Star Wars Planning Films To Move Beyond The Skywalker Saga

With “Rise of the Skywalker” set to conclude the Skywalker Saga this week, fans are curious to see what kind of future holds for Star Wars. Lucasfilm is looking for more stories to tell in the galaxy after the tale of the Skywalkers end.

Speaking with The Los Angeles Times, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy shared some details on what is forthcoming for the Star Wars films going forward. “Obviously, that’s what’s we’ve been spending so much time talking about, and it’s a really important transition for Star Wars. What we’ve been focused on these last five or six years is finishing that family saga around the Skywalkers,” Kennedy said regarding the shift from telling the Skywalker stories into some new territory. “Now is the time to start thinking about how to segue into something new and different.”

What will change is the trilogy format, as future Star Wars films would do away with this storytelling template. “I think it gives us a more open-ended view of storytelling and doesn’t lock us into this three-act structure,” she explained. “We’re not going to have some finite number and fit it into a box. We’re really going to let the story dictate that.”

With the success of “The Mandalorian,” Lucasfilms is developing more TV projects for Star Wars with their upcoming “Obi-Wan” series on Disney+. A Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) series is also in the works while Rian Johnson and Kevin Feige are both developing new Star Wars adventures for the big screen.

The company had previously developed standalone stories with “Rogue One” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” While the first film proved to be a hit with audiences, the second film in the anthology failed to live up to expectations as a Star Wars film. The movies also had some trouble with production after various reshoots and changing directors.

With that in mind, it will be no easy task for the Lucasfilm president. “Nobody in our business develops something with one person, that’s it, and everything goes perfectly. That’s a fairly common part of the process. We fall under incredible scrutiny because it’s Star Wars. Because of the quality I’m striving for, I’m reaching out to top talent, and vice versa.”

Fans won’t be hearing about any new Star Wars films in development until sometime in January.

Until then, audiences can see the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga when “Rise of the Skywalker” releases in theaters Dec. 20.