the reasoning by saying the response to The Acolyte was not where Disney “needed it to be” considering its cost structure. It was reported that Headland’s series came in at $230 million.
This recent news came after it was revealed that The Acolyte was Disney+’s second most-watched show in 2024 after Percy Jackson and the Olympians. These two indications have fueled new discourse about the canceling of the series and the potential for The Acolyte Season 2.
The Acolyte will live on, though. Around the time of its cancelation, Lucasfilm announced “Star Wars: Wayseeker”–a new novel prequel to The Acolyte featuring the characters Jedi Masters Vernestra Rwoh and Indara, who were played by Rebecca Henderson and Carrie-Ann Moss in the series, respectively. The novel, written by longtime Star Wars writer Justina Ireland, will be released on May 6, 2025.
However, it seems more novels are set to drop this year. Star Wars is no stranger to the novel–or other forms of tie-in media like video games and comic books–and this upcoming one, “Star Wars: Master of Evil” could see the franchise circle in on the dark side once again.
One of the most intriguing elements of The Acolyte was the journey of Osha Aniseya and many fans were keen to see the series follow her descent into the ways of the Sith. Therefore, this new novel could tap into that desire to see more villainous activity in the galaxy far, far away–it is the 20th anniversary of George Lucas’s Star Wars: Episode III–Revenge of the Sith (2005), after all.
While the author of “Star Wars: Master of Evil” has not been revealed, “Shadow of the Sith” writer Adam Christopher has been cryptic over on social media. The author will also be present at the upcoming Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, according to Star Wars News Net. The novel is set to be released by Random House Worlds on November 11, 2025.
One of the most iconic scenes in Star Wars history–a scene that would go on to play a vital part in the legacy of the franchise–is the showdown between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) and Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones) in Star Wars: Episode IV–A New Hope (1977).
Before being slain by his former apprentice, Obi-Wan responds to Vader’s declaration that he is the “master,” by clarifying he is only a “master of evil.”
More information is expected to drop for “Master of Evil” at Star Wars Celebration, which means it’s only weeks away until fans get clarity on when, where, and who this new novel will focus on.
How do you feel about The Acolyte living on? Do you think there should be an Acolyte Season 2? What do you think the “Master of Evil” book will be about? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!