Following the release of the prequel trilogy, the Star Wars franchise stayed mostly dormant on the big screen for years… but now we may never see a period like that ever again. The brand was revitalized when the Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012, and nothing has been the same since the release of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December 2015. That billion dollar blockbuster kicked off a string of stories created by the studio, one coming out every year since, and it appears that the future will see many opportunities for inventive storytellers to play in this particular sandbox.
And while the most recent trio of saga features came to an end with 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, there are still a lot of new projects being developed – including new trilogies and television series on the Disney+ platform that were either revealed or updated during Disney’s Investor call in December 2020 and since.
But what exactly are these projects that are currently in the works? How long do we have to wait for them? We’ve built this guide to specifically answer all of those questions and more, so read on and discover everything that we know so far about the Star Wars films that are in the pipeline.
The Book Of Boba Fett – Disney+ – December 29, 2021
In the final moments of The Mandalorian Season 2, the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) returned to Jabba the Hutt’s palace on Tatooine and claimed the throne for himself. Thankfully this was more than just some great fan service and actually set up yet another Star Wars series. We won’t have to wait too long to see the famed bounty hunter get some well-deserved screen time as The Book of Boba Fett is set to premiere December 29, 2021 on Disney+.
Andor – Disney+ – 2022
One of the best things about Rogue One was Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, even if he was one of the most despicable characters of the bunch. And while we know how Andor’s story ends, there’s a lot about his past that remains a mystery. Well, that dark and seedy history of the rebel will be touched on in the upcoming prequel live-action series. In December 2020 it was revealed the show would be called Andor and would be coming out at some point in 2022, but plot specifics were not disclosed. In addition to Luna, the central cast will also include Stellan Skarsgard, Kyle Soller and Forest Whitaker. There are also rumors that Jimmy Smits could be returning to reprise his role of Bail Organa.
Obi-Wan Kenobi – Disney+ – 2022
An Obi-Wan Kenobi series has been something Star Wars fans have been anxiously awaiting for about as long as anyone can remember. I mean, Ewan McGregor’s performance as a young Jedi Master is one of the few things that everyone can agree on about the prequel trilogy, so it should come as no surprise that the Scottish actor would come back to the franchise at some point in the future. The question remains, however, what is the show going to be about and when will we get to see it?
In December 2020, Disney not only released info about Obi Wan Kenobi, the media giant also revealed that Hayden Christensen would be reprising his role of Darth Vader in the upcoming Disney+ series. And that is just one of the reasons Star Wars fans should be excited about the new series which will premiere on Disney+ at some point in 2022, according to Disney.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 – Disney+ – 2022
Star Wars: The Bad Batch was one of the most anticipated and popular Disney+ series of 2021, and so it should come as no surprise that a second season of clone action would be coming sooner rather than later. In August 2021, the official Star Wars website revealed that Clone Force 99 would be back in action at some point in 2022. No details about an exact release date have been revealed at this time, but expect to hear more in the coming months.
The Mandalorian Season 3 – Disney+ – TBD
With the way things ended for Mando and Baby Yoda, I mean Grogu, in the shocking and crowd-pleasing finale of The Mandalorian Season 2, especially with that insane reveal, there is more intrigue than ever before as to how the show will look moving forward. And while there isn’t an official date for the show’s eventual return for a third season, showrunner Jon Favreau stated in the past that he would like to start production by the end of 2020. That ended up not happening, but in October 2021, Carl Weathers, who stars as Greff Karga in addition to serving as one of the show’s directors, revealed on Twitter that production on The Mandalorian Season 3 was underway. No release date has been given at this time, but the show’s third season could premiere in late 2022, per Collider.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron – December 2023
In December 2020, it was announced that Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins would be leading the charge on Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, an upcoming movie that will follow the famed group of X-Wing pilots featured in various Star Wars books and video games over the years, a group that until the big announcement, had yet to be featured in any film or television property in the franchise. There has been a ton of news about the project in the year since its announcement, including reports that the movie was put on indefinite hold. Despite this, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron is still currently scheduled for a December 2023 theatrical release.
The Acolyte – Disney+ – TBD
Leslye Headland, the co-creator of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series Russian Doll, will also be creating her very own Star Wars show, titled The Acolyte for Disney+ at some point in the future. According to a Variety report from April 2020, the show will be a female-centric series that takes place in a part of the Star Wars timeline that we have yet to see. It was further revealed in December 2020 that the show would welcome audiences into a galaxy filled with mystery and the emerging dark side. At this point, a lot of details have yet to be released, though in December 2021, Variety reported that Amandla Stenberg is reportedly being eyed for a mysterious role on the series.
A Droid Story – TBD
Disney announced another upcoming Star Wars film project, but instead of heading to theaters, this animated feature will be exclusive to Disney+. According to what Disney announced on the investor call, A Droid Story will be the product of a collaboration between Lucasfilm Animation and Industrial Light & Magic to tell the epic journey of a yet-to-be-revealed new droid who will be joined by C-3P0 and R2-D2. More details on this project will be released in the near future. There are still a lot of questions surrounding this special.
Ahsoka – Disney+ – TBD
The new Boba Fett series isn’t the only Disney+ show that will be a spinoff of The Mandalorian. In December 2020, Disney and Lucasfilm revealed Ahsoka, a new live-action series following Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano. There is no word on what the show will actually be about, but it will presumably follow the Jedi after her encounter with Mando and Grogu featured partway through The Mandalorian Season 2. Be on the lookout for more on this in the future. And with some casting announcements coming out in November 2021, the project looks to be very much alive.
