Last week’s Star Wars Celebration brought a number of announcements and reveals from a galaxy far, far away, with projects including both movies and television series leading the future of Star Wars. But will these works hit the audience it needs to?
The Star Wars franchise may be one of the most popular and bankable in history, but it has seen its misfires and abandoned projects. As such, some have grown concerned as to why this is and where the series can go from here. One potential issue may be that future Star Wars projects don’t have the iconic figurehead at the helm. Really, how many casual moviegoers know the names of Kathleen Kennedy (producer) and Dave Filoni (a Star Wars player since The Clone Wars), especially compared to George Lucas (uh, George Lucas)? As put by an unnamed producer that spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, “They don’t have a George…Kathy is not George. Filoni is kinda the closest at this stage.”
Despite this, Star Wars is going hyperdrive for its future, with a new trilogy centered around Daisy Ridley’s Rey, a number of spin-offs and more on the docket. As of now, the movies have no official release dates, although rough timelines can be sorted out. For example, James Mangold has a Timothée Chalamet-starring Bob Dylan biopic set for a summer shoot and so his film can’t start until at least next year, while Filoni’s “depends on the machinery of the interlocking TV series and will factor in timelines of a fourth season of Mandalorian and a possible second season of Ahsoka.”
Some believe that without the upcoming Rey trilogy, the future of Star Wars hangs in the balance, with another unnamed producer saying, “If they don’t make at least that Rey movie…Lucasfilm will burn whatever goodwill it has left with this fan base.” That might seem like a bold statement, but since fans appear to be turning on The Mandalorian this season (or are at least giving more unfavorable reviews), there may be some truth within.
What do you think the future of Star Wars will hold? Is Lucasfilm looking at a bright future or will it end up on the dark side? Give us your predictions in the comments section below.