What began as a “top secret” Star Wars sequel-era project being written by Damon Lindelof has now become known as the first project in an all-new era of Star Wars stories know as the New Jedi Order era. That film, which looks to be on track for a 2025 release, is set to be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and will see Daisy Ridley–and possibly John Boyega–return to the franchise. Though it looks like production will be able.to get underway sometime next year, it hasn’t necessarily been a smooth ride.
After delivering a script co-authored by Justin Britt-Gibson, Lindelof left the project but was quickly replaced by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. The announcement of Ridley’s return as Rey stirred up both positive and negative buzz, though it was recently rumored she was not intended to be the film’s protagonist. That role was expected to go to Aquaman and Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who is already on board for a major Disney project in Marvel Studios streaming series Wonder Man. Now, a new rumor from the same source that initially reported Abdul-Mateen‘s involvement indicates the star has left the project.
During a recent segment on The Hot Mic Podcast, the show’s co-hosts seemed to confirm that the film’s “original lead”, who was “from Watchmen“, had departed the project. It seems the timing of Abdul-Mateen‘s departure coincided with Lindelof’s decision to move on, though no further details about that connection were given.
Despite all that, it’s full speed ahead on the New Jedi Order project. Casting is expected to be ongoing throughout the Summer with principal photography to follow in either late-2023 or early-2024. Though it has been made official by Lucasfilm, the project is expected to be in theaters on December 19, 2025.
According to the Hot Mic Podcast, Lucasfilm is negotiating a return of sequel star John Boyega. If true, it’s especially noteworthy given that Boyega had relatively recently made it clear that he had no plans to return to the franchise.
At this point I’m cool off it. I’m good off it. I think Finn is at a good confirmation point where you can just enjoy him in other things, the games, the animation. But I feel like ‘[Episode] VII’ to ‘[Episode] IX’ was good for me.
John Boyega on Tell Me Everything
While the only known details about the film indicate it will focus on Rey and tell “the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down” the Hot Mic Podcast co-hosts also suggested that Rey will not be the film’s lead but rather fill the sort of mentor role that Luke Skywalker did in the sequel trilogy. Those rumors seem to fall in line with a previous rumor that Yahya Abdul-MateenII had joined the project in a lead role. It’s unknown just how big of a role Boyega‘s Finn would have in the film should he agree to return.
One of three new films announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023, the untitled New Jedi Order movie will feature Daisy Ridley’s return to the Star Wars universe as Rey. Set 15 years after the events of Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker, the project will tell “the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down.”
Among the biggest bits of news to come out of Star Wars Celebration 2023 was the announcement of three new theatrical projects set in three different eras in the Star Wars galaxy. While all three already have writers and directors on board, none were given a release date leaving fans to wonder which film would relaunch Star Wars in theaters. Though several projects have been put on and taken off the slate over the last several years, there hasn’t been a Star Wars film since 2019’s Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker as Lucasfilm has focused on streaming projects. There are a few dates still set aside for Star Wars films, including one in December 2025, however, and now a trade report gives a clearer picture of what film is most likely to end up there.
According to THR, director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s film–which will be set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker and see Daisy Ridley‘s Rey found a new Jedi Order–is Lucasfilm’s top choice to kick off their return to theaters.
But there is still a December 2025 date kept open for an unspecified Star Wars movie, which in theory could be one of these titles. A source tells The Hollywood Reporter that Lucasfilm would ideally like to return to theaters with the Rey-focused film and follow that a year later with the Filoni movie, although nothing is set due to the timetables of the Disney+ Mandalorian universe shows.
THR
Given how far along the Rey project is in development, a 2025 release date does seem achievable. Though original co-writers Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson left the project earlier this year, a new draft of the film is already in the works by Steven Knight. Given that production on the film wouldn’t have to begin until next mid-to-late 2024, there’s plenty of time for the project to come together.
