Hard to see, the future of Star Wars is, but 2023 can bring balance to the Force if these hopes and predictions come true. 2022 was a huge year for Star Wars, and cemented Disney's relocation of the galaxy far, far away from movie theaters to streaming. Star Wars continued shying away from the big screen and made Disney+ its new base of operations, with The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor expanding Star Wars' repertoire of TV content. Meanwhile, books and comics such as Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith and the High Republic series plucked fascinating untold stories from across the fictional timeline.
Groundbreaking though 2022 was, 2023 carries even greater potential for the future of Star Wars. Whether that future is bright can only be stated from a certain point of view, but whichever side one takes, there will be no shortage of content over the coming 12 months. In addition to releases already confirmed, 2023 could be the year that a long-term plan for Star Wars slowly looms Star Destroyer-like into view. Lucasfilm's current strategy relies mostly upon material set between existing eras, and Star Wars is yet to unveil a plan that moves beyond those boundaries. This, and much more, could all change for Star Wars in 2023.
Star Wars Finally Figures Out What Its Movie Future Looks Like
Even Palpatine's Imperial propaganda machine would struggle to spin just how messy Disney's Star Wars movie future has become. From an outside perspective, at least, Lucasfilm appears at a loss after 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Numerous half-baked projects are in development, with Taika Waititi, Damon Lindelof, Rian Johnson, Kevin Feige and J.D. Dillard all plugging away at enigmatic Star Wars movie ideas, none of which have shown firm indications of progress. Add to that Star Wars' director struggles, with Colin Trevorrow, Lord & Miller, and Benioff & Weiss all departing for various reasons, and the Star Wars movie galaxy looks like the backroom of a Tatooine junk shop.
2023 could, and really should, be the year Lucasfilm figures out its next move concerning Star Wars at the movies. Ideally, that would mean a major announcement mapping out a new Star Wars trilogy or film series that picks up where the sequel narrative ended, or begins a completely new tale removed from the Skywalker saga altogether. In lieu of an overarching plan, even just one of those in-development Star Wars movies receiving an official title and release date would represent a solid step forward in 2023. Streaming success aside, Star Wars deserves a silver screen presence, and the longer Lucasfilm remains silent, the louder concerns will grow.
Patty Jenkins Gets Rogue Squadron Back On Track
2023 could be the year Rogue Squadron's will-it-or-won't-it-happen roller coaster finally comes to a stop. First announced in 2020 with Wonder Woman's Patty Jenkins as director, Rogue Squadron was billed as the oily lovechild of Star Wars and Top Gun, telling a fighter pilot story with X-Wings in place of F4s. Having initially been scheduled for a late 2023 release, Rogue Squadron became the subject of numerous worrying reports concerning the movie's lack of progress and potential cancelation. Finally, Patty Jenkins provided a Rogue Squadron update in December 2022.
The Rogue Squadron director revealed in a social media post that she departed Rogue Squadron to focus on Wonder Woman 3, but Lucasfilm requested she return after those DC duties were complete. While Jenkins concedes not knowing whether Rogue Squadron will actually happen, she describes the film as still in "active development." More importantly for 2023, a shakeup at DC has, somewhat ironically, resulted in Wonder Woman 3 getting axed. This could allow Patty Jenkins to finally channel her efforts into Rogue Squadron, and although that late 2023 release date is firmly out of reach, the X-Wing extravaganza could finally take off over the coming 12 months.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Redeems Boba Fett Mistakes
With The Mandalorian, Disney+ kicked off its live-action Star Wars TV show adventure in style, with seasons 1 and 2 both enjoying hugely positive receptions in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Then along came The Book of Boba Fett. Effectively The Mandalorian season 2.5, Boba's solo series endured a more mixed reaction from fans and critics, and the heavy presence of Din Djarin and Grogu was a common criticism, dragging The Mandalorian into The Book of Boba Fett's firing line. The huge critical success of Andor, the very antithesis of The Mandalorian with its lack of Jedi and dislike of cameos, cast further aspersions over Din Djarin's Star Wars reputation.
While few could deny that The Book of Boba Fett put a dent in The Mandalorian's helmet, expect 2023 to redress the balance. The Mandalorian season 3 premieres March 1, 2023, and will focus on Din Djarin's continued adventures with Grogu following their emotional reunion. Mando will clash against Bo-Katan Kryze over the throne of Mandalore, and fight his own clan, the Children of the Watch, after breaking taboo by showing his face. Expect any disappointment from The Book of Boba Fett to be banished by The Mandalorian season 3, which boasts all the necessary ingredients to restore Din Djarin and Grogu as the darlings of Star Wars in 2023.
