At Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm announced five new movies and television shows for the iconic franchise that will all debut in 2024 and later.
The big event was held in London this year and is a tradition by the company that aims to live up to its name: celebrating the galaxy far, far away. Fans gathered from around the world to revel in their favorite stories and characters while Lucasfilm treated everyone to new footage and announcements.
It's no surprise that Lucasfilm saw the event as the perfect place to make some major reveals about new theatrical and streaming Star Wars projects.
1.) Rey's New Jedi Order
One of the biggest films announced will be directed by Sharmeen Obaid Cinoy, who was previously announced to be attached to a project several weeks back. It brings back Daisy Ridley's Rey as she creates a new Jedi Order fifteen years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
It's assumed that this movie is the project aiming for a December 2025 release date.
As one would expect, given some fans' extreme viewpoints against the sequel trilogy, many had varied reactions to Rey's return to the big screen.
While some might not be excited to get back to the sequel era, it's important to note that the problems with Episodes VII through IX have nothing to do with the characters but instead how they (and the story) were both written and handled.
After all, when it comes to retroactively fixing things, that's Star Wars' bread and butter.
2.) The First Jedi
Another film announced was the reveal that James Mangold, who directed Logan, is set to write and direct a movie focused on the first Jedi ever to exist. This would make it the earliest story ever told in the Star Wars universe.
Based on Lucasfilms' new official timeline, this movie would be taking place notably before The Old Republic, an era that, while technically canon, currently has all its stories in Legends status.
In an interview with Yahoo, Mangold noted that he "thought about a biblical epic" focused on "the dawning of the Force." Further elaborating, the filmmaker shared some key questions he wanted to ask: "Where did the force come from, when did [they] discover it, [and] when did [they] learn how to use it?"
With this film being made by a prolific filmmaker and not connected to any other current happenings in the Star Wars universe, this could end up being the project that is furthest away from release.
3.) The Mandoverse Event Film
Somehow, the reveal that Dave Filoni will be writing and directing a Mandoverse movie managed to surprise some.
While Lucasfilms' recent string of Disney+ shows have been all the rage, fans never expected that timeline to be the focus of a theatrical film. Now, everyone can look forward to a big Avengers: Endgame-type culmination event.
The movie will focus on the escalating war between the Imperial Remnant and the fledgling New Republic.
Sadly, there is no information on when exactly this project could materialize. One would assume that, at the earliest, it would be after The Mandalorian's fourth season, which is set to begin production in October.
4.) Tales of the Jedi Season 2
When the animated anthology, Tales of the Jedi, was first announced, there was no blatant indication that another batch of episodes would be created. In hindsight, it seems a given due to the show's very nature.
Further details regarding who the second season could focus on were not revealed.
Hopefully, fans will be able to see stories involving less focused-on characters, such as Plo Koon or Kit Fisto. Perhaps the series could even bring some High Republic characters to the forefront. Lucasfilm could also take the chance to tell its first canon Old Republic store within Season 2 of the animated anthology.
With how little information is known about the return of the anthology, fans should expect a 2024 release or later.
5.) The Bad Batch Season 3
It would have been cruel of Disney and Lucasfilm to prematurely axe The Bad Batch after the cliffhanger that Season 2 ended with.
Thankfully, fans have another batch of episodes to look forward to as the squad copes with the loss of one of their own while formulating a plan to rescue Omega from the cloning facility.
A teaser shown at Star Wars Celebration also revealed the return of Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand, who first appeared in the show's premiere season.
This third season will also be the show's final, so fans will have to prepare themselves to say goodbye to the titular team. Perhaps some of them will crossover to live-action in the future.
Since Season 2 only just finished, it's safe to assume that the final Season will land in 2024.
The Star Wars Theatrical Experience Is Back
After years of uncertainty, it seems like Lucasfilm might actually have a plan for its theatrical endeavors. Needless to say, many fans will be excited to finally return to theaters.
What's also great about the chosen movies is how varied the experiences are and that they cover multiple different eras. This will help fans get more unique stories—like actually witnessing the tale of the first Jedi.
While all of these projects won't be arriving until 2024 or much later, there are thankfully many other Star Wars stories to be had before then.
First and foremost is The Mandalorian, which is gearing up to finish out its third season. However, a fourth is already on the way and could arrive before the end of next year.
Before that, both The Acolyte and Andor Season 2 will debut. Then there's Jon Watt's Skeleton Crew, another Disney+ show arriving by the end of this year or early next.
Until then, The Mandalorian Season 3 is now streaming on Disney+.