Interestingly enough, THR also stated that, if possible, Lucasfilm would look to return to theaters “a year later” with Dave Filoni‘s Mando-verse film. Given that Filoni’s Mando-verse seems to always have at least one project in production at all times, it looks like a tough timeline. Additionally, Disney currently has no Star Wars film slated for 2026, though that could obviously always change. The news also puts James Mangold‘s Dawn of the Jedi era film the furthest out, though it was recently reported that he planned to complete his Star Wars project before beginning work on DC Studios’ Swamp Thing. Could Lucasfilm be aiming for an ambitious slate of Star Wars films rolling out in 2025, 2026 and 2027? Given their recent track record with postponing and canceling films, we’re not holding our breath.
During Star Wars Celebration 2023, it was revealed thatDave Filoni was set to direct a film that would serve as the denouement of the story he and Jon Favreau have been and will continue telling through their “Mando-verse” streaming series. While it’s easy to look at that film as the end of the stories told in the New Republic era, it’s also important to remember that, at present, two additional eras are open to the telling of further stories set in a galaxy far, far away. Given that the New Republic era can now be seen as a bridge connecting Luke Skywalker’s Age of Rebellion stories to his epilogue in the Rise of the First Order stories, it is worth considering if Filoni, who has shown a penchant for bringing non-canon/Legends characters into the modern Star Wars canon may choose to use his film to bring one of the most popular Legends characters into canon.
An increasingly popular theory is that Filoni’s New Republic-era film will be an adaptation of Timothy Zanh‘s 1991 now non-canonical novel, Heir to the Empire. That novel, set nine years after the Battle of Yavin, introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has since been adopted into canon and will soon be portrayed in live-action by Lars Mikkelsen. During the Ahsoka trailer which debuted at Star Wars Celebration, the phrase “heir to the Empire”, uttered by Rosario Dawson‘s titular character, created a significant buzz that the next chapter of stories in Filoni’s Mando-verse might be an adaptation of Zahn’s iconic Thrawn trilogy and, if that is the case, Thrawn will hardly be the only major character making a canonical live-action debut.
Further evidence that the Mando-verse stories might begin to adapt and include Zahn’s trilogy came in Chapter 23 of The Mandalorian when Gilad Pellaeon made his live-action debut as part of the second iteration of The Shadow Council. While Pellaeon played a minor role Star Wars Rebels, he played a much larger role in Thrawn’s plans in the non-canon Zahn trilogy. If Pellaeon is going to play a role, no matter now small, in Star Wars canon, it’s possible another of the Emperor’s servants–indeed the Emperor’s Hand–could appear in Filioni’s film.
There is, perhaps, no Legends character whose addition to canon is more anticipated than Mara Jade’s. Once one of Palpatine’s most trusted assassins tasked with killing Luke Skywalker, Jade eventually married Luke and played a key role in the foundation of the New Jedi Order. Jade played a major role in one of the non-canonical novels’ most well-known conflicts, the Yuuzhan Vong War, which, coincidentally, would bridge a major gap in the current canonical eras. Would Filoni introduce Mara Jade/Mara Skywalker into the Star Wars canon? Given the work he and Favreau have done with Legends characters and concepts over the years, it’s nowhere near out of the question that Jade could soon be introduced into their Mando-verse and then quickly become a main character in the Rise of the First Order and New Jedi Order timelines.
Star Wars Celebration came with an announcement of an entire trilogy of new Star Wars films. Yet, it once again leaves us with quite a few questions surrounding the ones that have been announced. Recent reports hinted that quite a few planned films were scrapped and even the latest announced film just lost its writer. So, there’s a lack of hope that they’d truly move forward with their projects.
Luckily, Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy was able to offer some insight into where they stand with those films. It seems that the Rian Johnson trilogy that was announced a while back is pretty much on hold for eternity, as Johnson is busy with the Glass Onion sequel and seemingly has no interest to return anytime soon.
Rian and I talk all the time. He is unbelievably busy. So we’re not actively involved in anything at the moment because he’s doing another one of the ‘Glass Onion’ movies and then God knows what else. But he really wants to step back into the space. It’s a big commitment of time, so that’s really on him.
