Lucasfilm is reportedly ironing out the next decade of Star Wars content, and it's all but a given those plans will consist of another film trilogy set in the mainline saga. Since being acquired by Disney, the studio has gotten into the business of annual cinematic releases, alternating between numbered episodes in the core narrative and spinoffs that flesh out certain aspects of the canon. Over the past couple of years, those anthologies have made plenty of headlines, and not just for their extensive production woes (see: Rogue One reshoots and Solo director drama). Lately, ideas for future standalones have been revealed, including an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie that's in early talks with an Oscar-nominated director.The spinoffs provide Lucasfilm with plenty of exciting opportunities, but the bread and butter of the film series will always be the saga. Those behind Star Wars are keenly aware of this, implementing a different kind of marketing strategy for the episodes. Even though The Last Jedi is the third film of this new era, its tie-in merchandise was released on Force Friday II. Both The Force Awakens and Episode VIII received massive Vanity Fair spreads, while Rogue One didn't. Last year's standalone is also being left off a franchise marathon event taking place this December, so there's definitely more of an emphasis placed on the saga films. And considering how successful the sequel trilogy has already been, it basically goes without saying the stories of Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron will continue beyond Episode IX.
Lucasfilm Will Make Star Wars: Episode 10
Studio president Kathleen Kennedy made headlines recently when she confirmed the famed story group is in the process of piecing together the next 10 years of Star Wars. Obviously, she did not reveal any concrete details about what's in store, but her quote, where she mentioned "future stories" with the modern trilogy's new characters, certainly makes it seem like Episode X is on the table. Granted, Star Wars is now a multimedia empire with novels, comics, and TV shows, so further adventures with Rey and Finn could be told through those outlets. However, the movies remain the crown jewel of Star Wars for several reasons.
The Force Awakens was an unprecedented event, grossing an astounding $936.6 million domestically and more than $2 billion worldwide. Even more important than those financial figures is the fact that it was well-received. Detractors will point to the intentional New Hope similarities, but the bottom line is that Episode VII connected with both the passionate fan base and casual viewers. Shortly after the film's release, the new generation had already become favorites, taking the torch from Luke, Han, and Leia and running full sprint ahead. It was a combination of the screenwriting and performances that endeared the trio of Rey, Finn, and Poe to moviegoers and cemented Kylo Ren's status as one of the most nuanced figures in the lore. BB-8 was a merchandise moving machine months before Force Awakens debuted and remains incredibly popular - even with the Porgs stealing hearts.
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Simply put, viewers love the characters J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan created and they're going to want to see more of them even when this trilogy wraps up in 2019. After all, Luke, Han, and Leia got a chance to add to their legacies years after Return of the Jedi, so why should the tales of Rey, Finn, and Poe end when the three are still young and have a whole life ahead of them? In a way, the newer films are being set up as the closing of one book and the start of another. Han Solo died in The Force Awakens. Leia, originally a centerpiece of Star Wars 9, is most likely having her role substantially retooled following Carrie Fisher's death. Luke's fate remains up in the air, but odds are even he doesn't make it out of this trilogy alive - either heroically sacrificing himself for the greater good or being defeated as a villain. In contrast, the original trilogy crew's younger counterparts are at the beginnings of their respective journeys. Rey needs guidance finding her place in the universe. Finn is still unsure if the Resistance is where he wants to be. Even Kylo Ren has some molding left to be done.
It's true that post-Episode IX stories could be the subject of a series of novels or comic book run, but the fact of the matter is the films are more profitable in the long run. Not only did Force Awakens gross $2 billion worldwide, it sold a large amount of toys and other tie-in products, and The Last Jedi will be more of the same. As beloved as the books and comics are in some circles, they just do not have the same kind of pull as the movies. There weren't any Funko Pops made for the new characters in Bloodline, and Sphero didn't produce an app-enabled Mr. Bones robot for the holiday season. When we say fans are going to want to see more of Rey and friends, we mean on the big screen. A Star Wars TV spot has the power to dominate social media discussions during Game 7 of the World Series. Lucasfilm will want to continue the saga until there are no more good stories to tell or the brand wears out its welcome.
Celebrate The 50th Anniversary?
