Disney has scheduled Star Wars' return to movie theaters for 2023 following a four-year absence, but that date is looking increasingly doubtful. The media giant previously announced that the franchise would return for semi-annual movies in 2023, with the plan being for Star Wars to alternate with Avatar sequels in the December release slot for the rest of the 2020s. However, recent news makes it unclear which Star Wars movie, if any, will release on the assigned date of December 22nd, 2023.
Following its acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, Disney seemed to be intent on releasing a new Star Wars movie annually, with one each year between 2015 and 2019. However, after the divisive response to The Last Jedi and the underwhelming financial returns of Solo, Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy announced in 2018 that Star Wars would be taking a theatrical hiatus, instead focusing on Disney+ original series like The Mandalorian. The broadly negative reaction to The Rise of Skywalker made this seem like a smart move to reset the series with more of a focus on expanding the Star Wars universe instead of continuing to focus on the Skywalker family.
Initially, the first new release was slated to be a Rogue Squadron movie from Wonder Woman and Monster director Patty Jenkins, telling the story of a group of young Starfighter pilots while taking inspiration from the video games and books of the same name. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron was originally scheduled for a 2022 release but was delayed due to Jenkins' schedule, which includes work on Wonder Woman 3 and the re-shuffling of Disney's schedule following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in May 2022, Kennedy stated that Rogue Squadron may not be the next Star Wars movie as it had been "pushed off to the side for the moment." There have also been reported creative differences between Jenkins and Lucasfilm - further complicating matters.
Instead, Kennedy has confirmed that the previously-announced Star Wars film by Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi would be the 2023 movie. Waititi has said that he wanted to focus on introducing new characters and settings to Star Wars. However, Waititi also has a hectic schedule, with the upcoming Our Flag Means Death season 2, a Time Bandits series for AppleTV+, and the film Next Goal Wins all currently on the director's slate. Due to these commitments, Waititi has stated that he won't be able to film the movie in 2022. Without a cast, premise, or even a title announced, it's hard to see how Waititi's movie is any closer to completion than Rogue Squadron.
Since the Disney acquisition, Lucasfilm has been criticized for its handling of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, with the franchise's creative vision seemingly changing between movies - and the uncertainty for future franchise movies reflects the same sense of disorganization and lack of direction. There have also been a number of other directors who have been announced as attached to Star Wars movies, including The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and Marvel super-producer Kevin Feige, but none of these projects seem to have made it far into the development process. Given the extensive editing and CGI effects that Star Wars and other Disney franchise movies go through, it seems unlikely they could go from beginning shooting to a final release entirely within 2023. By comparison, The Rise of Skywalker finished pre-production and began shooting in August 2018 for a December 2019 release.
Missing the planned December 2023 release would be not just a bad look for Star Wars but also a significant financial blow for Disney, leaving them without a major movie for the lucrative Christmas period. Because of this, Lucasfilm may feel pressure to quickly put together a movie for the planned date. However, a rushed film could further damage the Star Wars brand. Whether the next Star Wars movie is Waititi's movie, Rogue Squadron, or something else, Lucasfilm may need to abandon the 2023 release date to let the creative process play out.
