At last weekend’s Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy revealed three new “Star Wars” movies in the pipeline. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy will direct a film that centers around Daisy Ridley‘s Rey; Dave Filoni has a film that culminates “The Mandalorian” and its connected Disney+ series; and James Mangold will helm “Dawn Of The Jedi,” about the birth of the Jedi order 25,000 years ago. So, three films, each focusing on the past, present, or future of the “Star Wars” galaxy. That’s good news for “Star Wars” fans.
But the question remains: which new movie arrives in theaters first? Lucasfilm has an open December 2025 theatrical release scheduled for any of these three films but has yet to create a definitive schedule for them. THR reports “that Lucasfilm would ideally like to return to theaters with the Rey-focused film and follow that a year later with the Filoni movie, although nothing is set due to the timetables of the Disney+ Mandalorian universe shows.” And that makes sense, given that “The Mandarlorian” has another couple of upcoming seasons, with follow-up seasons for “The Book Of Boba Fett” and “Ahsoka” also likely. Add all that up, and Filoni’s movie may not hit theaters for at least three or four years.
Then there’s Jame Mangold’s busy production schedule. His Bob Dylan biopic with Timothée Chalamet starts shooting this summer, keeping the director busy for the rest of the year. Add in post-production and its theatrical run, and Mangold won’t complete his duties on that film until mid-2024. That leaves him a year and a half to direct “Dawn Of The Jedi” before that December 2025 theatrical slot. Not impossible by any means, but also not ideal.
Besides, Mangold is also writing the “Swamp Thing” movie over at DC Studios and may potentially direct that too. Like Kennedy, James Gunn and Peter Safran don’t have an official timetable yet for their “Gods And Monsters” releases, so if they rush “Swamp Thing” and Mangold wants to direct (and he will, because “Swamp Thing” is a self-described “passion project” for him), then he may need to postpone “Dawn Of The Jedi” for later on.
That leaves Chinoy’s film about Rey building a new Jedi order. On paper, it makes sense for Lucasfilm to follow up 2019;s “The Rise Of Skywalker” with this movie, as it works as a direct sequel but also pivots the “Star Wars” universe beyond the Skywalker saga. And THR confirms that “the feature that is said to be the farthest along is the Rey project, which is now on its second stage of scribes, with “Peaky Blinders“ creator Steven Knight taking over from Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson.” If Kennedy and Lucasfilm want to usher in a new era of “Star Wars,” starting with Rey’s movie may be the best way to do that.
But also remember that Lucasfilm has had theatrical release plans they’ve scuttled before. As “The Rise Of Skywalker” hit theaters in 2019, the studio planned for its next “Star Wars” film to premiere in December 2022, with two films following in December 2024, and December 2026, respectively. Patty Jenkins‘ “Rogue Squadron” was also supposed to have a theatrical release this year, but now that project’s future remains unknown (it’s still coming, says Kennedy, but could end up a TV show and not a film). In short, Lucasfilm needs to make a plan and stick to it this time, or else they risk alienating their fans. “If they don’t make at least that Rey movie,” a producer who’s worked with Lucasfilm told THR, “Lucasfilm will burn whatever goodwill it has left with this fan base.”
So which upcoming “Star Wars” feature will fill that December 2025 theatrical release slot? All signs right now point to the Rey movie. But given Lucasfilm’s recent history, don’t be surprised if this new release schedule hits a snare or two.