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The Next Star Wars Movie Reportedly Releases Even Later Than Expected
The next Star Wars movie is reportedly even farther away than expected, as Lucasfilm has no plans to release one before 2024. Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, a relaunch of the Star Wars movie franchise was put into motion. Star Wars: The Force Awakens kicked off a new trilogy in 2015, while Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2016 was meant to be the first of many standalone adventures in the galaxy far, far away. The original plan was for a new Star Wars movie to debut in theaters every year for the foreseeable future. However, Lucasfilm ultimately changed the plan to put films on the back burner due to Disney+.
The future of Star Wars movies has repeatedly been questioned in recent years due to the lack of announcements about what is happening after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While Disney+ has a full slate of shows revolving around The Mandalorian and other characters, Lucasfilm has not been able to figure out a plan for its theatrical stories. The stagnation comes despite the studio having several high-profile Hollywood directors attached to upcoming projects. Officially, Lucasfilm still has Rogue Squadron from Patty Jenkins on the calendar for a December 2023 release despite president Kathleen Kennedy confirming it is on hold.
With D23 2022 starting this weekend, there was a growing hope that Lucasfilm could finally provide an update on the future of Star Wars movies and where several projects stand. However, a new report from Puck News states that will not happen. The report notes that Kennedy is not ready to officially greenlight any of the new Star Wars films in development. The expectation now is that there will not be any new Star Wars movies in theaters before 2024. Lucasfilm has dates announced in 2025 and 2027 for untitled Star Wars films to avoid James Cameron's four Avatar sequels.
Lucasfilm's failure to announce any new Star Wars movies at D23 will continue to add to any frustrations about the lack of film announcements in recent years. The absence of any movie news at Star Wars Celebration earlier this year was noted by many, which in part helped build up the expectation that D23 could be where Lucasfilm confirms its upcoming slate. In addition to Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron, Lucasfilm is known to be developing films with Taika Waititi and Kevin Feige, as well as a new trilogy from Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. There are even reports that Watchmen's Damon Lindelof is working on a mystery movie, while Star Wars 10 is also expected eventually.
The lack of movement on new Star Wars movies is quite surprising considering how popular and successful the films are. Even when they are divisive, each entry in the franchise under Disney has still managed to make over $1 billion worldwide, besides Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, Lucasfilm also has had a notable history of troubled or rushed productions during this same stretch, so the long wait could be an attempt to ensure the next Star Wars movie will not also be hampered by behind-the-scenes drama. At this point, though, it seems 2024 (or more likely 2025) will be the next time audiences return to the galaxy far, far away in theaters - which gives Lucasfilm more room to wait before announcing their plans.
