Lucasfilm Confirms Star Wars' Exciting Animated Future Plans

Lucasfilm Animation, the studio behind Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, The Bad Batch, and the Tales anthology series, celebrated two decades at Star Wars Celebration Japan in April 2025, where Vice President of Animation Production Athena Yvette Portillo and Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni took the stage to look back and, more pointedly, look ahead. What came out of that panel was the official announcement of Maul — Shadow Lord, the next chapter in Lucasfilm Animation's long-running streak of Disney+ series. Unsurprisingly, that's not where things stop; there's more exciting animated content coming the way of fans.

In a recent interview with Collider, Portillo was asked whether a second season of Maul — Shadow Lord was already in the works. Her answer revealed that there were multiple Star Wars animated projects in the pipeline aside from the highly anticipated show: "We have other things in development and in progress, not necessarily related to the show." 

Lucasfilm Animation has been consistent in its output, so it's no surprise that it wants to produce more content. The fans also love the films and shows they’ve produced over the years, so the support is there. Since Portillo didn’t mention the exact projects they have in store, it makes one wonder what’s in the works at the studio.

While Portillo didn't reveal anything about a second season of Maul - Shadow Lord at the time, the animated Disney+ series was officially renewed for a second installment prior to the premiere of Season 1. Specifically, series creator and Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni announced that the show would be receiving a Season 2. This move indicates that Disney and Lucasfilm have a lot of confidence in Shadow Lord and were expecting it to bring in a large number of viewers. 

Studios rarely greenlight additional seasons of a TV series before the first season has even released its first episode, so it is clear Lucasfilm has a road map for where it wants to take the Maul series.

There's no shortage of material that Lucasfilm Animation could explore. The Bad Batch, ending in 2024, left several corners of that era open. The Tales anthology format proved flexible enough to run three separate volumes over three years, each covering a different slice of Star Wars history. And the Mandoverse, which feeds into The Mandalorian and Grogu's theatrical debut on May 22, still has plenty of stories that animation could borrow from.

Beyond that, Filoni has spoken openly in the past about unproduced Clone Wars story arcs, including the Boba Fett and Cad Bane arc teased at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Fans would recall that at the ceremony, an unproduced footage, pulled from what Filoni described as a dusty old computer, showed Boba being trained by Cad Bane. At the same time, Anakin Skywalker pursued them on Coruscant. It's the kind of story the studio has revived before, so it’s not far-fetched to think the same can be done with this story and many others.

The more Star Wars animated content there is, the better off fans are. Animation is the part of this franchise where the biggest creative swings are taken. It’s also where characters get room to develop properly across multiple seasons. Also, storylines that don’t fit a two-hour film can get told in full with animation. The creators usually aren’t too constrained by the same limits as live-action projects. So, Lucasfilm Animation planning to tell more stories is great and can easily help expand the franchise beyond what it already is.

Fans have been asking for certain stories for years, and this is a perfect time to give them what they want. The gap in Maul’s timeline is one example, and it’s finally getting filled. But there are plenty of others worth exploring. Characters whose arcs ended abruptly, parts of the galaxy that have never been explored on screen, and eras that live-action Star Wars hasn’t touched. Animated content is also the perfect stopgap for fans during the long waits between theatrical releases.

While the Disney era began with a consistent yearly schedule, the time between Star Wars films has widened significantly in recent years. The Mandalorian & Grogu, for instance, marks the first time in seven years that we're getting a Star Wars film. However, Star Wars: Starfighter is set to release on May 28, 2027, just a year after Mandalorian & Grogu hits theaters. 

This rapid succession suggests the trend of long droughts might finally be moving back to a more consistent theatrical schedule. However, this momentum could be short-lived if these initial films fail at the box office. Should this inconsistency return, animated projects would serve as the perfect source of entertainment for fans between major releases.