After being announced throughout past years, fans were finally given a reassuring update by Disney about when three upcoming Star Wars movies will be released.
As of writing, it has been nearly five years since the release of Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, the last feature film in the galaxy far, far away.
Since then, the Star Wars universe has been further explored through Disney+ shows, but fans are still itching to see fresh stories come back to the big screen.
Star Wars' Release Plan For Next Three Movies
During Disney's Q3 earnings presentation, the company confirmed that three Star Wars films would be released in 2026 and 2027.
The only specific title that was announced to fill one of those slots was The Mandalorian & Grogu. However, since only a few future Star Wars movies have been announced, fans have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
However, the more notable takeaway from the announcement was most likely the fact that three Star Wars movies are still moving along and are planned to be released.
In the past, it seemed as though any time a movie would get announced it would soon be canceled completely. This held true for Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron, Kevin Feige's untitled movie, and the trilogy from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, amongst others.
So, the update from Disney indicating three Star Wars movies are still being planned for 2026 and 20207 has to be reassuring for many fans.
As mentioned, Disney did not attach specific release dates and/or titles to their plans in the Q3 call. However, due to past reports and updates, here is a realistic prediction of which movie could come out on what dates:
May 22, 2026 - The Mandalorian & Grogu
Star Wars surprisingly announced that the next Star Wars movie to be released in theaters would be titled The Mandalorian & Grogu.
The movie was announced in January, along with the confirmation that Disney and Lucasfilm were eyeing a May 2026 release date.
However, a few months later in April, Disney further specified that it hit theaters on May 26, 2026, better known as Memorial Day weekend.
Many credible sources revealed earlier in 2024 that The Mandalorian & Grogu would begin filming sometime in June. However, Disney never announced that filming had begun, making it seem as though there had been some sort of delay.
As of writing, there are still no updates on whether the movie was able to begin shooting or not, and neither Disney nor Lucasfilm have shared news on its status.
However, seeing as how The Mandalorian & Grogu was the only title to be specifically referenced in the Q3 earnings call, it can be inferred that everything is still on track and that Disney and Lucasfilm may be keeping things under wraps.
December 18, 2026 - Rey's New Jedi Order Movie
Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the currently untitled Star Wars movie centered around Daisy Ridley's Rey and the start of her new Jedi Order was announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
Before The Mandalorian & Grogu was announced, the Rey movie was set to be the first Star Wars film to be released since The Rise of Skywalker.
At one time, it was reported that the film could begin shooting in the first half of 2024.
However, like many other projects, the untitled Star Wars flick was undoubtedly affected by the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes that took place in 2023, which likely pushed back the start of filming.
Also important to note is that the movie's writer, Steven Knight, wasn't always the one chosen to pen the script. He replaced Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson after they were apparently fired, according to Lindelof.
Since the Rey movie was previously marketed as the next Star Wars movie (before The Mandalorian & Grogu was announced), it is safe to assume that it will fill the next slot in Star Wars' release slate — December 18, 2026.
That also means that two Star Wars movies (The Mandalorian & Grogu and the untitled Rey film) will be released in the same year, which is something that has never happened before in the Star Wars universe.
December 17, 2027 - MandoVerse Crossover or Dawn of the Jedi
Only one release date on Star Wars' upcoming slate remains, but there are still two more planned titles aside from the two already mentioned.
That means that, on December 17, 2027, either Dave Filoni's crossover movie set in the MandoVerse or James Mangold's The Dawn of the Jedi will hit theaters.
It is important to note that James Mangold has his hands rather full for the foreseeable future.
The filmmaker is currently in the midst of working on a biopic centered around Bob Dylan, and, after that, he will be the director of Swamp Thing for James Gunn's new interconnected DC Studios universe.
Therefore, it is highly unlikely that Mangold will be able to tackle his Star Wars movie in time for it to be released in 2027, so Filoni's crossover movie will most likely fill that slot.
However, it is also important to mention that Filoni's schedule won't be anywhere near clear, as he is currently working on Season 2 of Ahsoka and other Star Wars projects.
But, since Disney confirmed that a movie is still planned for 2027, it has to be reassuring for fans since they can at least expect something to hit theaters that year.
Star Wars' next movie will be The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is currently confirmed to be released on May 22, 2026.