Ahsoka's TV Show Will Be Huge For Thrawn & Vader
After debuting in The Mandalorian season 2, Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano stars in her own Star Wars spinoff, currently expected to release at an undetermined point in 2023. While Ahsoka's story remains largely unknown, The Mandalorian revealed her overarching mission as a search for Grand Admiral Thrawn, who remains alive following his defeat at the hands of Ezra Bridger in Star Wars Rebels. Although still unconfirmed, live-action Thrawn is highly likely to debut during Ahsoka, and his presence could spark a huge new chapter between the Star Wars original and sequel trilogies.
The sinister Chiss could potentially become Star Wars' next uber-villain, crossing over between Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, and other media set within the same era. Ahsoka may even reveal how Thrawn secretly survived beyond the Star Wars sequels, allowing him a villainous role in future movies. Thrawn's blue face is hardly new to the Star Wars franchise, but he could become vital to its future in 2023.
2023 could also be memorable for a certain husky-voiced Sith. Hayden Christensen's return as Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi was unquestionably one of Star Wars' biggest stories in 2022, but Kenobi's tale focused more upon Vader than Anakin, meaning Christensen barely featured. Fortunately, 2023 may bring greater tidings for the Chosen One. Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker is heavily linked to Ahsoka, which predominantly takes place after Darth Vader's death. The opportunity to feature Anakin as a Force ghost will bring his story far more resolution and meaning than Obi-Wan Kenobi could manage, and the spiritual reunion between a Jedi and his apprentice could become the Star Wars highlight of 2023.
The Acolyte Releases & Completely Redefines Star Wars
Highly-anticipated Star Wars TV series The Acolyte is currently without a confirmed release date, but with filming already underway, a late 2023 premiere remains plausible. Even if The Acolyte is held off until early 2024, however, trailer footage will very likely emerge over the coming 12-month period, and that alone could prove momentous for Star Wars. In stark contrast to existing productions, The Acolyte finds itself completely removed from the usual Star Wars timeline, taking place a century before even the prequel trilogy, and follows the Sith's efforts to infiltrate the Jedi during a period where dark side zealots were supposedly dormant.
A live-action Sith deep-dive dripping in dark undertones would be thrilling enough, but with an excellent cast that includes Dafne Keen, Carrie Anne-Moss, and Lee Jung-jae, The Acolyte is shaping up as Star Wars' most exciting release since, well, Andor. The separation from the Skywalker saga era of Star Wars, the more sinister shift in tone, and the potential to unveil massive, lore-breaking details regarding the Sith and Jedi all point toward The Acolyte redefining what Star Wars is capable of. 2023 may arrive slightly too soon for The Acolyte, but the coming year will see a massive hike in hype as images, footage and new details begin seeping through Lucasfilm's marketing department.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Season 2 Is Announced
At the time of writing, Andor is the only live-action Star Wars TV series aside from The Mandalorian confirmed to run beyond a single season, but that situation may change in 2023. Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett could both feasibly be renewed, but given the latter's more divisive reception, Kenobi looks to be the more likely second season recipient. Indeed, the biggest obstacle to Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 has already been cleared. Ewan McGregor has registered his interest in continuing Kenobi's solo series and, during a convention appearance, claimed to believe Lucasfilm is "biding their time" before green-lighting a follow-up.
Tempting Ewan McGregor back into his sandy robes was always the biggest obstacle for a potential Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2, so the actor's readiness to say "hello there" one more time is a hugely encouraging update. The Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1 finale offered no obvious route to carry on the story, but with past narratives focusing on Kenobi and Leia, season 2 could feature more of the Jedi's relationship with young Luke. Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 would be a perfect announcement for 2023's summer comic con circuit.
Star Wars Confirms Live-Action Cal Kestis
Introduced in 2019's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order video game, Cameron Monaghan's Cal Kestis will return in digitized form with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor in 2023, but that may not be where Cal's Star Wars year finishes. Rumors of Cal Kestis appearing in live-action have been constant since 2019. With a talented actor like Monaghan already embodying the character and Cal Kestis confirmed as alive during the same era as TV projects such as Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi, keeping Kestis out of live-action Star Wars is almost harder than including him, whether that be as a guest star cameo in an existing project, or in his own live-action Star Wars TV show.
Cameron Monaghan has remained open, but always coy, whenever questioned on the prospect of playing Cal Kestis in a Star Wars TV show, and various reports have claimed the idea is being explored behind closed doors at Lucasfilm. If Cal Kestis is destined to transition from video games to TV, 2023 is the ideal time to drop that news. Not only would the announcement synchronize nicely with the release of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, but a live-action Cal Kestis TV series would represent a shrewd addition to Lucasfilm's Star Wars slate for 2024, whenever that is laid out.