Star Wars Movie Future Gets Direction After Confident Celebration Announcements
Star Wars‘ future has increasingly felt like a massive, even concerning question mark in recent years, but these new announcements from Star Wars Celebration 2025 have me feeling so much more confident in the franchise’s direction. Several upcoming Star Wars movies have been announced in the last few years, although many of them had sparse details at best. Until Star Wars Celebration 2025, in fact, The Mandalorian and Grogu was the only upcoming Star Wars movie with a confirmed release date.
Others, like Rey’s upcoming Star Wars movie, rumored to be titled Star Wars: New Jedi Order, and James Mangold’s movie, reportedly titled Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, had some story details (or at least heavily rumored details). Others, such as Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie, had no information whatsoever. The uncertainty surrounding these projects, combined with the franchise’s difficulties with backlash and controversy of late, led many to question the future of the franchise—yet, Star Wars Celebration 2025’s new announcements prove Star Wars’ future is back on track.
Star Wars Is Back To One Movie A Year… With Starfighter Announced
Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Movie Just Got A Massive Update
Some of the biggest news out of Star Wars Celebration 2025 so far is that Shawn Levy’s Star Wars movie, officially titled Star Wars: Starfighter, is the next to be released after The Mandalorian and Grogu. Starfighter is confirmed to star Ryan Gosling as a currently unnamed new Star Wars character. The movie will be set a few years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in the Star Wars timeline, but it is a standalone film and will not connect to the Skywalker Saga.
This is major news for a host of reasons, from the (highly anticipated) confirmation that Gosling is joining Star Wars movies and TV shows to the surprising period in Star Wars the movie will explore. Among the most critical aspects of this update is the confirmation that Starfighter will be released on May 28th, 2027—which means it will be released one year (nearly to the day) after The Mandalorian and Grogu. This suggests Star Wars is back to releasing one movie per year, which would be fantastic news.
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Star Wars Celebration 2025: All Main Panels & Times
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Kathleen Kennedy Confirmed The Other Star Wars Movies In The Works
Multiple Star Wars Movies Are Also Confirmed To Be Underway
In addition to the shocking news about Starfighter, Star Wars Celebration 2025’s Mandalorian and Grogu panel provided brand-new insight into Star Wars’ next movie. Although we haven’t yet gotten a trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu, new footage was shown that included clips of Sigourney Weaver’s Star Wars character, along with looks at Grogu, Din Djarin, and even the Razor Crest. However, The Mandalorian and Grogu is far from the only upcoming Star Wars movie confirmed to be in the works.
Rather, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm Dave Filoni confirmed that Simon Kinberg’s Star Wars trilogy, Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie, James Mangold’s movie, and Rey’s new Star Wars movie are all in the works as well. Many of these movies were among those that felt the most uncertain, suggesting the franchise really is back on track with a clear plan in place. Although not a movie, it’s worth noting that Filoni confirmed progress on Ahsoka season 2 during this panel as well.
We’re Finally Getting A Sense Of Direction For Star Wars Again
Star Wars’ Future Has Been In Question For Far Too Long
While I’ve of course been excited for The Mandalorian and Grogu, and continue to see that as one of the most exciting Star Wars projects coming down the line, it’s admittedly a relief to know there’s much, much more on the way in the franchise than just that one movie. Yes, there have been many titles announced in recent years, but, as mentioned, many of them have felt at least a little uncertain. Some, like Waititi’s Star Wars movie, even felt like they may never come. These updates suggest just the opposite.
It’s also encouraging to know that Star Wars has really locked in on a path forward for the franchise. It’s no secret that Star Wars has struggled to find its way recently, particularly now that the Skywalker Saga is over. In fact, issues had arisen even before the conclusion of that saga, given many had taken issue with the sequel trilogy. While I stand by the fact that many of Star Wars’ best TV shows have been made during this era of the franchise, it’s true that the direction of Star Wars was unclear.
With these new announcements—especially the news about Starfighter—my concerns have been considerably eased. It’s clear that Lucasfilm is being very intentional about the movies that are on their way in the franchise, and while it may have taken some time, Star Wars has a path forward. Perhaps most exciting of all, Star Wars Celebration 2025 is only just beginning, and already, Star Wars has proven there is so much on the horizon for the franchise.
