Summary
When Disney officially acquired LucasFilm in 2012, many fans were understandably nervous. The mouse house was set to inherit one of the most beloved franchises of all time withStar Wars, and many feared it would ultimately dilute the brand. However, Disney made it apparent that was not its intention, instead seeking to honor what came before it and take the franchise to new heights with stories featuring new characters in theStar Warslore.
While Disney’s had mixed results with most of itsStar Warsofferings thus far, that hasn’t stopped Disney from plotting moreStar Warsstories going forward. There’s only one problem, though. The original promise not to dilute theStar Warsfranchise seems to have gone out the window. So, what is next for theStar Warsfranchise? And can Disney write its wrongs before it destroys it altogether?
Too Much Star Wars in Too Little Time
Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, there have been a total of five movies:Star Wars: The Force Awakens,Star Wars: The Last Jedi,Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,Solo: A Star Wars Movie, andRogue One: A Star Wars Movie. While that might not seem like a lot, that includes an entirely new trilogy, and two prequel films. On the smaller screen, Lucasfilm has been even busier. Not only has Lucasfilm released the highly lovedThe Mandalorianon Disney+, but it also debuted the live-action shows,The Book of Boba Fett,Obi-Wan Kenobi,Andor,Ahsoka, andThe Acolyte. While on the animated side, Lucasfilm has unveiledThe Bad Batch,Visions, andRebels, just to name a few. That’s five live-action shows, withSkeleton Crewalready locked and loadedfor debut later this year. It’s a lot ofStar Warsin a rather short period of time, leaving fans tired rather than eager for more because there’s no need to wait. All the more frustrating is that the fan response to most of Lucasfilm’s live-action output has been less than stellar, yet it feels as though Disney and Lucasfilm sought to push forward with more rather than scale back.
WhileThe Mandaloriancontinues to prove successful for Lucasfilm and Disney+, so far, the other shows have failed to truly strike a chord with audiences. In fact,The Book of Boba Fettis one of the streaming service’s lowest rated shows thus far, and has been canceled. With its other live-action shows struggling to find success, it’s strange that Lucasfilm continues to push forward with new projects, instead of taking the time to reevaluate its process.
No Clear Direction on Where to Go
Now that Lucasfilm has finally taken the time to slow down its movie pipeline, it’s time to look at what is next forStar Warson the big screen. Already in production,The Mandalorian & Grogu, is slated to hit theaters in May 2026. The film, which sees the titular characters make the leap from the small screen to the big screen for the first time, is being directed byThe Mandalorian’s series creator, Jon Favreau. It’s set to mark the firstStar Warsfilm since2019’sStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and is currently the onlyStar Warsmovie in production. However, that will soon change as Lucasfilm has already confirmedRey’s return with Daisy Ridleyset to headline a newStar Warsmovie in the coming future.
Outside those two films, though, the only other project that appears to be confirmed isdirector Shawn Levy’s untitledStar Warsmovie. With one project in production, and two confirmed to be in the works, there still doesn’t appear to be any sort of plan going on at Lucasfilm with the franchise. The latest trilogy was a mixed bag among fans and critics. While it did well at the box office, most were less than satisfied with how the trilogy was handled, with the story not seemingly having been planned out ahead of time. Then there were the one and done films, such asSoloandRogue One, with the former having been a box office disaster and the latter having given the franchise thecritically acclaimedAndorserieson Disney+.
It has often felt like Lucasfilm was simply throwing things at a wall and waiting to see which would stick. Sadly, it’s been over a decade since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, and despite the plethora ofStar Warsprojects that have been released, it feels like there’s really nothing to show for the franchise. One can only hope that, going forward, Lucasfilm takes the time to determine what it’s doing with the franchise and what else it can achieve beyond the lore fans have already come to know and love. Much like its fellow Disney partner, Marvel Studios, it’s time Lucasfilm seeks to recapture what made the franchise so great to begin with. That means taking the time to develop a quality over quantity outlook.
