May the Fourth be with you, “Star Wars” fans. And with three upcoming films announced at last months Star Wars Celebration, the “Star Wars” universe has plenty to be excited about on the holiday this year. But it’s also almost four years since “The Rise Of Skywalker” hit theaters: quite a long time for fans to wait for the next blockbuster set in a galaxy far, far away…
Lucasfilm‘s Kathleen Kennedy has an answer, sort of, to the query of when the next “Star Wars” film will hit theaters. Her answer, according to Empire Magazine? Expect the rollout of future “Star Wars” movie to take a cue from the “James Bond” franchise and release a movie “every three or four years.” “I’ve often brought up Bond,” Kennedy told Empire at the Star Wars Celebration in London last month. “That’s every three or four years and there wasn’t this pressure to feel like you had to have a movie every year. I feel that was very important to “Star Wars.” We have to eventise this.”
That’s a much different answer than the one Disney CEO Bob Iger had when Disney bought out Lucasfilm over a decade ago. Back in 2012, as the purchase was finalized, Iger promised “Star Wars” fans at least one new movie a year. Obviously, with the rise of streaming, the lessening popularity of the MCU, and the climate of post-pandemic Hollywood, Iger and Kennedy’s have adjusted their protocol. Plus, the popularity of “Star Wars” Disney+ shows like “The Mandalorian” and “Andor” probably changed Lucasfilm’s plans a bit, too.
So when exactly will the next “Star Wars” film hit theaters? Kennedy responded honestly: “It’s much better to tell the truth,” she continued, “that we’re going to make these movies when they’re ready to be made, and release them when they’re ready to be released.” And the next two official schedule theatrical release are on December 19, 2025 and December 17, 2027, respectively. So it’s at least two and a half years until “Star Wars” returns to theaters. Better late than never, but that’s also six years between “Star Wars” films: a long time for fans to wait.
As for what the next “Star Wars” film will be, there’s three options right now: James Mangold‘s film about the dawn of the Jedi, which takes place thousands of years before the Skywalker Saga; Dave Filoni‘s big-screen climax for the “Mando-verse” Disney+ shows; and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy‘s movie about Daisy Ridley‘s Ren as she rebuilds the Jedi order. “What we’re exploring is the evolution of the Jedi,” Kennedy explained. “We’re going very far back, we’re looking at the present, and now we’re moving 15 years after “The Rise Of Skywalker.” The First Order has fallen, the Jedi are in chaos – there’s even a question of how many exist anymore – and Rey’s building the New Jedi Order, based on the text that she was given and that Luke imparted on her.”
Given Mangold’s busy schedule with his Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” and writing DC Studio‘s upcoming “Swamp Thing” pic (which he may also direct), it’s safe to say his film won’t be next in line at Lucasfilm. The same goes for Filoni’s “Mando-verse” movie, as there are several television seasons and series to film before then. That leaves Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey film as the most likely candidate; that makes sense since it would serve as a direct sequel to “The Rise Of Skywalker.”
But, of course, that’s speculation and not official. And Lucasfilm has switched up its theatrical plans for the future of “Star Wars” before. Still, expect Kennedy to follow the lead of the Bond films and other event franchises from here on out. Only one new “Star Wars” project every three or four years could help the franchise reclaim some of its cultural prestige.
