‘Star Wars’ Finally Announces New Films, Including One Following Return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey

Kate Erbland

April 7, 2023 at 8:36 a.m.·4 min read

“Star Wars” is back in the movie business. After eschewing movies since the launch of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019 and turning most of its attention to various TV series, the beloved franchise seems set to finally get three brand-new feature films.

As part of this year’s Star Wars Celebration in London, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced on Friday morning that a trio of new features are currently in the works. Those films include new joints from James Mangold (who recently worked with the Lucasfilm crew on this year’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” out this summer), long-time “Star Wars” TV guru Dave Filoni, and Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s previously announced feature.

More from IndieWire

And, while details on most of these projects is, as expected, pretty slim, Kennedy did hit fans with some key details, including that Obaid-Chinoy’s film will see the return of Daisy Ridley to the franchise as her iconic character Rey. Disney confirms that Obaid-Chinoy’s film “will tell the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down.”

While Damon Lindelof was originally set to pen the script for Obaid-Chinoy’s film, he and co-writer Justin Britt-Gibson departed the project earlier this year. “Peaky Blinders” screenwriter Steven Knight quickly joined the project, and will take over scripting duties.

Additionally, THR reports that “Kennedy said the company was working on expanding the mythological timeline created by George Lucas, by pushing forward, backwards, and sideways.” As such, each of the three new films will cover a different timeline, with Obaid-Chinoy’s bringing up the future and Mangold and Filoni’s features tackling other time periods.

Disney confirms that Mangold’s will “take audiences deep into the past, telling the tale of the first Jedi to wield the Force and harness it as a liberating power in an era of chaos and oppression.” Filoni’s will follow “Star Wars” “storytelling in the present,” per the studio, and will see the filmmaker “orchestrate the escalating war between the Imperial Remnant and the fledgling New Republic. Alongside producer Jon Favreau, they will bring together many of the threads of the ‘Star Wars’ original series in a cinematic event.”

As for release dates? Stay tuned, as those details were not offered up at today’s event, along with any additional information on other “Star Wars” movies that have long been rumored, including a new film from Taika Waititi and one from Shawn Levy, both previously announced.

Lucasfilm Ltd.

In recent years, the “Star Wars” franchise has turned its attention to its many TV series, despite still announcing scattered plans for films that didn’t prove out. In April 2019, then-Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger explained, the studio was looking for a little break from “Star Wars” cinema. “We will take a pause, some time, and reset, because the Skywalker Saga comes to an end with this ninth movie,” Iger said at the time. “There will be other ‘Star Wars’ movies, but there will be a bit of a hiatus.” (Iger departed the studio in 2021, only to return in 2022.)

That was likely a surprise to some, including filmmakers like “The Last Jedi” helmer Rian Johnson and “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, all of whom had previously been announced as helming brand-new trilogies. As of now, Johnson’s planned trilogy remains a possibility, though it’s been reportedly “back-burned” as the busy filmmaker works on his “Knives Out” features, while Benioff and Weiss exited their project in October 2019.

Patty Jenkins’ long-planned “Rogue Squadron” film was announced, and even given a December 2023 release date, after Iger’s initial remarks, but after years without updates, was pulled from Disney’s schedule late last year.

Last May, Kennedy indicated in a Vanity Fair cover story that the “Star Wars” team has been pursuing other features and has “been in conversation with over quite a long period of time” with a couple of other filmmakers who could move into the “Star Wars” film space. Asked for specifics, Kennedy demurred, telling the outlet, “We’ll probably get a little bit more specific in a couple of months.”

Nearly a year on, the franchise finally seems to have a framework for a movie future, one that hinges on something the series can’t seem to shake: old lore with a new twist.

Best of IndieWire

Click here to read the full article.

