Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 1 might be over, but there are plenty of upcoming Star Wars projects to look forward to, including six movies in the works. Premiering on May 4, 2021 (Star Wars Day), Disney+'s animated series focused on a group of elite clone troopers served as a sequel and spinoff of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a series that ran for seven seasons before ending in 2020. The Bad Batch season 2 has already been confirmed, set for 2022, but the follow-up installment isn't the only title in the works at Lucasfilm and Disney.
Interest in Star Wars TV shows was renewed when The Mandalorian debuted on Disney+ in November 2019. The series was still airing in the midst of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's release, which brought an end to the Skywalker saga. The end of the primary story allowed the focus to shift back to the small screen. Aside from The Mandalorian season 2 and The Bad Batch, Disney+ has several other major titles coming soon, including Star Wars: Visions, The Book of Boba Fett, The Acolyte, and shows based on popular characters like Cassian Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and Lando Calrissian. While there's an obvious effort in bolstering the TV side of Star Wars, movies will soon be back in the spotlight.
By ending the Skywalker saga, at least for now, Lucasfilm and Disney have the opportunity to build on the beloved franchise by exploring new eras and untold stories from within the galaxy. Aside from a confirmed title for the December 2023 release, Disney has two other dates scheduled with untitled Star Wars projects: December 19, 2025, and December 17, 2027. It's likely some of the projects in the works are intended to fill those dates, but the important factor is the names behind the upcoming movies and what it means for Star Wars moving forward. That said, here are the six Star Wars movies currently in development.
Rogue Squadron - December 22, 2023
During The Bad Batch's season 1 run on Disney+, Rogue Squadron remained the lone live-action Star Wars film with a confirmed title and release date. The project from Patty Jenkins was officially announced as part of Disney Investor Day in December 2020, which featured a bevy of info centered on upcoming Star Wars TV shows and Disney+ programming. While there weren't many details provided about the plot, Rogue Squadron will be partly based on the video game series of the same name while following a group of young starfighter pilots in the new era of the galaxy. Though the cast hasn't been announced, the script is being written by Matthew Robinson, and the December 2023 release is still on track.
A Droid Story
The only other confirmed title in the group of upcoming Star Wars movies is A Droid Story, which was also announced on Disney Investor Day 2020. Unlike Rogue Squadron, A Droid Story will be an animated TV film made exclusively for Disney+. According to the announcement, the movie will feature beloved droids R2-D2 and C-3PO as the pair guide a new hero during a new adventure. As of now, it's unclear who will be involved in the creation of the series other than the confirmation that Lucasfilm Animation is leading the production. An exact release date also remains a mystery.
Taika Waititi's Star Wars Movie
Major MCU figure, Taika Waititi, is busy co-writing a new Star Wars movie, which he will also direct. The Academy Award-winning filmmaker previously directed Thor: Ragnarok before taking the helm of 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder. Though he's known for his work in the MCU, Waititi already has a connection to Star Wars after directing The Mandalorian season 1 finale, in addition to voicing droid IG-11. Waititi's is teaming up with Krysty Wilson-Cairns to create the script with progress expected after the release of Love and Thunder as well as Waititi's other upcoming film, Next Goal Wins. Based on his schedule, it's possible Waititi's Star Wars movie holds the December 2025 date unless his live-action Flash Gordon takes precedence.
Rian Johnson's Star Wars Trilogy
Shortly before the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in December 2017, it was announced director/writer Rian Johnson would return to create a brand new Star Wars trilogy for Disney. The movies would be set outside of the primary saga with new characters and a fresh setting. There was speculation the backlash surrounding The Last Jedi put an end to Johnson's planned trilogy, but that doesn't seem to be the case. As of July 2021, the trilogy was still in development, though details are few and far between. Johnson will likely finish up his work on the Knives Out trilogy and the TV series Poker Face before tackling the first installment of the Star Wars trilogy. It's possible Johnson's Star Wars film series begins with the December 2027 date, which would mark a decade since his first film in the bigger franchise.
Kevin Feige's Star Wars Movie
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige will be making the jump to the Star Wars universe to create an upcoming movie with current Lucasfilm president, Kathleen Kennedy. The partnership was announced in September 2019, indicating Feige and Kennedy will act as two producers on the project. Development on the movie has been slow, but as of January 2021, Loki writer Michael Waldron had been tapped to write the screenplay for the story developed by Feige. With Feige's packed MCU schedule heading deeper into Phase 4 and beyond, it's difficult to predict what Disney has planned for a targeted release date.
J.D. Dillard's Star Wars Movie
Though the end of 2020 was full of Star Wars announcements, a movie was announced at the beginning of the year. J.D. Dillard, who is best known for writing and directing 2016's Sleight, is developing a new movie for Lucasfilm alongside Luke Cage writer Matt Owens. Interestingly, Dillard appeared in The Rise of Skywalker as FN-1226. Granted, work on the new Star Wars movie will require a much more expanded role if the plans stay on track. Aside from directing the upcoming film Devotion, Dillard doesn't have any other confirmed projects in the works. That said, he's been rumored to direct an upcoming superhero movie. If that's not the case, expect Dillard to focus on the Star Wars project.