Report: Lucasfilm Rethinks 'Star Wars' Future, Will Abandon Hyped Film

Lucasfilm originally envisioned a theatrical event that would bring together characters from across the MandoVerse, with Dave Filoni – who was recently promoted to co-president of Lucasfilm alongside Lynwen Brennan – set to direct. The project was designed as a culmination of years of interconnected storytelling on Disney+. That plan is now reportedly on hold.

The MandoVerse began with The Mandalorian, starring Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin, a lone bounty hunter navigating the lawless outer reaches of the galaxy after the fall of the Empire, whose mission to protect the Force-sensitive Grogu slowly pulls him into a much larger struggle over power, legacy, and the future of the Star Wars universe.

It’s since expanded into spinoffs like The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka. Together, they introduced a shared corner of the galaxy set after Return of the Jedi, built largely for streaming audiences. At one point, a fourth season of The Mandalorian was actively in development, with scripts complete before the 2023 Writers’ Strike.

Instead, Lucasfilm pivoted, shelving those plans in favor of The Mandalorian & Grogu – Lucasfilm’s first big screen release since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

That decision coincided with waning enthusiasm. Season 3 of The Mandalorian drew a more muted response, and other MandoVerse entries struggled to match the cultural impact of the franchise’s early Disney+ years. More recent reports suggest Lucasfilm is reassessing its reliance on the MandoVerse altogether. With the Filoni crossover now “on the back burner,” the studio appears to be pulling back from a once-central pillar of its Star Wars strategy.

Fans React to New Chapter for the MandoVerse

The shift would mark a significant downgrade for what was positioned as the cinematic culmination of the interconnected Mandalorian-era shows. Instead of uniting those characters on the big screen, the story could now remain firmly within the streaming ecosystem that introduced them.

Fan reaction to the rumor has been blunt. “Tbh I’m pretty Mando’d out. This upcoming film sparks very little excitement in me,” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I’m not holding my breath, but all the promos look like a feature-length adventure of the week.”

Others see the reported change as an admission that the concept never truly fit theaters. “I mean tbh it probably should be,” another fan said. “They are all TV show characters. A lot of people who go to the movies but don’t watch Star Wars on Disney+ will be confused as hell.”

Some reactions go further, arguing the franchise needs a clean break from the era entirely. “They desperately need to do something new with the brand that is for theaters,” one fan commented. “I still don’t get why we haven’t gotten Old Republic content yet.”

Ultimately, the future of the MandoVerse may hinge on how The Mandalorian & Grogu performs at the box office. The film represents Lucasfilm’s first (and, potentially, only) real test of whether characters built for streaming can actually draw a broad theatrical audience – and, more importantly, the big bucks for Lucasfilm’s first cinematic outing post-Kathleen Kennedy. If The Mandalorian & Grogu flops, the odds of Lucasfilm pushing ahead with more big-screen adventures for Mando and co. seem slim.

The Future of ‘Star Wars’

Beyond the MandoVerse, Lucasfilm’s other theatrical plans remain unsettled.

The Rey-centered film, set after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, has cycled through multiple writers and revisions, with no confirmed start date nearly three years after the project’s announcement at Star Wars Celebration. Despite Daisy Ridley’s continued public support and promise that it will be “worth the wait,” the project has struggled to gain visible momentum.

That uncertainty has been compounded by the quiet cancellation of The Hunt for Ben Solo. As revealed by Ben Solo/Kylo Ren actor Adam Driver in 2025, the proposed film – which would have explored Ben Solo’s survival after Rise of Skywalker – was ultimately vetoed internally amid concerns it would undermine the sequel trilogy’s ending, despite sustained fan interest.

Some fans have suggested that the project could be melded with Rey’s standalone film, finally giving Reylo (aka Rey and Ben Solo) the happy ending many feel they deserve.

Simon Kinberg is also working on a trilogy that will take place roughly five or six years after The Rise of Skywalker. “That’s also in the future. It’s all post-[the first] nine,” Kennedy told Deadline. “It’s all pretty much new characters. We may bring some of the characters back from the sequel saga, but pretty much new characters.”

Beyond sequel trilogy spinoffs, Star Wars: Starfighter is Lucasfilm’s clearest theatrical bet. Directed by Shawn Levy and set years after the sequel trilogy, the film is positioned as a fresh entry point, unconnected to the iconic characters of the Skywalker Saga.

What do you think Lucasfilm should do with the Mandoverse moving forward?