I thought it a good idea to have an article covering the state of ALL Star Wars movies in development after this weekend’s SWC according to Kathleen Kennedy. Lucasfilm president Kennedy announced three new Star Wars movies this weekend, we covered that news in the related link below. However, in various other interviews Kennedy took, the Lucasfilm boss also had something to say about all the Star Wars movies she has previously announced that have yet to go into production.

So, what is the current state of ALL Star Wars movies?

Let’s start with the oldest of them all, then go through in that order.

Rian Johnson’s Trilogy

I’m still convinced this will never see the light of day. However Kennedy did offer an update on this one as well. Problem is, the update is exactly the same as it was when SWC last came around and these questions were asked.

In others words, Kathleen Kennedy still wants Rian to make that trilogy. However he’d need to commit 5 years or so to making that happen. Johnson on the other hand is quite happy pushing a head with the third Knives Out movie for Netflix, and has a few other irons in the fire.

Ultimately no change to what we already know, and no sign to say whether this will ever happen. Here is the quote from Kennedy”s chat with Variety.

“Rian and I talk all the time,” she said. “He is unbelievably busy. So we’re not actively involved in anything at the moment because he’s doing another one of the ‘Glass Onion’ movies and then God knows what else. But he really wants to step back into the space. It’s a big commitment of time, so that’s really on him.”

Could be the same quote from years ago really.

Stasis – Nothing but talk

Taika Waititi’s Star Wars Movie

Remember when we last had a brand new Star Wars movie announced? There were two, one of which is below and the other was a movie in development from Taika Waititi. We had no details, all we had was the fact Taika was developing the script alongside another writer Kirsty Wilson-Cairns. Taika’s movie was notable by its absence this weekend, so is it still happening?

According to Kathleen Kennedy, yes. However it looks like Wilson-Cairns is no longer involved. Quotes here are from the same Variety article as above.

“Taika is still working away,” she said. “He’s writing the script himself. He doesn’t really want to bring others into that process and I don’t blame him. He has a very, very unique voice. So we want to protect that and that’s what he’s doing. But we’re going to make that one day.”

So, one day they’ll make a Taika Waititi Star Wars movie. One day! The truth is, like Rian Johnson, Taika is extremely busy with projects much further into development than Star Wars. Could the reception of Thor: Love and Thunder have slowed down Lucasfilm on Taika? Who knows, but Lucasfilm do have a habit pf announcing talent just before they have a flop, or fall out of favor. More on that next.

Status: No change from first announcement and no sign of a script yet from Taika.

Rogue Squadron

Alongside Taika’s movie, there was another announced. Rogue Squadron from director Patty Jenkins seemed to be the farthest along. There was even a release date set for this one. However the movie just quietly disappeared and that also coincided with the release of WW84 by Jenkins which was universally planned by critics and flopped hard.

Kennedy chatted with IGN in the video below. Though she covered a lot of the same questions as with Variety, at 5:20 talk turns to Rogue Squadron.

“Rogue Squadron, now that is something we definitely still talk about, whether it’s a movie, or ends up being in the series space that’s definitely something.”

I think you’ll agree this is a far cry from a movie with a release date and a director attached which is where we were two years ago. That being said, I honestly think a Disney+ series is a better idea when it comes to this project anyway. However, that may depend on your own opinion. If Rogue Squadron does become a TV show, I think we can rule out Patty Jenkins. However, I’m not that fussed about Jenkins. I just hope the show or movie turns out good either way.

Status: Not dead, but they don’t know what to do with it.

Kevin Feige’s Star Wars Movie

To be honest this one was never really announced as such y Lucasfilm. However that does not make the movie any less real and it absolutely was/is. In the IGN video linked above (04:55) Kennedy is asked is about that Feige movie. So what is the official words as per Kennedy?

“Well, Kevin Feige’s project was announced by the press, or I suppose fandom. But there was nothing, nothing ever got developed. We never discussed an idea, everyone knows Kevin is a huge Star Wars Fan, so if he did come up with something, I would be all ears, but, that’s never really happened, so… It’s not an abandoned project it just didn’t happen.”