J.D. Dillard Standalone Movie – TBD
J.D. Dillard, the filmmaker responsible for the 2016 indie sci-fi hit Sleight, and one-time receptionist at J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, has been selected to direct his own Star Wars movie that is being penned by Luke Cage writer Matt Owens. The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter in February 2020, but few details were available at the time. When the project was first announced, it wasn’t entirely known if the movie would hit theaters or be released as a standalone film on Disney+. Anyone who watched Dillard’s Sleight, which follows a street magician who becomes a superhero, knows that Dillard is talented behind the pen and camera, so there’s a lot of upside to this project, even if we have to wait a few years.
Kevin Feige-Produced Standalone Movie – TBD
One of the most anticipated upcoming Star Wars projects is the Kevin Feige-produced standalone film that was first announced in September 2019. There aren’t a lot of — or really any — details at this point, but we’re talking about the man who built the Marvel Cinematic Universe from a relatively obscure cast of comic characters to the most successful movie franchise in recent memory.
In a February 2020 conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Endgame director Joe Russo said that Star Wars was Kevin Feige’s first and true love, adding that Feige’s vision for the franchise will be passionate, emotional, and unique. And while we’ll probably be waiting on this one for some time, the wait will definitely be worth it. Then in January 2021, Deadline revealed that Loki executive producer Michael Waldron was being tasked with writing the film’s script.
Lando – Disney+ – TBD
Those holding out for a show based on the exploits of one of the galaxy’s coolest scoundrels were met with good news in December 2020 when it was revealed that Lando is coming to Disney+ at some point in the near future. Not a whole lot is known about the live-action series following Lando Calrissian, especially when it comes to who will be portraying the enemy-turned-friend of Han Solo. Like everything else, expect to hear a lot more about this show fairly soon.
Taika Waititi Standalone Movie – TBD
After sitting behind the camera for the explosive The Mandalorian Season 1 finale, it seemed like a given that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi would one day be given his very own Star Wars movie. After months of rumors surrounding the Thor: Ragnarok director’s involvement with the franchise, the news was confirmed in May 2020 when it was announced that Waititi would be making a standalone movie. There aren’t a lot of details about the still-untitled project at this point in time, but the Jojo Rabbit director did say that he and 1917 writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns were in the process of penning the script in July 2020.
The untitled Taika Waititi film project was touched upon during Disney’s 2020 Investor call during which Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy described it as “fresh, unexpected, and… unique.” Waititi had some fun regarding the mystery project on social media after the official Star Wars Twitter account provided a quick update on the project, which pretty much ended with the Thor: Love and Thunder director jokingly saying he was angry about how much he was going to ruin the franchise. In November 2021, Krysty Wilson-Cairns made it seem like the movie was still in early development when speaking with Variety.
Rian Johnson Trilogy
There was a great deal of backlash following the release of Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but the franchise is far from done with him. Prior to the release of Johnson’s 2017 film, Lucasfilm announced that their collaboration with Johnson would continue with the development of an entire new trilogy of movies. Johnson was quick to shoot down rumors about the mysterious project in December 2019, and there hasn’t been much news on the project since. And with Johnson busy with Knives Out 2 and whatever comes next for the whodunit franchise, who knows if or when this trilogy will happen.
Cancelled Movies Or Titles With Unknown Status
Although there are multiple upcoming Star Wars movies and shows still in the works either theatrically or on Disney+, other projects in the galaxy far, far away haven’t been so lucky and have been cancelled before getting out of the early development stages.
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss Trilogy
Back in February 2018, Game of Thrones‘ creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were on top of the world with a hit HBO series gearing up for its final season and were tapped to produce their very own Star Wars trilogy. In the past two-and-a-half years, however, the pair’s Game of Thrones has ended (following a divisive eighth season) and they announced that they would no longer be creating stories in the Star Wars universe. There were never really any concrete details about Benioff and Weiss’ trilogy, it was speculated that the duo would be focusing on The Knights of the Old Republic, but now it appears we’ll never know as they are too busy with their Netflix project to devote the necessary time to Star Wars.
Boba Fett Movie
One of the most highly anticipated Star Wars projects was the long-rumored Boba Fett standalone movie, but the hopes and dreams of millions of the bounty hunter’s were left to die in a Sarlacc pit in October 2018 when it was confirmed that Disney and Lucasfilm had moved on from the legendary character and his iconic Mandalorian armor. But don’t worry, because we haven’t seen the last of Boba Fett.
Rangers Of The New Republic Series
Rangers of the New Republic, another live-action spinoff from The Mandalorian was announced by Disney and Lucasfilm in December 2020, and was to center on a form of law enforcement in the galaxy first introduced in the show’s second season. That project, however, is currently no longer in active development, according to Variety as of May 2021. It has not yet been revealed exactly why the plug was pulled on the show, but it could possibly have something to do with potential star Gina Carano’s February 2021 firing from Lucasfilm.
Recently Released Star Wars Movies And Shows
Once the Star Wars movie and TV shows are released, you can read all about them (and find out where to watch them) here.
Star Wars: Visions – Disney+ – Released September 22, 2021
If you missed out on Star Wars: Visions, the collection of nine anime-inspired short films that premiered on Disney+ in September 2021, now is the perfect time to go back and give it a watch. The shorts are great, varied, and don’t take all that much time, so give them a spin to see a different side of the Star Wars franchise. And who knows, maybe we’ll get more episodes in the future.
Stream Star Wars: Visions on Disney+.
There are still a lot of unknown variables that could delay or force the cancellation of any of these projects moving forward, so make sure to check back for all the latest here at CinemaBlend.