The future of Star Wars might be coming into place, and it could be good news to some, while worrisome to others. The franchise has several feature-length projects in the pipeline, with The Mandalorian & Grogu set for release in May 2026, followed by Starfighter in May 2027. While The Mandalorian & Grogu takes place in the period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens in a series of interconnected stories fans call the Mandoverse, Starfighter will be the first Star Wars film set after The Rise of Skywalker. However, it seems another upcoming project will take fans into the future of a galaxy far, far away.
A new rumor, from scooper Daniel Ritchman (via SFF Gazette), suggests that the Daisy Ridley-led New Jedi Order film will jumpstart a new slate of movies for Lucasfilm. Disney reportedly is looking to tell a series of stories set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker, with plot threads that could potentially pick up on one another. These include the planned Rey movie led by Ridley, and, potentially, Simon Kinberg’s Star Wars trilogy. It appears Lucasfilm finally has a plan in place, but some fans might be upset that the new slate will borrow the Mandoverse formula, which established several Disney+ projects as a part of one big storyline.
How ‘Star Wars’ Tells Interconnected Stories
Disney+
Star Wars setting a series of stories in the same timeframe is nothing new. It’s been the case on the publication side, as they’ve had initiatives like the High Republic and the Road to the Force Awakens branding that told loosely connected but not entirely overlapping stories. Since Starfighter is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, it is hard to imagine that it will directly connect to the Rey-centric Jedi Order film, which will take place fifteen years later. That said, it appears that Lucasfilm wants the latter to closely tie in new films set in the same timeline.
The comparison to the Mandoverse projects is interesting, since those stories were crafted to connect together like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which makes sense as Jon Favreau was overseeing those Star Wars titles. The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew are meant to crossover in a larger-scale feature film project, though it now may depend on how well The Mandalorian & Grogu does at the box office. While the experiment initially seemed exciting, disappointing entries like The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka soured the experience for many, and now this is one corner of the franchise fans might be eager to move on from.
The other aspect worth considering is how Star Wars connects its various pieces across timelines. New additions to the franchise’s lore and mythology then become incorporated into the wider story. Even though the upcoming Rey film will be set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, that doesn’t mean story threads from The Acolyte, Andor, or Skeleton Crew can’t somehow find their way in. With the number of Jedi who survived Order 66 and seemingly made it out of the Reign of the Empire, maybe one or two of them could show up as part of Rey’s new Jedi Order.
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