Now, it’s hard to glean the full truth from all this. However, what we can say is that Kennedy’s words here are not fully accurate to the situation. If there was never an idea even from Feige, then why was Michael Waldron writing the script for him? Waldron himself confirmed as such, and Feige didn’t deny it. Yet now Kevin never really had an idea? Something feels off. Plus Disney exec Alan Horn claimed it was happening in public at one point.

RELATED: Three New Star Wars Movies Announced At SWC Including Rey Follow Up

Reporter Matthew Belloni make a claim this weekend that Kennedy was never keen on the Feige movie happening. The claim was made in Belloni’s Puck News. Here is the relevant quote.

“According to sources, Kathy was never enthusiastic about the Feige project, and I suppose I get it. Even after some recent Marvel stumbles, Feige is by far the most powerful creative executive at Disney. His success in Kennedy’s sandbox would be hugely embarrassing for her, especially given all the problems on the Star Wars films going back to J.J. Abrams’ rush-job on The Force Awakens, the mid-shoot firings of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller on Solo, the pre-production firing of Colin Trevorrow on The Rise of Skywalker, all the filmmakers that have come to develop at Lucasfilm with much fanfare and departed after a frustrating process, and the other failures of franchise management that I’ve written about.”

Now, Belloni does not seem to be a massive KK fan, and that’s come across before. So I’m not sure if this is accurate or not? Some fans have speculated that KK is towing the company line for Disney. That Feige has been told to right his own ship with the recent MCU movies not doing as well at the box office. So will this movie ever happen? I’ve no idea.

Status: Mysterious and Intriguing, but ultimately not happening any time soon. 

New Movies – Rey Sequel

Now we get into the new movies announced and after that initial press release Kennedy has had a few more things to say. In the IGN video above Kennedy states that the movie will take place around 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker and will revolve around Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order. Lucasfilm also released a new timeline of all the era’s and the era this movie will be set is called ‘New Jedi Order’. I dunno, but I’m sure that name feels familiar somehow, maybe it will come back to me eventually /s?

For now there are no hints from anyone that any of Rey’s co-stars in the Sequels will show up. Though, Kennedy did give a vague, ‘you never know’ answer to that question. However, I think we can probably determine that this Rey Sequel is the movie farthest along in the development cycle. Before SWC we knew that Damon Lindelof had left the project and a new writer, Stephen Knight, had come aboard.

Speaking with Yahoo Movies Kathleen Kennedy said she expects the script from Knight in around 6 week’s time.

“We’ve been working on that [film] for a few years and all of that feeds in to our overall storytelling,” said Kennedy. “So we’ve just got to a point now where we’ve got a wonderful writer in Steven Knight, he’s come on board and we’re going to see a script probably in the next month and a half that we’ve been working on for quite a while. So we’re getting close.”

As we in the press have been saying for  some time now. The Rey Sequel from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will be the next to hit theaters. However, what happens of Knight’s script doesn’t land right either? Honestly, I would not expect to see this movie in December 2025 which is the next Star Wars movie date listed. However, I could be wrong?

Status: In active development

James Mangold and the Dawn of the Jedi

Another movie announced was Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold’s movie. No title as you’d expect, but this story will take place in a brand new era. What is rather shocking is how ancient this era will be. Called the ‘Dawn of the Jedi’ era, Mangold’s movie will go 25 thousand years in the past. In the Star Wars Universe that could still be a technologically advanced Galaxy, perhaps just after Hyperspace travel is discovered? Then again, Mangold may have an idea to go pre-Hyperspace, but then we would likely be stuck on one or two planets only.

Kathleen Kennedy explained how the movie came about. Mangold was in Kennedy’s ear about making a Star Wars film whilst they made Indy 5 together which Kennedy produced. Kennedy told Mangold, okay, pitch me an idea, so he did. Kennedy ran this past her creative team and the they all agreed this was a great idea.

