Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy explains the lack of Star Wars movie news at Star Wars Celebration 2022. After a three-year delay due to COVID-19, Star Wars Celebration officially kicked off in Anaheim, California on May 26 and will run until Saturday, May 29. The celebration arrives on the 20-year anniversary of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and on the eve of the premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi, so anticipation for Star Wars projects is high.
The celebration kicked off with a number of major announcements on the television side of things from Lucasfilm, including the first trailer and premiere date for Andor; news that The Mandalorian season 3 will premiere in February 2023; and that Jude Law had signed on for the lead role in the Jon Watts produced series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Even non-Star Wars series got the spotlight, as audiences were given their first look at Willow, coming to Disney+ on November 30, 2022. However, the movie news side was rather non-existent, with the only major announcement from the film side coming from the first image for the upcoming Indiana Jones 5, set for release in June 2023. This left many wondering where the Star Wars movie news was.
On the red carpet at Star Wars Celebration, Kennedy tells Variety the reason for the lack of Star Wars movie news was due to the studio wanting to put the focus on all the television series they have coming. She hints there will be other opportunities to showcase the films, and while she doesn't give any further details, Kennedy might be hinting at some major reveals at D23, which is scheduled for September 9-11, 2022. Read Kennedy's full quote below:
We had so much to highlight with the new television that we have coming. We’re going to have plenty of time to showcase in the same way what we’re doing in the movie space. We’re all really excited with where that’s going.
It has now been three years since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters, and while it was marked as the end of the Skywalker Saga, there was no doubt the franchise would continue on the big screen. Various Star Wars movies have been announced in development, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, filmmaker Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder), and J.D. Dillard (Sleight) attached to various unnamed Star Wars projects. Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman 1984) is set to helm Rogue Squadron, but that film reportedly is undergoing delays and will not meet its planned December 2023 release date. Rian Johnson was announced to be working on a Star Wars movie trilogy before the release of The Last Jedi, but Kennedy recently confirmed that is on the backburner, as Johnson is busy with the Knives Out sequels.
While Star Wars has had a successful film run, the franchise has also really exploded on television in recent years. Both The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi were originally planned as films, with James Mangold (Logan) and Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) set for them, respectively. After the box-office disappointment of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the original plan for one Star Wars movie a year was scrapped. While there is no doubt Star Wars will be on the big screen again - and the break might be good for the franchise - it appears unclear what project will see the franchise make its grand return to cinemas.
Source: Variety
