Every Canceled Star Wars Movie & TV Show We Wish Had Happened

As a lifelong Star Wars fan, it’s amazing to see the galaxy still expanding almost fifty years after the first film! Disney+ has really become the place for new stories lately, with shows like Ahsoka and The Acolyte diving into different eras. But honestly, while these shows are often well-received by critics, they’ve also stirred up a lot of division among fans – the online arguments and review bombing have been pretty intense. Thankfully, Lucasfilm is planning a big return to the big screen with The Mandalorian & Grogu in May 2026, ending a seven-year movie drought. This is huge, because Star Wars was born in theaters, and it’s exactly what the franchise needs. Plus, we’ll get even more films exploring the origins of the Jedi and what happens with Rey’s new Jedi Order. It’s a really exciting time to be a fan!

As a huge Star Wars fan, it’s fascinating – and a little heartbreaking – to see how many projects never actually make it to the screen. The film industry is always changing, and Star Wars fans are incredibly passionate – sometimes disagreeing fiercely! This combination often leads to projects being cancelled or completely reworked. For every movie or series we do get, there’s a whole collection of ideas that were left on the cutting room floor, and some of them could have taken the franchise in wildly different directions. Looking at these unmade stories gives you a real insight into how Star Wars has evolved creatively and strategically over the years.

7) Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron

When announced in December 2020, Rogue Squadron generated a lot of buzz as the next big Star Wars movie. Directed by Patty Jenkins, known for Wonder Woman, the film aimed to highlight the skilled starfighter pilots of the galaxy, rather than those who use the Force. Jenkins, whose father was a fighter pilot himself, was deeply enthusiastic about the project and hoped to make what she called the ultimate fighter pilot film.

The development of Rogue Squadron hit some major roadblocks. By late 2021, reports surfaced that the project was put on hold due to disagreements between director Patty Jenkins and Lucasfilm executives about the story. These issues ultimately led Disney to remove the film from its release schedule in September 2022, casting doubt on whether it would ever be made. There was a glimmer of hope in early 2024 when Jenkins announced she had reached a new agreement with Lucasfilm after her Wonder Woman 3 film was cancelled. However, since then, neither Jenkins nor Lucasfilm has provided any updates, suggesting the movie is unlikely to happen.

6) Kevin Feige’s Star Wars Movie

The announcement in 2019 that Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios, would be producing a Star Wars film generated a lot of excitement. Given his success building the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he seemed like an ideal person to lead a new Star Wars story. The script was to be written by Michael Waldron, who had worked on Loki, hinting at a complex and innovative narrative.

Honestly, the whole Star Wars movie Kevin Feige was supposedly developing? It never really got off the ground. Kathleen Kennedy at Lucasfilm later admitted it was more of a press release than an actual project in production. And finally, in November 2023, Feige himself just flat-out said it wasn’t happening. It’s a real shame, because so many fans – myself included – were genuinely excited to see what the guy who built the Marvel Cinematic Universe would do with Star Wars. It felt like a huge missed opportunity.

5) Rian Johnson’s Star Wars Trilogy

Just before Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out in 2017, Lucasfilm announced that director Rian Johnson would create his own set of Star Wars movies. This new series wouldn’t be connected to the Skywalker family story and would feature brand new characters in a previously unseen part of the galaxy. The announcement suggested an exciting, fresh path for the franchise, allowing it to move beyond established plots.

After the initial announcement, both Johnson and Lucasfilm continued to say the project was still planned. However, Johnson became more involved with his popular Knives Out films. He later confirmed the trilogy was no longer in development, explaining that it remained mostly an idea and never progressed beyond early discussions. While he’d be open to working on Star Wars again in the future, the cancellation was upsetting for fans who admired his bold and innovative approach.

4) The Hunt for Ben Solo

Actor Adam Driver recently revealed he and director Steven Soderbergh spent two years working on a potential film following The Rise of Skywalker. The movie, called The Hunt for Ben Solo, would have shown what happened to his character after the events of the film. Driver felt his character’s story wasn’t quite finished and pitched the idea to Soderbergh, and together they developed it into a complete script with the help of writer Scott Z. Burns.

I was so excited to hear about the script! Apparently, the team pitched it to Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni at Lucasfilm, and they were immediately on board, really connecting with the focus on character development. But then it went to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman at Disney, and sadly, they just couldn’t get past the idea of Ben Solo being alive. Adam Driver himself said it was one of the best scripts he’d ever read, so it’s incredibly disappointing – especially for those of us who were hoping for a more meaningful and emotional ending for such a complex character.

3) James Mangold’s Boba Fett Movie

Fans of Star Wars have long hoped for a movie focusing on Boba Fett, the famous bounty hunter. A film about him went through many changes, and in 2018, director James Mangold signed on to write and direct it. Mangold planned a dark and intense adventure – a “spaghetti Western” style story set on a single planet – that would finally reveal more about the mysterious character behind the mask.

After Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t do well in theaters, Disney and Lucasfilm started rethinking their plans for standalone movies, and that meant the Boba Fett movie got canceled. Thankfully, the idea wasn’t completely scrapped – it eventually became The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+. While the series did show us some of his backstory, a lot of fans, myself included, felt like it wasn’t as gritty or intense as the movie James Mangold had planned. It’s a shame, really, because that film could have been the definitive story for such an iconic character, and now we might never see it.

2) Guillermo del Toro’s Jabba the Hutt movie

The thought of a Star Wars gangster movie directed by Guillermo del Toro, known for his monster movies, is incredibly exciting for fans. Del Toro revealed he was working on a film telling the story of Jabba the Hutt’s life, envisioning it as a crime epic similar to The Godfather. It wasn’t just a concept either – screenwriter David S. Goyer actually completed a full script specifically for del Toro to direct.

Even though the script was finished and impressive artwork had been created, Lucasfilm never approved the project. Goyer explained that internal issues at Lucasfilm caused the project to be put on hold. The cancellation was a huge letdown for fans who wanted to see a Star Wars story that focused more on a specific genre. Guillermo del Toro’s talent for creating incredible creatures and detailed worlds could have made a truly amazing film, and its failure to happen remains one of the most intriguing missed opportunities in the franchise’s history.

1) Star Wars: Underworld

Years before Disney acquired Lucasfilm, George Lucas was working on a live-action Star Wars series called Underworld. Revealed in 2005, the show would have taken place between the films Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, focusing on the criminal world of Coruscant. Producer Rick McCallum described it as a gritty, mature show— “dark, sexy, violent.” A team of talented writers completed over 60 drafts of scripts, suggesting a complex story exploring smugglers, bounty hunters, and the Empire’s growing power from the perspective of those living on the streets.

The main reason the Underworld series was cancelled was its incredibly high cost – around $40 million per episode. This was simply too expensive to produce with the technology and finances available at the time. Although some test footage was filmed, the project was abandoned, and when Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, it was officially cancelled. Many fans consider the loss of Star Wars: Underworld to be the biggest disappointment in the franchise’s history, as it had the potential to be a groundbreaking and deeply engaging TV show.

What scrapped Star Wars project are you most disappointed never got made? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-10-21 17:44