An eye-opening stat regarding Star Wars’ theatrical releases makes the wait for the next Star Wars movie sound even more disappointing. While the Disney+ Star Wars series are expanding the universe and delivering hours of content all at once, the future of Star Wars on the big screen remains a mystery. The Mandoverse and other legacy series on Disney+ are proving that live-action Star Wars can work on TV, but given the history of the saga and the importance of the IP, the theatrical releases should still be Lucasfilm’s primary goal with Star Wars.
As Disney+’s flagship title upon the launch of the streaming service, The Mandalorian offered Star Wars a new perspective following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the end of the Skywalker Saga. It was obvious that Star Wars would have to take a small break in terms of theatrical releases after Episode IX, which is why it was so important to have a new way to tell Star Wars stories. However, almost three years after The Rise of Skywalker, the status of Star Wars on the big screen hasn’t changed much.
As announcements and updates have confirmed, there will not be a new Star Wars movie until 2025. Lucasfilm originally intended for Rogue Squadron to premiere in 2023, but now that the Patty Jenkins film has been removed from Disney’s upcoming slate, it is impossible to say what the next Star Wars movie will be or when will it premiere. With no Star Wars movie releasing before 2025, there will be a longer gap between The Rise of Skywalker and the next Star Wars film than there was between Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker. The entire Star Wars sequel trilogy plus Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo: A Star Wars Story were all released in the span of four years, and now there will be at least five years between The Rise of Skywalker and the eventual Star Wars’ return to the big screen. This significant gap highlights just how prolonged Star Wars' cinematic absence has been – a depressing situation for supporters of the franchise's traditional home.
Why New Star Wars Movies Are Taking So Long
The long wait for new Star Wars movies is actually a reflection of another problem – how rushed Disney’s Star Wars sequels and spinoffs were. Disney bought Lucasfilm in October 2012, and three years later, The Force Awakens was already hitting theaters. There was clearly no overarching plan for what the Star Wars sequels should be, much less for what would happen to the saga by the time the sequel trilogy ended. Despite wanting to conclude the Skywalker Saga and leave the legacy characters behind with The Rise of Skywalker, it seems that Lucasfilm wasn’t sure as to where it would take the saga next – which is why new Star Wars movies are taking so long.
A few projects have already been announced, including Taika Waititi’s untitled Star Wars movie, a Kevin Feige-produced Star Wars movie, a Rian Johnson Star Wars trilogy, and Patty Jenkins' aforementioned Rogue Squadron. With so many different films either announced or reported to be in the works, it's safe to say Lucasfilm is contemplating multiple ways to reignite the Star Wars movie franchise. Still, none of those are close to starting shooting, which once again shows the lack of a solid plan for the franchise.
The longer window between Star Wars movies, while frustrating, can actually be good for the franchise. Releasing five Star Wars movies between 2015 and 2019 was a mistake, as proved by the current status of the saga. It remains to be seen if this long gap between The Rise of Skywalker and the next film will be paid off with a more consistent, well-planned Star Wars theatrical saga going forward.