According to recent speculation, studio president Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm have been working on adding specific details to the future of the Star Wars brand.
It’s no secret that Lucasfilm has been having some difficulties as of late, though not in terms of the content they have been putting out, but rather the stuff they would like to put out, with announcements for new Star Wars films reportedly on hold for the time being.
The studio has been successful in the television industry but has failed to make any significant progress in the film industry. Since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, Disney has not released a new Star Wars picture. It appears that numerous planned initiatives have been shelved or scrapped entirely.
Fans are getting restless waiting for a return to theatres after a film drought allegedly brought on by former Disney CEO Bob Chapek. However, the latest report has emerged, providing some much-needed optimism and Lucasfilm’s ambitions for the franchise.
A recent remark by Jeff Sneider (through John Rocha on YouTube) suggests that Lucasfilm has already plotted out the next five years of Star Wars:
“I think there’s a lot of stuff coming down the pipe on the features side at Lucasfilm to be excited about… But specifically on the Star Wars side, I think it was a conscious decision to pivot to television for a while, establish Disney+, and tell some different stories. But I think that… fans have to be patient, obviously, because we’re not going to see any of this stuff until 2025. But, like, from what I understand, Kathleen has the next five years planned out. They have their [20]26 and 2027 slates. We just don’t know what they are yet.”
Sneider’s observation that fans won’t see any of this stuff for quite some time is discouraging, but this is still very hopeful news for those who believe Lucasfilm has a ship to handle.
It’s unknown how this development will affect Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, who is expected to leave her studio head position in 2023.
Puck had previously stated that the studio was dead set on “doing it right” with their next feature and that the protracted wait for fans was due to a “culture of fear and hesitation” among Lucasfilm’s upper echelons.
The report also mentioned that the sequels were hurriedly produced to fulfill a deadline. Moreover, some brave plans to move Star Wars away from the fan service that was so widely criticized in the sequel trilogy.
Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm appear to have sincere goals of strengthening their filmography. The extent to which the present Star Wars chief will stay at the studio to carry these ambitions is unknown.
Several initiatives have been left in the dust while being fully greenlit and advertised, so this is ultimately a good thing.
Nonetheless, as was previously noted, the Star Wars has been given a vibrant new lease on life on television, specifically on Disney+. Fans are virtually begging for more Mandalorian after the success of Andor.
It’s worth noting that Lucasfilm does have a film scheduled (albeit not a Star Wars film): Indiana Jones 5 will premiere on June 30, 2023.
