Disney+ Makes Major Pivot In Its Star Wars Slate For 2026 & Beyond

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As a huge Star Wars fan, I have to say that since The Mandalorian first came out in 2019, Disney+ has become the place to be for all things Star Wars. For years, it felt like Lucasfilm was constantly releasing new shows, which was amazing! Between 2020 and 2024, they were always working on three to five different projects at once – either developing them, casting actors, or actually filming. We got so many great series during that time, like more seasons of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and Ahsoka. Plus, we finally got to see The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew, which I’d been waiting for ages to see!

Disney+ initially made a name for itself with a constant stream of new shows and movies. But looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, the company is clearly changing its approach to what kind of content it creates. This shift is most noticeable in the subtle changes being made to their plans for live-action shows connected to ‘The Mandalorian’.

As a huge fan, I always figured we’d be getting The Mandalorian Season 4 in 2026 – it felt like a sure thing for Disney+. But it turns out Lucasfilm is going bigger! Instead of another season on Disney+, they’re making a full-blown movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is now coming out on May 22, 2026. I’m honestly excited to see this story play out on the big screen!

This choice represents a major change in strategy, focusing on bringing the franchise back to theaters instead of constantly producing live-action shows for the streaming service. Unlike recent years where a new live-action series premiered annually, 2026 will likely see only one returning series to maintain the franchise’s presence.

Fans can look forward to a second season of Ahsoka. After a successful first season, Dave Filoni is continuing the story of Ahsoka Tano, with production starting in 2025. It’s expected to be released on Disney+ around mid-to-late 2026, potentially as early as August, according to industry sources.

After Ahsoka returned, there were significantly fewer live-action Star Wars series being made. Andor finished in 2025, and it’s now doubtful that we’ll see more seasons of shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett. The Acolyte (which premiered in 2024) and Skeleton Crew (debuting late 2024 and ending in 2025) are essentially the last shows created under the old strategy of consistently releasing new series.

Star Wars Content Across All Formats Is Drying Up

As a big Star Wars fan, I’ve been keeping track of everything on Disney+, and it’s really noticeable how much content they’re releasing now compared to what they have planned for the future. Looking at everything – even the animated shows – it’s clear they’re ramping things up big time for 2025, but then they’re significantly scaling back their output in 2026. It feels like a real shift in strategy.

The busy 2025 slate featured a decent amount of projects, including: 

  • Star Wars: Visions Volume 3, which recently debuted on October 29, 2025.
  • Star Wars Tales of the Underworld, an installment in the popular Tales anthology series (following Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire), was released on May 4, 2025.
  • Skeleton Crew premiered on Disney+ on December 2, 2024, and aired half of its episodes in 2025.
  • Young Jedi Adventures Season 3, which continues the High Republic-era animated series for younger audiences, is expected to release this fall.

Compared to previous plans, the 2026 Star Wars schedule will feature mostly animated shows, like the new series focusing on Darth Maul and the Ninth Jedi. The second season of the live-action show Ahsoka will be responsible for continuing the story in that format for the streaming service.

2027 May Bring an Even Steeper Decline

The clearest sign of a major pullback is what’s planned after 2026. Disney+ hasn’t announced any new Star Wars streaming shows for 2027. While a movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, featuring a major villain, is scheduled for release in May 2027, there are currently no confirmed plans for new series.

Under the previous leadership at Lucasfilm, there was a consistent stream of projects announced and in development, which gave fans a feeling of ongoing creativity. However, the current plan for Disney+ shows a significant drop in new series, especially looking ahead to 2027 after a smaller number of releases in 2026, indicating a major shift towards a slower pace of production.

This slowdown isn’t a coincidence or a brief creative slump. It seems to be a deliberate decision driven by three key things: a company-wide push to cut content costs, a realization that audiences are getting tired of so much new content, and a shift in strategy to focus on making money from Star Wars, rather than just attracting subscribers to the streaming service.

As a film and TV fan, I’ve been following the recent slowdown in production at Disney, and it all comes down to them really tightening the purse strings on streaming content. Bob Iger, when he came back as CEO, pretty much admitted they went a little overboard with Disney+ early on. He told The Hollywood Reporter they were focused on quantity over quality, and that ended up costing them a ton of money. It’s a clear shift in strategy now – they’re prioritizing fewer, but hopefully better, projects.

The acknowledgement of financial issues resulted in a plan to significantly reduce spending on content, notably affecting major franchises like Star Wars and Marvel. Initially, Disney+ tried to replicate the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by releasing a lot of connected Star Wars shows and movies. While this boosted subscriptions at first, the constant stream of expensive, interwoven content eventually led to viewers becoming tired of the franchises.

Some Star Wars shows, such as Andor, were hits with everyone. Others, like Obi-Wan Kenobi and the later seasons of The Mandalorian, got a more divided response from critics and viewers. Importantly, many shows saw a big drop in viewers after the first few episodes, meaning that even when there was a lot of initial excitement, keeping people watching throughout the whole season proved difficult.

For several years, Disney’s main goal was to rapidly increase the number of Disney+ subscribers, even if it meant losing a lot of money on its streaming service. High-quality Star Wars shows and movies were central to this plan – they were created to attract new subscribers and keep existing ones, even if it wasn’t immediately profitable.

As a huge Star Wars fan, I’ve noticed a big shift in how Disney is using the franchise. It’s not just about keeping subscribers on Disney+ anymore; they’re really focusing on making money from Star Wars across the board. The perfect example? They’ve scrapped Season 4 of The Mandalorian and are now making a full-blown movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu. It feels like they’re prioritizing box office revenue over just streaming numbers now.

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2025-11-25 23:06