Kathleen Kennedy’s Final Star Wars Movie Roadmap Fell Apart. Here’s How

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The film’s performance both with audiences and at the box office didn’t just conclude the Skywalker saga; it also stopped any new Star Wars movies from being planned for release in theaters. Previously, Lucasfilm had envisioned a future similar to Marvel, with many films and different directors working on stories within the Star Wars universe. But those plans were put on hold, projects were cancelled, and the regular release of Star Wars films in cinemas came to a complete stop.

After those initial years, Lucasfilm increasingly concentrated its efforts on Disney Plus. Shows like The Mandalorian didn’t just maintain the popularity of Star Wars; they became the main focus of the franchise. At the same time, the planned movies that were meant to launch a new era of Star Wars faced difficulties and were ultimately cancelled, leaving the future of the films uncertain.

Kathleen Kennedy spoke at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London after a long period of quiet—almost four years—filled with doubt and canceled movie plans. Her message was simple: new Star Wars films were on the way.

Or at least, they were supposed to be.

The Star Wars Franchise Stuck After Rise of Skywalker

2023 Getty Images

The issues weren’t isolated to London; they started immediately after The Rise of Skywalker finished the sequel trilogy.

Although the movie was a huge financial success, earning over $1 billion globally, it marked the end of a period and left fans divided. Many felt the creative team was burned out, and it seemed Lucasfilm wasn’t sure what to do next with future theatrical releases. Instead of a clear plan, the studio appeared to be moving without direction.

Between 2019 and 2023, news about Star Wars films focused more on announcements than on actual movie releases.

After the release of The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson announced plans for a new Star Wars trilogy, but the project was eventually put on hold and then cancelled. Another planned series of films, created by the team behind Game of Thrones, fell apart, reportedly because of disagreements and difficulties with timing. Additionally, a single Star Wars movie being developed by Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, was announced, talked about for a short time, and then seemingly forgotten.

By the time Celebration 2023 arrived, theatrical Star Wars had become a graveyard of good intentions.

London was supposed to change that.

The Past, Present, and Future of Star Wars on Paper

2023 Getty Images

I attended the last big presentation at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London, alongside the ScreenRant team and other journalists. Kathleen Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm, announced the company’s plans for future Star Wars movies, revealing new directors and expanding the story timeline. It was presented as a fresh start for the franchise in theaters after a period of uncertainty.

The three-movie strategy announced that day was clearly designed to restore confidence.

At Star Wars Celebration, several exciting new films were announced. James Mangold will direct a movie delving into the origins of the Jedi, moving the story beyond the Skywalker family saga. Dave Filoni is crafting a film that will connect all the Disney+ series like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka into one large cinematic experience. Plus, Daisy Ridley is returning as Rey in a film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker. This new movie will focus on Rey’s efforts to rebuild the Jedi Order and continue the Star Wars story.

For the first time in years, Lucasfilm appeared to have a roadmap.

The enthusiastic response was genuine. There was a palpable energy within the ExCeL Centre, and the warm welcome for Ridley’s return was especially striking, particularly when compared to the often negative online conversations about the sequel trilogy.

According to ComicBook.com’s Tom Bacon, Star Wars Celebration 2023 had an incredibly exciting atmosphere. However, looking back, he feels the previously announced plans for future projects don’t seem as significant now, three years later. He admits this slightly diminishes his fond memories, as it would have been more enjoyable to discover those projects unfolding organically over time.

What Happened After Star Wars Celebration 2023?

2023 Getty Images

The planned Rey movie faced significant hurdles right from the start. Though Daisy Ridley’s involvement was presented as key to the franchise’s future, the project quickly stalled. Several writers came and went – Steven Knight, Damon Lindelof, and Justin Britt-Gibson all left before the script was finalized – and the development process took much longer than expected. While Disney never officially canceled the film, it increasingly seemed like it was no longer a high priority.

The film directed by Dave Filoni took a different direction than initially planned. Instead of leading to a major theatrical event bringing together different storylines, the focus returned to The Mandalorian. Jon Favreau was then tasked with creating the first Star Wars film since Rise of Skywalker – The Mandalorian & Grogu – which essentially served as an extension of what would have been the fourth season of The Mandalorian. This shift meant the original idea for a standalone “present-day” Star Wars movie was put on hold, as Filoni began working on season 2 of Ahsoka for Disney+ and took on a larger leadership role at Lucasfilm.

