On Tuesday came a rumor from scooper Jeff Sneider that suggested Lucasfilm and studio president Kathleen Kennedy are in the midst of planning a more concrete roadmap for the future of the “Star Wars” film franchise.
Lucasfilm has found its “Star Wars” franchise in the same position Paramount still finds itself with the “Star Trek” franchise. On TV, it’s flourishing with numerous series currently on the air and with the most recently launched one (Strange New Worlds, Andor) drawing the most acclaim thus far.
When it comes to the films, both franchises are stuck in neutral and seemingly not sure where to turn next. Though there’s been some ambitious talk and even some names linked to projects in development, some projects have been scrapped or sidelined, and there’s still nothing set in stone.
Cut to this week, and the report suggests the movie drought may be over as Sneider claimed on The Hot Mic that Lucasfilm has planned out Star Wars’ future for the next five years:
“I think there’s a lot of stuff coming down the pipe on the features side at Lucasfilm to be excited about… But specifically on the Star Wars side, I think it was a conscious decision to pivot to television for a while and really establish Disney+ and tell some different stories. But I think that… fans have to be patient obviously because we’re not gonna see any of this stuff until 2025. But like, from what I understand, Kathleen has the next five years planned out. They have their [20]26 and 2027 slates. We just don’t know what they are yet.”
This follows on from a report at Puck News a few weeks back that indicated that there was a “culture of fear and indecision” among the top brass at Lucasfilm, but the studio is determined on “getting it right” with the next film which is why it’s taking so long.
Certainly, there has been more movement on this front in the last few months than seemingly the last few years, with Damon Lindelof’s film said to be a “top priority” at Lucasfilm.
The change in Disney’s upper management, with Bob Iger stepping back into the lead role and replacing Bob Chapek, is being seen as a good thing when it comes to the future of the “Star Wars” franchise.
We might get our first hint of answers next week though, with Lucasfilm set to host a panel for both “Indiana Jones 5” and “The Mandalorian” at Brazil’s CCXP event, with those involved giving interviews and potentially offering updates or at least a little more clarity.