Problem is, don’t expect this one anytime soon either. Mangold is a busy director. Perhaps to ensure everyone of who comes first, Dc boss James Gunn announced this weekend that Mangold was writing and directing Swamp Thing for the new DCU. Therefore, I will guess it could be years before we get to go back to the Dawn of the Jedi. I’m fine with that, take all the time you need, just make a damn good movie.

Status: In development

Dave Filoni’s MandoVerse Movie

This is the movie I will say least about. For a start, it is the one movie announced I feel like we can 100% guarantee will happen. This movie will be a culmination of the various story threads Filoni has been spinning since The Clone Wars. We already have several successful MandoVerse shows building this story up, so the conclusion will happen. Given Filoni only works for Lucasfilm exclusively, there are no scheduling issues. This movie will be planned and timed to hit at the perfect time within the shows run.

Kennedy confirmed we can expect to see many characters we know from the TV shows and that’s hardly news either.

As for when we will see this? It’s a tad unclear, in one of the many interviews linked above Kennedy said the movie would culminate 6-7 years of storytelling. However the way she worded it made it unclear whether she meant 6-7 years from now, or since Mando first began. My guess is the latter and she means 6-7 years of TV series leading into the movie. That gives us a 2-3 year window, which does make sense to me.

I also feel like the leads of this movie are more likely to be Filoni created characters such as Ezra and Ahsoka. However I’m sure Din Djarin and Grogu will at least show up, as will the Mandalorians.

Status: Bet the farm on this one happening within 2-3 years. 

Opening Crawls And Standalone Movies

Another important movie detail to take note of is the opening crawl. Kathleen Kennedy confirms that that famous opening crawl is making it’s way back to the movies. In an interview with EW, the Lucasfilm president was asked whether the Rey Sequel would see the return of the opening crawl? However, Kennedy then clarified that this was not just the Rey Sequel but all Star Wars movies.

You’ll recall that neither Rogue One, nor Solo had opening crawls, but that is now going to change going forward.

However if we go all the way to the IGN interview above, Kathleen Kennedy also clarified all three of these movies were standalone movies. To clarify what that means to Lucasfilm, Kennedy says many projects can begin as standalone and then grow from that point.

Read between the lines and you’ll get this. If the Rey movie is a hit, expect to see more movies told within the ‘New Jedi Order’ era. If The Dave Filoni movie is successful then we could see more movies in the ‘New Republic’ era (MandoVerse), and if the James Mangold movie is a hit, we could see more movies in the ‘Dawn of the Jedi’ era. It’s now up to Lucasfilm to deliver three hit movies. As to what happens if all three movies flop? I have no idea, but of all three, there are various degrees of risk.

The Filoni movie will be a hit, you know it, I know it, fans are already mentally buying their tickets from what could end up being a live-action Heir to the Empire adaptation. The Mangold movie is far more risky, but it is also unencumbered by the baggage of what has come before. If the movie is a good idea, has a cool trailer and gets good word of mouth, it will make money. If any of those things do not happen, it won’t.

RELATED: Star Wars Celebration 2023 Recap: Thrawn, Movie News, And More!!! | TC

The one movie I do worry about is the Rey Sequel. That movie has to be good, if it’s not, might as well scrap the ‘New Jedi Order’ era right away, or at least jump it forward a hundred years and kill of Rey and the rest. I do worry even if the movie is pretty good it’s going to have the Fandom Menace all over it like glue. I can tell you right now that some of the hate clicks You Tubers out there are already furious about this movie. After all, they were peddling the story that the sequels would be erased, Kennedy would be fired and we’d get a new trilogy to replace it all. In other words, even if the Rey Sequel is a surprisingly amazing movie, they’ll pick it apart and hate on it because that’s how they make money.

If it ends up being a bit rubbish by anyone’s standards then, good bye Rey.

So, that’s the state of ALL Star Wars movies in development after this weekend’s SWC according to Kathleen Kennedy. This is everything we know about any Star Wars movie we have a hint of. Given that most announced Star Wars movies never seem to happen, I won’t count my chickens with anything mentioned here save Filoni’s movie at this point.

What do you think about the current state of all Star Wars movies, or any of Kathleen Kennedy’s comments? Thoughts below as always.

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