Another canceled Star Wars project could raise questions about the franchise's increasingly uncertain theatrical future. 2027 is shaping up to be a major one for the galaxy far, far away, with the return of Ahsoka for Season 2 and the big-screen release of Ryan Gosling-led Starfighter. Lucasfilm and Disney are likely looking to rebound after the financial and critical disappointment of this spring's The Mandalorian and Grogu, which became the lowest-grossing Star Wars movie to date. However, it appears the bad news surrounding the Mando film isn't over yet.
The junior novelization for Disney's The Mandalorian and Grogu, which was set to release February 2027, appears to have been canceled. The listing for the novel on Penguin Random House, the book's publisher, is no longer accessible, nor are listings on various third-party retailers such as Amazon. If canceled, the book's disappearance would make The Mandalorian and Grogu the first Star Wars movie in franchise history to not receive a junior novelization. For context, junior novelizations typically adapt films and other adult-oriented media into simplified stories designed for children and young readers.
Interestingly, The Mandalorian and Grogu did not receive an adult novelization either, another publishing tie-in that typically accompanies major theatrical releases. Instead, the film's only known publishing assets are two prequel comics aimed at younger readers. The first (The Mandalorian and Grogu: Danger in the Dark) was released roughly two months after the movie, while the second (The Mandalorian and Grogu: Nightmare on Nevarro) is scheduled to hit shelves on October 21. Both prequel stories are set between Season 3 of the original The Mandalorian Disney+ series and the events of the film.
The apparent cancellation of 2027's The Mandalorian and Grogu's junior novelization joins a list of Star Wars projects that have seemingly been shelved without any official confirmation. Several projects, mainly theatrical films, have quietly disappeared from the franchise's slate, raising questions about how much content remains in development. These projects may return in some form, but their uncertain status highlights shifting plans surrounding the future of Star Wars.
Unofficially Canceled Star Wars Films
Rian Johnson's Star Wars Trilogy
In 2017, Disney announced during a shareholder meeting that Rian Johnson, who had directed that year's The Last Jedi, would return to lead a new Star Wars trilogy. From that point, however, any word regarding this trilogy was shockingly silent, with some attributing the hush-hush to negative reception of The Last Jedi. Though reports were on and off regarding if the trilogy was still happening, as of December 2025, Johnson said he was "not actively working" on it.
Despite Johnson's public acknowledgment of the trilogy stalling, Lucasfilm has yet to provide an official update of any kind, leaving its ultimate status unclear. The filmmaker has remained occupied with the Knives Out franchise since The Last Jedi, while Star Wars is potentially working through additional theatrical projects from other filmmakers. Until Lucasfilm confirms the trilogy's fate, Johnson's return to Star Wars remains one of the franchise's most notable projects caught in development limbo.
Kevin Feige's Star Wars Film
Another Star Wars film that apparently disappeared was one from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. First announced in 2020, the movie was to be written by Michael Waldron, who previously worked with Feige on MCU projects such as Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, as of 2023, reports indicated that it was no longer in active development.
The Feige-helmed movie is one of Star Wars' more complicated projects. Former Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said in 2023 that the Feige movie had never been developed beyond its announcement. As a result, this project stands out from others floating around in the backrooms at Lucasfilm due to it never reaching an active development stage.
Knights of the Old Republic
The Knights of the Old Republic movie is another dormant Star Wars project whose fate remains unclear. In 2019, Kennedy confirmed (per BuzzFeed) that the studio was "developing something to look at" based on the beloved video game. Other reports noted that Shutter Island and Alita: Battle Angel writer Laeta Kalogridis had been working on a script since 2018 and was nearing completion on the first installment of a potential trilogy.
However, nothing has been reported about the film since that announcement, leaving it unclear whether Kalogridis' project is still in development or has been shelved. Nonetheless, Lucasfilm seems to remain interested in exploring eras outside the Skywalker Saga, including the Old Republic era, as the company and fans alike continue to celebrate the original video game and its characters.
Dave Filoni's MandoVerse Crossover Film
Now Lucasfilm's president and chief creative officer, Dave Filoni's MandoVerse crossover film is another major project whose future has become increasingly bleak. Announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2023, the movie was intended to bring together characters from The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ series, serving as the culmination of the interconnected New Republic-era stories and rivaling that of which Marvel Studios had achieved.
However, the project has received little-to-no movement since that announcement, and as of this January, was "put on the backburner." That uncertainty is especially concerning now that Filoni has taken over at Lucasfilm. And despite The Mandalorian and Grogu bringing a major piece of Filoni's MandoVerse to theaters, its failure may spell impending doom for the interconnected vision that he and the company had.
Rogue Squadron
Another project that has spent years at the bottom of Star Wars' pocket is Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron. Lucasfilm announced the film in 2020 and positioned it as Star Wars' next theatrical release at the time, noting it would introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots to the franchise. It was supposed to hit theaters in December 2023 but was removed from Disney's release calendar as development stalled.
Despite this, Rogue Squadron has received occasional signs of life. Jenkins, who famously helmed DCEU's Wonder Woman films, said in 2024 that the movie had been paused rather than canceled and that she still owed Lucasfilm a script. Then, there were insider rumblings in 2025 that the movie was shifting to a Disney+ series instead. Yet, a 2026 update (per Polygon) from the film's original writer, Matthew Robinson, suggested that he no longer knows what Lucasfilm wants to do with the project. All this emphasizes that Rogue Squadron remains one of Lucasfilm's biggest wildcards until the studio confirms the project's fate.
James Mangold's Star Wars Film
James Mangold's Star Wars film has gone largely quiet since Lucasfilm revealed it at Star Wars Celebration in 2023. It was described as a story set at the dawn of the Jedi, roughly 25,000 years before the original trilogy. Mangold (who directed Fox's Logan and Lucasfilm's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) said he envisioned the film as a biblical epic exploring the origins of the Force and the first Jedi to wield it, making it one of the franchise's most ambitious attempts to explore its untouched history.
Despite that intriguing premise, updates on the project have been scarce. The film, referred to as Jedi Prime in 2024, was still listed among Lucasfilm's feature projects that same year, though Kennedy said it was apparently on hold on her way out. For a project that could revitalize the franchise by unveiling a new chapter of Star Wars mythology, Mangold's film joins a growing collection of announced movies that have been shelved or potentially outright canceled by Lucasfilm.
