Sadly, another much-anticipated Star Wars movie has been abandoned, joining an ever-growing dumpster pile at Lucasfilm. For unclear reasons, Disney's Lucasfilm has always had trouble moving its blockbusters forward, even firing and replacing 18 directors in recent years. This has sparked an almost seven-year drought of Star Wars movies since The Rise of Skywalker that will finally end in May 2026, thanks to The Mandalorian & Grogu.
During an interview with Radio Andy, The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson confirmed that he is "not actively working" on his Star Wars trilogy anymore, but insisted he is "still tight" with Lucasfilm and would be open to returning:
"Making 'The Last Jedi' was, like, the best experience of my life. And I’m still tight with the folks at Lucasfilm. We’re not actively working on it right now, but if, down the line, it makes sense to come back into that universe, I’d be thrilled."
Johnson has recently been busy at Netflix, fulfilling a deal to develop two Knives Out sequels starring Daniel Craig's Detective Benoit Blanc. The second of those sequels will hit Netflix this month with Wake Up Dead Man.
That's not to say Lucasfilm is no longer dying for a successful new Star Wars trilogy, as X-Men franchise writer Simon Kinberg has been hired to write three new movies, which could serve as Episodes 10-12.
Even with Johnson's trilogy abandoned at Lucasfilm, for now, the studio is finally making headway on another three-movie saga. Star Wars' next big screen trilogy is reportedly already filming, as director Shawn Levy's Starfighter will reportedly have a "big cameo" to set up its sequels, which could involve Daisy Ridley's Rey.
Lucasfilm is reportedly also eager to expand next year's The Mandalorian & Grogu into a trilogy, continuing the events of its Disney+ predecessor. However, if it underperforms, those sequels could go the same way as the many other Star Wars movies that have been cancelled in recent years...
The Hunt for Ben Solo
Hot off the press, Kylo Ren actor Adam Driver was going to team up with Ocean's Eleven director Steven Soderbergh for The Hunt for Ben Solo. The Episode IX sequel even had a complete script from Scott Z. Burns that was, unfortunately, shut down by Disney bosses Bob Iger and Alan Bergman.
Supposedly, Disney was confused about how Ben Solo was alive after he died in The Rise of Skywalker, leading to the Lucasfilm greenlit flick being shut down. Now that the project has gone public, a fan campaign has been launched to revive The Hunt for Ben Solo, but it seems doubtful that anything will come of it.
Josh Trank's Boba Fett
Years before Simon Kinberg was given the keys to a new Star Wars trilogy, he was writing a movie starring the iconic Boba Fett. Chronicile director Josh Trank was attached to direct the flick but departed in 2015, with conflicting reports citing his desire to pursue other projects or the troubles with his Fantastic Four reboot.
Sadly, Boba Fett had fizzled out before Lucasfilm even got The Force Awakens into theatres, making it one of Disney's earliest Star Wars failures. That said, the bounty hunter would eventually get his dues on Disney+ in The Book of Boba Fett, which looks unlikely to be renewed for Season 2.
Guillermo del Toro's Jabba The Hutt
The legendary director behind this year's Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro, was planning to explore the rise and fall of Star Wars' iconic crime boss, Jabba the Hutt, with a script from The Dark Knight writer David S. Goyer.
Jabba the Hutt's Star Wars spin-off was abandoned around 2017 before things truly got moving on The Godfather-inspired flick.
Untitled Kevin Feige Movie
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was gearing up to spread his pop culture wings into the Star Wars galaxy based on a script from Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron.
The project never moved forward, perhaps due to Feige's busy schedule running the MCU, although Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has since insisted "nothing ever got developed" for the mystery project.
Untitled Benioff & Weiss Movie
During Game of Thrones' heyday, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were hired to sculpt a new Star Wars trilogy about the origins of the Jedi (which has since been revived with a new movie from Logan director James Mangold).
Unfortunately, plans were abandoned in 2019 due to scheduling conflicts, with their recent Netflix deal and the disappointment surrounding Game of Thrones' final season among the reported reasons for their exit.
Untitled J.D. Dillard Movie
In 2020, Devotion director J. D. Dillard was set to write a new chapter in the galaxy far, far away, later revealed to be inspired by the 1994 video game, TIE Fighter.
Unfortunately, Dillard told The Wrap in 2022 that his Star Wars trip was "no longer a thing" and "not for lack of trying." Some have speculated the project's similarities to Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron, the status of which is unclear, led to its abandonment at Lucasfilm.
The Official Status of Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie
In the world of Star Wars movie-making, for some reason, nothing is ever certain, and projects seem to be cancelled all the time. As such, X-Men: Dark Phoenix writer Simon Kinberg's new trilogy could, despite currently being in early development, easily be pushed aside after years in development hell.
Thor: Love & Thunder director Taika Waititi has his own Star Wars movie stuck in development, with Kathleen Kennedy confirming this year that he is still working on the project and they remain eager to make it happen (via ScreenRant).
Rogue Squadron from Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins was once slated as Star Wars' next movie after The Rise of Skywalker. While that project has been on life support for several years, Rogue Squadron is reportedly back in development, with some rumors saying it could become a Disney+ series.
On the flip side, Lando was originally announced as a Disney+ series, but is reportedly back in development at Lucasfilm for the big screen. Solo's Lando Calrissian actor Donald Glover is writing the script alongside his brother and Atlanta collaborator, Stephen Glover, but it's tough to tell if it will ever materialize.
Meanwhile, Star Wars Celebration 2023 brought confirmations of three new movies that would bring the galaxy far, far away back to theatres. Those included a "New Jedi Order" movie starring Daisy Ridley's Rey, a MandoVerse crossover event from Dave Filoni, and a "Dawn of the Jedi" project from James Mangold.
Officially, all three of those movies are still in development, but progress has been slow, and any one of them could still be cancelled. Since those announcements shook the internet, both The Mandalorian & Grogu and Starfighter have shot past them to become Star Wars' next movies, with release dates in 2026 and 2027.
