-
It’s been four years since the last Star Wars movie and no sign of another movie anytime soon
-
However, there are several films in development from different directors
-
Box Office Returns Suggest The Franchise’s Future Could Be On TV
-
We explore the current state of Star Wars on the big screen
We’ve come a long way since the fateful encounter between Princess Leia Organa and Darth Vader aboard the Tantive IV during Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977, and in 2023 the sci-fi staple has reached the size of a mythosaur.
While there are several projects in the works spanning animation, live-action series, and movies, the future of the franchise is still in flux.
2016’s Solo: A Star Wars Story – and its $393m (£317m) global box office franchise – appears to have scared Lucasfilm off the hook at the box office, leaving fans wondering if the The ongoing Star Wars slate should rely on shows instead of movies.
Read more: Every Star Wars movie and TV show in development
With Disney now having a Vader-inspired Force choke on the galaxy far, far away, what does the future hold for Star Wars?
Replace the big screen with the small screen
Once upon a time, it was hard to imagine Star Wars history going beyond George Lucas’ original plan for the original trilogy and prequel.
Then, following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2021, JJ Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduced a new generation of heroes in 2015, giving us Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) alongside legacy characters Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher).
Read more: How Harrison Ford landed the role of Han Solo
The Force Awakens grossed $2.017 billion at the box office, was the highest-grossing film of the year, and is currently the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time. Rian Johnson took over for the divider The Last Jedi in 2017, while Abrams returned for The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Unfortunately, The Force Awakens represented a franchise high, with declining box office returns since.
At that time there was also the lawsuit of anthology films, but while Rogue One: A Star Wars Story won critical and commercial acclaim in 2016, Solo: A Star Wars Story flopped in 2018.
This sabotaged plans for more anthology films and the proposed Obi-Wan Kenobi film trilogy being recast into a live-action series.
What’s next on the Star Wars slate?
Although Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron was slated for 2023, it was moved back so she could focus on Wonder Woman 3. Following its cancellation, Jenkins reiterated that Rogue Squadron is in active development.
Thor: Love and Thunder’s Taika Waititi is working on a movie that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy says is next on the list, but its 2023 release date has since been scrapped.
Read more: How Andor’s finale sets up the second season
Watchmen’s Damon Lindelof co-wrote an outing after The Rise of Skywalker, and while it’s supposed to be standalone, it could feature characters from the sequel trilogy. It’s unclear who, but fans feeling underappreciated by the mysteries surrounding Lupita Nyong’o’s Maz Kanata – and Daisy Ridley saying she’s “open to a phone call” to reprise her role as Rey at some point given – these are two likely candidates.
The latest film in active development comes from Deadpool 3’s Shawn Levy, who swears his mystery film will get made.
Four years after The Rise of Skywalker, there are no confirmed release dates and several films have been canceled or put on hold. Rian Johnson’s ‘new’ trilogy is on the back burner because he’s busy with Knives Out, JD Dillard’s film has been dropped, as has a trilogy from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss.
Finally, there’s no word on Kevin Feige’s Star Wars movie supposedly set in a whole new corner of the cosmos. Along with having the power of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s overlord behind the camera, an all-new adventure should help alleviate complaints that out of all the canteens in the galaxy, we largely go back to the same Skywalkers.
Even if the Star Wars cinematic universe is unclear, there is an army of TV show clones to keep us busy.
The future will be televised
While Star Wars shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels were once considered cartoons for kids and hardcore fans, that all changed when Jon Favreau brought The Mandalorian to Disney+ in 2019.
It’s already become a starting point for The Book of Boba Fett and helped bring forgotten arcs from the nixed expanded universe back into the main canon.
Read more: The Mandalorian Recap: The Story So Far
Even though The Mandalorian Season 3 hopes to continue the show’s winning streak as the most-watched Disney+ series, there’s plenty of excitement for Ahsoka, directed by Rosario Dawson.
Going three for three, Dave Filoni promised Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (starring Jude Law) will intertwine in “strange ways” with the other shows set during this lucrative period between the original and subsequent trilogies.
In terms of diversity, there’s been an influx of female talent thanks to the direction of Bryce Dallas Howard and Deborah Chow – with hopes the latter could return for Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2. We also get some more experimental tracks, like Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland. develops The Acolyte as a “female-centric” series set in the High Republic era, some 100 years before The Phantom Menace.
After its stellar first season, a final batch of 12 episodes will conclude Tony Gilroy’s Andor and lead directly into the events of Rogue One. These live shows are before considering the animated The Bad Batch (currently in its second season) and another animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions.
Far from the Skywalker saga
A TV future isn’t without its problems, with criticism that Star Wars is going the way of the MCU by using established stories to launch too many spin-offs. This became apparent when The Book of Boba Fett was criticized as The Mandalorian Season 2.5.
The planned Rangers of the New Republic series was seemingly absorbed into other projects when Disney severed ties with Gina Carano, amid rumors Solo’s disaster could be redeemed via a Disney+ series.
Read more: Star Wars: Visions Episode Rankings
Otherwise, there’s always the potential return of Donald Glover for Justin Simien’s Lando live-action series from Dear White People. Even controversial elements like Supreme Leader Snoke from The Last Jedi are being reworked because all signs point to his arc and the infamous Palpatine storyline from Rise of Skywalker being overhauled in The Mandalorian Season 3.
Despite a clear push from Luke and Leia, we’re tied to familiar formulas. Alongside The Bad Batch having the obligatory Palpatine cameo, theorists are already speculating that Clone Force 99’s story will intersect with that of a young Boba Fett in Season 2.
For better or worse, Star Wars presents a united front similar to the MCU. This avoids the DCU confusion, as if Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker lives in the same continuity as Robert Pattinson’s Batman, but instead you risk getting lost in these sprawling character threads if you don’t watch all of them. movies or series.
Disney isn’t ditching the Star Wars movies just yet, but with a sparse silver screen slate in 2023 and a bumper crop of Disney+ footwear, it’s clear to see the current trajectory.
Even Rian Johnson said he would be willing to return for a series instead of a movie. The moral of the story is that there is no Star Wars material left on the dump planet of Bracca, which means everything could be repackaged for a project with an A-list star and well-known director.
Read more: Every Upcoming MCU Movie and TV Show
With shows growing faster than the failed Palpatine clones on Exegol, it remains to be seen if this will all be our next The Mandalorian release or if we’ve just got another Holiday Special waiting in the X-wings.
The Star Wars: Celebration 2023 fan convention will take place from April 7-10, and we hope to hear more about the future of the series at that time.
The Mandalorian Season 3 premieres on Disney+ on March 1. Watch a trailer below.
