Lucasfilm ran into some major setbacks with its next theatrical release in the Star Wars universe.
Fans haven't seen a Star Wars movie on the big screen since 2019's Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker as Lucasfilm attempts to move into new adventures outside of the Skywalker Saga.
Those efforts haven't been easy, however, as an already planned Star Wars movie set for 2025 has been facing more than its fair share of problems while multiple new Disney+ properties have been produced and released in the last few years.
And with two other new movies from the galaxy far, far away already facing the ax with no signs of improvement on the horizon, the new 2025 outing is facing a whole new set of issues with its production crew.
New Star Wars Movie Loses Head Writers
Above the Line revealed that both Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson have left their upcoming Star Wars movie, which both of them were initially set to write ahead of the film's 2025 release.
The pair reportedly gave a draft of the film to Disney and Lucasfilm in mid-February but left the project only days after that happened.
It appears that Lucasfilm already has a new writer in line for this mystery movie, although the name wasn't revealed yet.
This new story, which will be directed by Ms. Marvel's Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, is currently slated to start production in February 2024 ahead of its December 19, 2025 release date.
Above the Line's Jeff Sneider also clarified further on Twitter, explaining that Obaid-Chinoy is still in line to direct the film and that it will still be Lucasfilm's next Star Wars movie.
How Will New Setback Affect Star Wars Slate?
Considering that this 2025 Star Wars movie already has its new writer set, it's still disconcerting knowing that its original screenwriters wound up leaving their work unfinished, particularly with Damon Lindeloff's credentials and the passion that he showed for this post-Skywalker Saga adventure.
Lindeloff was originally hired for the project in March 2022, a fact that only leads to a number of questions about why he and Justin Britt-Gibson left the movie so abruptly less than a year before it's scheduled to begin production.
And while Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is nothing to sneeze at after her impressive success with the MCU, she now stands as the only creative attached to Lucasfilm's first Star Wars movie in what will have been six years.
Disney CEO Bob Iger explained how the disappointing box office returns from recent years "gave [them] pause" on making another Star Wars movie, so it's clear that the studio wants to give the fans something to be proud of.
Now, with no definitive signs pointing to when the new writer for this story will be revealed, Star Wars' return to the big screen will continue to be a topic fans look at with some concern.
