With seemingly no shortage of Star Wars stories to tell, Lucasfilm and Disney are looking to the future as the two companies expand the franchise's larger universe that exists in a galaxy far, far away.
With the Skywalker Saga, which unfolded over three connected film trilogies, now complete, there are a number of new film and television spinoffs exploring different characters and timelines further immersing fans in worlds of the Jedi, the High Republic, the Rebel Alliance and more.
"We have a vast and expansive timeline in the Star Wars mythology spanning over 25,000 years of history in the galaxy -- with each era being a rich resource for storytelling," Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy has told ET of the overall franchise. "Now with Disney+, we can explore limitless story possibilities like never before and fulfill the promise that there is truly a Star Wars story for everyone."
And in the years since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, audiences have been treated to celebrated live-action Disney+ series likeAndor, The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and promised original theatrical releases from the likes of Taika Waititi, Rian Johnson, James Mangold and others.
And while some of the projects don't have any confirmed release dates, Kennedy said everything will come in due time. "When it's ready and when it's great, we'll be ready," she said.
Although there are still a number of projects to be announced or confirmed, here's everything we know -- from release dates to casting to trailers -- about what's slated to come out on both the big and small screen over the next few years.
Ahsoka (Season 1)
Release Date: August 28, 2023 on Disney+
Creator/Developer: Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni
Starring: Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead,Diana Lee Inosanto, Ivanna Sakhno, Ray Stevenson, David Tennant, Lars Mikkelsen and Eman Esfandi
After first appearing on The Mandalorian, Rosario Dawson's live-action version of the titular character will make her debut in a solo series set after the fall of the Empire. According to Lucasfilm, Ahsokafollows the former Jedi knight as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.
"I really love being able to not just try to imagine this character to life, you know, [and] to get to take her on physically," Dawson told ET about bringing the former animated character to life onscreen. "So much of who she is is physical. And it’s made me feel closer to her and closer to this journey."
In addition to Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo plays Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Hera Syndulla, Diana Lee Inosanto is Morgan Elsbeth, Ivanna Sakhno is Shin Hati, Ray Stevenson is Baylan Skoll, David Tennant is Huyang, Lars Mikkelsen is Grand Admiral Thrawn while Eman Esfandi appears as Ezra Bridger.
Latest Trailer:
During the Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London, the first official teaser trailer was finally released, giving fans a closer look at not only Ahsoka herself but several characters who are also being brought to life after first appearing in the animated series, The Clone Wars.
In July, Disney+ finally released a full-length trailer, providing an extended look at Ahsoka as well as other key characters in the upcoming series that will see the former Jedi Knight facing off a new emerging threat to the galaxy.
Read more about Ahsoka.
Skeleton Crew (Season 1)
Release Date:2023 on Disney+
Creator/Developer:Jon Watts and Christopher Ford
Starring: Jude Law,Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith,Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Tunde Adebimpe and Kerry Condon
According to Lucasfilm, Skeleton Crewfollows the journey of four kids (Cabot-Conyers, Kratter and Smith) who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home -- and meeting unlikely allies and enemies -- will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.
When it comes to having Law on the series, Kennedy told ET that there is no one else more perfect for the role. "He has such an amazing sort of aptitude around the characters that he plays… And I think with this show, where we have a whole cast of kids, he’s the perfect person to put in that milieu."
Latest Trailer:
Although the first sneak peek was shown at Star Wars Celebration 2023, no official images or clips have been released online.
Read more about Skeleton Crew.
The Acolyte (Season 1)
Release Date: 2024 on Disney+
Creator/Developer:Leslye Headland
Starring:Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, Margarita Levieva and Joonas Suotamo
Described as a "mystery-thriller,"Russian Doll showrunner Leslye Headland's new series will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era with the story of a former Padawan (Amandla Stenberg) who reunites with her Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) to investigate a series of crimes but discovers the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
Latest Trailer:
Although Headland and the cast were on hand for a sneak peek shown during Star Wars Celebration 2023, no official images or clips have been released online.
Read more about The Acolyte.
Andor (Season 2)
Release Date: TBD on Disney+
Creator/Developer: Tony Gilroy
Starring:Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller and Genevieve O’Reilly
Set five years before the events of Rogue One, which saw Diego Luna’s character, Cassian Andor, sacrificing his life in order to execute the Rebel Alliance’s first effective blow against the Empire, an incident first referenced in the opening ofStar Wars: A New Hope, Andor’s ending may already be known but it’s the journey there that remains unknown. Until now.
“The character goes from A to B. We both know what A and B are. But what we don’t know is what’s possible in between,” Luna told ET, explaining that the series is ultimately about “the layers that normally you don’t think about, it’s about what’s in between the lines.”
The series is also a sprawling saga “about people bringing change,” Luna said. And as a result, it features an ensemble of new and returning characters, including Genevieve O’Reilly back as Mon Mothma after first playing the Rebel Alliance leader in Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One.
Latest Trailer:
Although fans at Star Wars Celebration 2023 were treated to an exclusive first look at the upcoming episodes, nothing official was released online. In the meantime, here's a look at the final trailer for season 1.
Read more about Andor.
The Mandalorian(Season 4)
Release Date: TBD on Disney+
Creator/Developer: Jon Favreau
Starring:Pedro Pascal and Katee Sackhoff
Although season 3 largely focused on the history of Mandalore, with Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) eventually returning to the planet with her fellow clan of Mandalorians while Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) eventually adopted and took Grogu on as an apprentice, Jon Favreau acknowledged to ET that "there are bigger things happening in the galaxy as well."