The Mangold film, previously seen as a sure thing because it wasn’t tied to existing Star Wars stories, has now been sidelined. The director has made a deal with Paramount Pictures, and Kathleen Kennedy recently told Deadline that while the project isn’t dead, it’s no longer a focus. It’s been put on hold, along with several other projects that once seemed promising.

In retrospect, Bacon believes the issue wasn’t a lack of imagination, but rather a change in priorities. He explained, “It seems the new leaders took over and decided what they wanted to focus on,” and that “the films for Celebration 2023 simply weren’t a high priority for them.”

Star Wars Has Problematic Movie Pattern

The surprising thing isn’t that some Star Wars movies have been pushed back – that happens often in Hollywood, and Lucasfilm president Kennedy acknowledged these projects were still in early stages. What’s unusual is that, even after the announcements at the 2023 Celebration event, none of those films seem any closer to actually coming out than they did when first revealed.

None of the three movies that were teased to fans actually ended up being made, which makes the whole presentation feel pointless for those of us who saw it live.

This isn’t just a series of unfortunate events. It shows a consistent problem: Lucasfilm is having trouble bringing its big movie ideas to life, despite successfully creating a lot of content for Disney Plus.

Past experiences have changed how people react to new Star Wars movie announcements, even among those working in the film industry. Excitement is now often tempered with doubt.

CBR’s Sean O’Connell admitted he’s skeptical about any Star Wars movie until it’s actually released. He even said the promotion for The Mandalorian and Grogu has been unusually quiet, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Lucasfilm delayed or canceled it.

As Matt Belloni of Puck noted when discussing Kathleen Kennedy’s departure, the Star Wars film franchise effectively needs to reboot after fourteen years and five movies – a difficult position to be in.

The need to impress investors and fans is a major reason why events like Celebration 2023 occur, even if the actual delivery of promised content falls short. As Maggie Lovitt of Collider pointed out, there’s a trend in the industry to showcase ambitious future plans, which often have to be scaled back or cancelled, leading to disappointment.

Where This Leaves Star Wars

Compared to the expectations set by the plans for Celebration 2023, things in the world of Star Wars currently feel more limited than exciting.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Kathleen Kennedy described a more focused and careful plan for future theatrical releases, a shift from the strategy previously announced in London. The Mandalorian and Grogu is now slated to be the first film to bring the franchise back to cinemas in 2026, and will be followed by…

Shawn Levy is directing a new Star Wars film, Starfighter, scheduled for 2027, with Kathleen Kennedy producing. In addition, Simon Kinberg’s planned trilogy is still in the early stages, and other previously announced Star Wars movies are either on hold or their future is unclear.

Interestingly, the three movies announced at the 2023 Celebration as representing the past, present, and future of Star Wars films are not included in the new lineup.

Okay, so it looks like the movie focusing on Rey is still on hold, but I’ve got a theory – I think it’s actually going to be a trilogy, continuing the main Star Wars story. We already know Rey is going to be important for the future of Star Wars, and more than just in one film. It seems the big crossover movie Dave Filoni was planning has been swapped out for something more focused on The Mandalorian, but made for the big screen. And that James Mangold project, the one set way back in the Star Wars timeline? It’s been put on hold indefinitely. Basically, none of these movies are currently scheduled to come out as Kathleen Kennedy originally planned before leaving her role.

Disney+ is also showing fewer new Star Wars shows. While Lucasfilm used to announce several series at once, right now only a second season of Ahsoka is confirmed. There are no plans for more seasons of Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Acolyte, or Skeleton Crew, suggesting the period of having multiple Star Wars series airing at the same time is over.

This franchise isn’t failing due to a lack of creativity. The problem is that it hasn’t consistently stuck with a clear, long-term plan for its movies. Disney’s recent Star Wars trilogy suffered from this lack of a unified vision, and we’re seeing similar issues now with changes in leadership at Lucasfilm.

Star Wars Celebration 2023 felt like a major kickoff event, but looking back, it seems the studio was more optimistic than prepared. It presented a confident front that wasn’t fully backed up by reality at the time.

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2026-01-19 15:32