Since we've established an Episode X will be made at some point, the task now is to try to predict when we might get to see it. Lucasfilm's plans after Episode IX are unknown, so the best we can do is estimate based on speculation. One thing we are confident in saying is that there will probably be a gap between Star Wars 9 and its hypothetical sequel. It's become a franchise tradition to take extended breaks; there were 16 years separating Return of the Jedi from The Phantom Menace, and Force Awakens arrived a decade after Revenge of the Sith. The question becomes how long of a hiatus will the saga go on.
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Episode IX is currently in a state of flux with new director J.J. Abrams rewriting the script with Chris Terrio, but Lucasfilm is eyeing it as a conclusion of sorts. When Abrams was hired for the gig in September, Kennedy stated how excited she was to bring her old collaborator back to "close out this trilogy." Given the phrasing, it's reasonable to assume the ninth entry in the saga will be constructed in a fashion similar to Return of the Jedi - meaning it won't be open-ended and wouldn't require a Star Wars 10 to wrap up any dangling threads. Whatever awaits audiences in Episode IX, they should be able to walk out of the theater feeling satisfied that what they just saw theoretically could be the end if that's what Lucasfilm intended. If the studio announced Episode X for 2021, it would run the risk of undermining the sense of finality that Star Wars 9 will surely have in marketing. Taking some time off, instead of jumping right into the next trilogy, would be the best way to go.
Our best guess at this juncture would be Episode X premiering in the year 2027, which will mark Star Wars' 50th anniversary. This would be eight years after Star Wars 9, admittedly the shortest gap between trilogies, but still enough time for the main cast to credibly portray "older, wiser" versions of their characters. In 2027, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega would be 35 years old, Oscar Isaac will be 48, and Adam Driver will be 44. If the plan calls for Kelly Marie Tran's Rose to stick around, the actress will be 38 when our theoretical Star Wars 10 debuts. This would be a nice sweet spot, as the characters will surely have changed with more years under their belts, but the actors won't be pushing Expendables territory and would still be realistic leads for a tentpole. Certainly, Star Wars 10 would introduce new figures to the franchise (gotta sell that merchandise!), but this new core was such a hit, there's no reason to push them to the back burner to make way for a group of 20-somethings. By the time The Force Awakens was made, age dictated the original big three had to be relegated to supporting roles. If the new gang is part of Lucasfilm's strategy, they won't want to wait until Ridley's pushing 70 to bring her back.
It also goes without saying that Lucasfilm would want to do something major for Star Wars' 50th. Surely, there will be more spinoff movies made, but would the studio rather celebrate the big 5-0 with a random offshoot or the next chapter in a generation-spanning story that's the backbone of the property? There have already been rumors that they plan to deliberately starve the market following Episode IX, so they could rely on other channels to keep the galaxy in the public consciousness before coming back with a vengeance during a milestone year. The last thing Lucasfilm wants to do is subject themselves to franchise fatigue only a handful of years after the great Star Wars renaissance began. As we saw with Force Awakens, sometimes the best thing you can do is not release a movie for an extended period of time, driving up the demand for something new.
Conclusion
Of course, this is all theorizing on our part, but it seems very likely Episode X will grace multiplexes at some point down the line. The new era of Star Wars has gotten off to as great a start Lucasfilm could have hoped for, and if the interest is there, they'd be foolish to arbitrarily end the saga anytime for the foreseeable future. Obviously, there has to be a worthwhile story to tell. If Star Wars is to stay viable, the story group knows the content has to be of high quality. The hirings of Abrams and Rian Johnson (two talented directors) for the sequel trilogy illustrate Lucasfilm's understanding of this, and they'll be on the lookout for more unique voices to come in and continue the narrative in exciting ways. For all the trouble they had with Phil Lord and Chris Miller (and Colin Trevorrow, for that matter), Abrams and Johnson seemed to have enjoyed their experience.
Perhaps one day the Star Wars saga will have a definitive conclusion. As the old saying goes, all good things come to an end eventually, and with the franchise being set in an expansive galaxy, it arguably could be limiting to keep concentrating on the episodes when there's so much more to explore. But after audiences thought Return of the Jedi and then Revenge of the Sith were it for Star Wars, there shouldn't be any illusions Episode IX will be the final chapter. At the very least, there will be one more trilogy for us to obsess over.
