Disney and Lucasfilm's handling of the Star Wars IP has been, well, lackluster to say the least. The franchise has lacked a direction since the divisive sequel trilogy ended in 2019 with Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
The franchise has found mixed response with its series on Disney+. Andor and The Mandalorian have been largely viewed as a success, while The Acolyte was canceled after just one season.
Lucasfilm does have a few Star Wars projects in development right now, but the only concrete plans right now are for The Mandalorian & Grogu, which will be written by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni and released in May 2026.
Beyond that, there's an untitled New Jedi Order film which will follow Daisy Ridley's Rey coming from Sharmeen Obaid-Chionoy, an untitled Dawn of the Jedi movie from James Mangold, and an untitled New Republic film from Dave Filoni. None of these have release dates, and we're really not sure of the status of any of them.
Now Lucasfilm is hoping to kickstart a new Star Wars trilogy, one that will exist separate from the Skywalker Saga. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Simon Kinberg has signed a deal to write and produce a Star Wars feature trilogy.
The report notes that Lucasfilm hopes this trilogy will "chart a brand new path forward for the sci-fi space opera universe"—which I think many of us would agree is desperately needed right now. For a galaxy as expansive as Star Wars, it sure does feel like many of the stories revolve around the same characters and storylines. This new trilogy could be the breath of fresh air the franchise so desperately needs.
Sources reveal that Kinberg's film will not be a continuation of the Skywalker Saga. It will instead introduce "brand new characters and a new story." The trade notes that some familiar characters may or may not pop up though. We all know Lucasfilm loves shoehorning fan-favorite characters into its movies and series as cameos.
Despite the tumultuous times for Star Wars, there are reasons to be excited for Kinberg's trilogy. For starters, he already has experience playing in the Star Wars sandbox, having co-created Star Wars: Rebels with Dave Filoni and Carrie Beck. The beloved Emmy-nominated animated series ran for four seasons from 2014 to 2018. He also acted as a consultant on 2015's The Force Awakens.
Beyond Star Wars, Kinberg acted as a producer on Fox's Logan as well as the first two Deadpool movies. All three of these films were monumental successes, critically and commercially. With an impressive resume under his belt, are you excited to see what Kinberg can bring to the Star Wars franchise?