"We have the resurgent Empire and we have the Mandalorians, who are scattered, and there's lots of different factions that are all over the galaxy," he said, while explaining that through The Mandalorian -- and connected universe of series -- "there's plenty of room for development for these characters and we've established a really interesting dynamic and room for growth... There's a lot of things happening outside of these characters that will affect things. And there are characters that are on the horizon that are going to enter, and going to take the stage."
But at the end of the day, The Mandalorian"will always be about people and about relationships," particularly the one between Djarin and Grogu.
Latest Trailer:
No official footage or images from the upcoming episodes have been released. In the meantime, here's a teaser for the final few episodes of season 3, teasing how "the galaxy will never be the same."
Read more about The Mandalorian.
Lando
Release Date: TBA on Disney+
Creator/Developer: Justin Simien
Starring: TBA
"Lando Calrissian is the galaxy's smoothest, most notorious scoundrel, and he'll return in a brand-new event series," Kennedy shared, when revealing a new spinoff about the character was in the works. Though, it was and still is unclear who would be playing him: Billy Dee Williams, who originated the role, or Donald Glover, who portrayed a younger version in Solo: A Star Wars Story and has revealed that he "would love to play Lando again."
First announced in December 2020, there has been little movement on the project since. But Kennedy confirmed to ET that the series is still "underway." She added that "everybody's busy," including Simien, who just helmed a live-action adaptation of Haunted Mansion. "We're definitely still doing it."
Latest Trailer:
Nothing is available at this time.
Read more about Lando.
Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Film
Release Date: TBA in theaters
Director: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Starring: Daisy Ridley
Set 15 years after the last events of the Skywalker Saga, which ended in 2019, the new film will star Daisy Ridley reprising her role as Rey and tell the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down.
"We've been talking about what we're doing post-Rise of the Skywalker for quite some time and just exactly what kind of story we were evolving around the Jedi was important to us," Kennedy told ET, explaining that moving forward, "there's no way we can do that without having Daisy Ridley and the character of Rey carry that on."
Latest Trailer:
Nothing is available at this time.
Read more about upcoming Star Wars films.
Untitled Taika WaititiFilm
Release Date: TBA in theaters
Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: TBA
When it was first reported that Taika Waititi had been tapped to direct his own Star Wars movie, he reacted with this Jedi mind trick: "Listen, what does 'approached' even mean?" the filmmakertold ET. "I've seen Star Wars. That's about as far as it got."
Since then, it's been revealed that Waititi, who has also directed an episode of The Mandalorian and voiced the droid, IG-11, is officially helming a standalone feature film and will co-write the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns.
"Taika's approach to Star Wars will be fresh, unexpected, and... unique," Kennedy promised. "His enormous talent and sense of humor will ensure that audiences are in for an unforgettable ride." More recently, she teased that "Taika is a little slow," before adding that "everybody's busy" but that the project was "definitely" still pushing forward.
Latest Trailer:
Nothing is available at this time.
Read more about upcoming Star Wars films.
Untitled James Mangold Film
Release Date: TBA in theaters
Director: James Mangold
Starring: TBA
According to Lucasfilm, the filmmaker will take audiences deep into the past, telling the tale of the first Jedi to wield the Force and harness it as a liberating power in an era of chaos and oppression.
"It's the birth of the Force. Kind of almost like a religious epic, like Ben-Hur or The Ten Commandments," the director shared with ET. "It's about the start of everything. Like, where does the Force come from? How do they utilize it? How did the first Jedi learn how to tame it and bend it?"
Latest Trailer:
Nothing is available at this time.
Read more about upcoming Star Wars films.
Untitled Dave Filoni Film
Release Date: TBA in theaters
Director: Dave Filoni
Starring: TBA
After producing several hit live-action and animated Star Wars series, Dave Filoni will continue to expand the storyline in the present with an all-new film about the escalating war between the Imperial Remnant and the fledgling New Republic. Alongside producer Jon Favreau, they will bring together many of the threads of the Star Wars original series in a cinematic event.
"Dave was destined to move from animation and all the work he's done and the stories that he's told," Kennedy told ET about Filoni getting to helm his first feature film. "Now, you know, he can't wait. He's really chomping at the bit to do this."
When it comes to using a film to unite the many spinoffs into one crossover event, Favreau told ET that "the thing is, like, now that you have so many media to choose from, you have to make sure the story is appropriate for the right medium. So, not everything wants to get jammed into an hour-and-a-half, two-hour movie. Some stories want to be told over many, many episodes… But then you also can get a lot of scope and scale and just an experience that you can't really get at home from a film like that."
He added, "We just want to make sure that the story drives everything."
Latest Trailer:
Nothing is available at this time.
Read more about upcoming Star Wars films.
Untitled Rian Johnson Trilogy
Release Date: TBA in theaters
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: TBA
Before The Last Jedi even hit theaters, Lucasfilm tapped Rian Johnson for an "all-new Star Wars trilogy" to "introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored."
"We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi," Kennedy said at the time. "He's a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy."
Since its debut in theaters, The Last Jedi has become one of the most divisive installments in the franchise and Johnson has also found success in expanding the Knives Out franchise on Netflix. When years passed without any updates, fans speculated that the trilogy had been quietly canceled. "I'm still working with Lucasfilm on it," Johnson reassured ET. "And they're figuring out when they do what and everything."
Latest Trailer:
Nothing is available at this time.
Read more about upcoming Star Wars films.
Reporting by Ash Crossan and Stacy Lambe.
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