Disney reportedly advised Lucasfilm to stop announcing new Star Wars projects and collaborators
Disney reportedly doesn't want new Star War projects announced
Disney has reportedly suggested Lucasfilm stop announcing new Star Wars projects and creative collaborators in case those projects end up falling apart. While multiple new movies are said to be in the works, it's been three years and counting since a Star Wars film has actually made it to the big screen.
The report comes from former The Hollywood Reporter editor Matthew Belloni, writing for Puck. He claims Disney "advised" Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy to "stop announcing projects and creative partners," to avoid backlash "when those projects don't actually happen, as is the case frequently at Lucasfilm." (H/T ComicBook.com)
A number of high-profile projects haven't made it to screen just yet, including Patty Jenkins's Rogue Squadron, which has now been removed from the release schedule, along with Taika Waititi's Star Wars movie, and Rian Johnson's new trilogy. Then there's Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss's scrapped trilogy, too.
Kennedy told Total Film that Waititi's movie would arrive in 2023, but that unfortunately isn't looking likely. But, in more promising news, Johnson has recently said he's still keen on making his trilogy – it just comes down to scheduling, as he's also busy with Knives Out 2 and 3.
There is another new Star Wars movie in the works from Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, with Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson penning the script. It will reportedly be set after The Rise of Skywalker. Lucasfilm has yet to conform the project is happening, having perhaps headed Disney's advice.
But, for now, the future of Star Wars does seem to be the small screen. The Mandalorian season 3 is arriving on Disney Plus in February 2023, but first, there are Tales of the Jedi and The Bad Batch season 2, while Andor continues weekly. There's also the live-action Ahsoka show, Skeleton Crew starring Jude Law, and The Acolyte starring Amandla Stenberg in the works.
You can get up to speed with everything the galaxy far, far away has in store for you with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.
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I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.