Upcoming Star Wars movies’ timelines, settings teased by Kathleen Kennedy

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Over the course of three trilogies and various TV shows, the STAR WARS franchise has largely stuck to the same 70-year timeline, but as we know, the series has a mythology that encompasses thousands of years. With STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER bringing the Skywalker Saga to a conclusion, Lucasfilm is now free to expand the world in future movies.

While speaking with The Wrap, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said that now that the Skywalker Saga is complete, they'll be using the break to carefully plan out the next steps of the long-running franchise. Kennedy teased that they'll likely be moving beyond the era of the Skywalker Saga to explore other moments in STAR WARS history.

Stories have been told within this universe over the last 40-odd years, and there’s now the realization that this is a mythology that actually spans about 25,000 years, when you really start to look at all the different stories that have been told, whether it’s in books and games. We just need the time to step back and really absorb what George [Lucas] has created, and then start to think about where things might go. That’s what we’ve been doing, and we’ve been having a great deal of fun doing it, and meeting with lots of different filmmakers and talent.

Although the next STAR WARS feature-film isn't slated to hit theaters until 2023, the franchise will continue onwards with a series of Disney+ TV shows, including the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian. Kennedy said that the TV shows will be very important to the franchise's future. "I’ve already seen evidence of it," Kennedy said. "The ability to be very character-driven, with extended storytelling and connected storytelling, I think this space offers us a great opportunity to do that."