Hello!
Rod Stewart, 79, rocked by shock divorce news: report
In a surprising turn of events Rod Stewart has received some shocking divorce news. See details.
HuffPost
Trump Throws 4th Of July Fit In 'Disgraceful' New Holiday Tantrum
Critics called out the former president for a bonkers Independence Day message that barely mentioned the holiday.
The Daily Beast
Conservatives Routed in Worst Election Result for 200 Years
LONDON—The Conservatives, the world’s winningest political party, were booted out of power in dramatic style on Thursday after 14 years of chaotic and divisive rule.The Labour Party had secured a landslide victory, ending an era of Conservative rule over Britain that stretches back to 2010; the year that the iPad and Instagram were launched and Lady Gaga wore that meat dress to the MTV music awards.In that time, the Conservatives have cycled through five leaders, each of them dragging the party
The Daily Beast
Obama Privately Goes Shaky After Offering to Prop Up Biden
Former President Barack Obama has reportedly told allies that Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance has made his bid to win back the White House even tougher than it had been previously.The Washington Post reports that Obama gave a harsher private assessment of Biden’s chances of re-election following the debate despite publicly trying to ease concerns by tweeting that “bad debates happen.”The outlet reported that Obama “spoke directly with Biden by phone after last Thursday’s debate to offe
HuffPost
Conservative Commentator Says Trump’s Post-Debate Move Is ‘Freaking A Lot Of People Out’
Former Fox News pundit Jonah Goldberg had CNN’s Jake Tapper laughing with his response.
BuzzFeed
"Oomf" Is The Newest Gen Z Affectionate Slang That's Taking Over The Internet — Here's What It Actually Means
This word doesn’t mean what you think.
Hello!
King Charles and Queen Camilla's portrait with Prince William and Prince Edward sparks questions from royal fans
The King and Queen were pictured alongside the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Thistle Service in Edinburgh during Royal Week
BuzzFeed
"I Was Heartbroken But Said I Would Think About It": This Man's Wife Suddenly Wants To Have An Open Marriage To Sleep With Other People, And The Internet Has A Lot Of Thoughts On It
"She said she needs to explore that part of her..."
Cover Media
Stormy Daniels believes it's 'not fair' she owes Donald Trump $600,000
The adult film star, who accused the former President of giving her hush money to keep quiet about their alleged sexual encounter now owes Trump $600,000 (£470,000) in legal costs after a defamation case she brought against him was dismissed. Last month in New York, Trump was criminally convicted for defaming another sexual assault accuser, E.Jean Carroll. The 45-year-old said on the Daily Mail's podcast, Everything I Know About Me, "How is it fair that I have better, more compelling evidence than E. Jean Carroll? And I'm glad she won. They continue to hand her money like it's f**king candy.”
HuffPost
‘Pile Of Crap’: Trump Rails Against Biden, Harris In Unhinged Rant Caught On Video
The former president ripped into his rivals in newly leaked footage.
CBC
A boy needed stitches after swimming in a man-made lake in Montreal. Did a fish attack him?
WARNING: This story contains graphic images of a leg injury.Last week, George Mandl, an American vacationing in Montreal, took his eight-year-old son Max to Parc Jean-Drapeau for a swim.It was a hot afternoon, and Max played on an inflatable structure anchored in the park's man-made lake.As his legs dangled in the blue-green darkness, he felt a stabbing pain. He screamed and, when lifeguards pulled him from the water, his leg was bleeding."It felt like a kind of electrical pain, like that pain w
BuzzFeed
Over 50% Of Hybrid Workers Admitted To Partaking In A New Controversial Office Trend, And This Is Why They're Defending It
If employees are expected to swipe into the office, chances are some people are doing this.
The Canadian Press
Irish prime minister 'appalled' by Canadian tourist's death after alleged assault
MONTREAL — Ireland's prime minister says he's "absolutely appalled" by an assault in the country's capital that resulted in the death of a tourist from Montreal. Simon Harris on Wednesday described Neno Dolmajian's death in Dublin as "reprehensible" and "horrific" and told parliament the death is now being investigated as a murder. "I'm absolutely appalled at the recent vicious attack in Dublin city centre which resulted in the death of a young man, Neno Dolmajian, and my thoughts are with his l
HuffPost
Kristi Noem’s Shot At Kamala Harris Backfires Immediately
The South Dakota governor, who once shot her puppy in a gravel pit, complained that the vice president isn’t relatable.
NextShark
74-year-old woman dies after being shoved in front of San Francisco train
Corazon Dandan died after being pushed into an oncoming BART train at San Francisco’s Powell Street Station at around 11 p.m on Monday night. The suspect, 49-year-old Trevor Belmont, also known as Hoak Taing, was arrested at the scene and booked into the San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of homicide and elder abuse. Dandan, who was Filipino American, was a dedicated telephone operator at the Westin St. Francis and other hotels.
People
How Much Do Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Make? A Breakdown of Salaries Mentioned in “America's Sweethearts”
Netflix's docuseries 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' has sparked conversations about the salaries of NFL cheerleaders
BuzzFeed
This Viral Video Of A Teacher's Rant Right Before Officially Retiring Has Been Seen Over A Million Times — Here Are The Reasons Why She Can "No Longer Deal" In The Profession
"I can no longer deal with the 'new' type of parent and the 'new' type of child that is a product of the parent that I am trying to teach..."
Cosmo
Bikinis, sheer 'fits and hotel robes: Alix Earle nails the Italy holiday wardrobe
We have been loving the Instagram outfit pictures of Alix Earle's bikinis, crochet dresses and hotel robes complete with a hair towel from her holiday to Italy.
Hello!
Prince Harry's cousin Lady Amelia Windsor is a festival babe in retro bikini and flares
Lady Amelia Windsor modelled a tiny bikini top with bold festival flares as she partied with friends at Glastonbury - see photos.
CNN
9 out of 10 voters say there are important differences between Biden and Trump. Here’s what they see as the biggest ones
If there’s one thing that American voters overwhelmingly agree on, it’s that this year’s presidential election presents a stark choice. In the latest CNN poll by SSRS, 91% of registered voters say they see important differences between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, dwarfing even the 77% of voters who said last fall that there were significant divides between the Democratic and Republican parties. Even among the so-called “double haters” – those with unfavorable views of

Latest Stories