Star Wars Celebration 2023 kicked off in London on Friday with the morning’s panel showcasing a bunch of upcoming series in production and announcing three films in the works – two new and one previously announced.
What wasn’t discussed were previously announced “Star Wars” projects that seem stuck in development. The most notable are the films from Taika Waititi and Shawn Levy that weren’t cancelled, like the Patty Jenkins “Rogue Squadron” film or the Kevin Feige and J.D. Dillard films.
Similarly, there was no discussion of “Star Wars” shows beyond those coming this year and next – so no mention of the Donald Glover-led “Lando” series or any shows for 2025. If Lucasfilm is to have one or two “Star Wars” series ready for 2025, it needs to get them in development this year to have them in production by 2024.
Speaking with IGN in the wake of the panel, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy was asked about those projects that have been reported on as shelved aren’t dead or forgotten. Rather it’s all an issue of availability and scheduling:
“Well, they haven’t been shelved. Most things haven’t been shelved. Development is a complicated, long-term process. [For] some people, we’re dealing with scheduling because obviously really talented people are working. It’s often not a shelving. It’s just, ‘Is it ready?’ is really what it comes down to.”
Specifically, Kennedy says both the Donald Glover-led Lando Calrissian series and “Rogue Squadron” are still in the works. The latter, however, will probably look different from what was initially conceived:
“‘Rogue Squadron,’ that definitely is something that we still talk about. Whether it’s a movie or whether it ends up being in the series space, that’s definitely something… [Lando] I can just tell you it’s still happening and [Donald Glover is] very excited about it.”
The one movie that is dead because it was never really alive in the first place was the Kevin Feige-produced movie announced in 2019. Kennedy says: “Nothing ever got developed. We never discussed an idea.”