Kathleen Kennedy
In regard to Taika Waititi’s mysterious film, she only stated that he is actively working don’t he’s script all on his own. After Thor: Love and Thunder’s reception, there might be some concern he might take the franchise into a goofier direction given his “very, very unique voice” but it seems they won’t be getting involved until he is ready to direct it.
Taika is still working away. He’s writing the script himself. He doesn’t really want to bring others into that process and I don’t blame him. He has a very, very unique voice. So we want to protect that and that’s what he’s doing. But we’re going to make that one day.
Kathleen Kennedy
It’s definitely interesting to know that at least Waititi’s project is seemingly moving forward, but it is strange that they won’t just outright state that they have no more plans for Johnson’s trilogy. By the time they actually get films out, his project might even be superfluous given whatever his initial goals were with the project. Of course, perhaps them actually pushing out films might inspire him to once again give it his full attention. For now, we can only continue to wait and see if the franchise actually returns to theaters.
One of the great surprises of Star Wars Celebration 2023 was the news that James Mangold had signed on the direct a movie set in the all-new Dawn of the Jedi era. Little about the film was revealed during Lucasilm’s Showcase other than it would be set in “the deep 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.” However, in a pair of trade interviews, Mangold has reveales more details about the upcoming untitled film.
Set 25,000 years before A New Hope, Mangold says the film, which he calls “Star Wars Zero”, will feature “all-new characters in an all-new era.” Despite it being set in the “deep past”, don’t expect it to be full of sticks and stones. While there may not be lightsabers since the main character will be the first Jedi, Mangold says the film, which he’s also writing, will not be “pre-tech.” It might be ancient history but it’s the ancient history of a galaxy far, far away.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: James Mangold and Dave Filoni onstage during the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
While it’s unclear at the moment if the film will tell the story of the Prime Jedi, a canonical character who debuted a part of a mosaic in the Jedi temple on Ahch-To in The Rise of Skywalker, Mangold says the project is “a chance to tell the entire story of its own: the birth of the Force.” Mangold said he pitched the film to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy as “a kind of Ben-Hur or The 10 Commandments about the birth of the Force.”
“The Force has become a kind of religious legend that soans through all these movies,” said Mangold. “But where didn’t come from? How is it found? Who was the first Jedi?” asked Mangold, causing legions of Star Wars fans to wonder if midichlorians will make an appearance in the film.
Those are questions that fans will have to wait to have answered. While there are Star Wars films slated for theaters in 2025 and 2027, no date was given for Mangold’s project.
Mangold’s film will be set some 25,000 years before the events of the original trilogy and will explore “the tale of the first Jedi to wield the Force and harness it as a liberating power in an era of chaos and oppression.” Mangold has referred to the film as a “biblical epic” and “a kind of Ben-Hur or The 10 Commandments about the birth of the Force” that allows him “a chance to tell the entire story of its own: the birth of the Force.”
The untitled film will tell the story of “the escalating war between the Imperial Remnant and the fledgling New Republic” and “bring together many of the threads” of the New Republic era series such as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew.
Lucasfilm rolled out a brand new timeline at Star Wars Celebration 2023 and within it were not only two new eras set to be explored in upcoming films but also an old fan favorite that has so far been absent from Lucasfilm’s live-action projects. What does it all mean?
Following their exciting presentation at Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm shared a new look at the timeline via a press release. Nine different eras are now open for canonical stories to be told through animated and live-action projects. Let’s take a look at each era…
Dawn of the Jedi (?-25,000 ABY)
One of the new eras introduced during Star Wars Celebration 2023, the Dawn of the Jedi era stretches back some 25,000 years before the “present day” events of The Mandalorian and the New Republic. As of now, the only project known to be set during the Dawn of the Jedi is the James Mangold film that will tell “the tale of the first Jedi to wield the Force and harness it as a liberating power in an era of chaos and oppression.” It could tell the tale of the Prime Jedi who created the first Jedi temple on Ahch-To seen in The Last Jedi.
The Old Republic (Around 25,000 BBY-1000 BBY)
The addition of the Old Republic era to the official timeline should be thrilling news for long time fans of the expanded Star Wars universe. The founding of the Republic, the Sith Wars and the tales of Knights of the Old Republic all take place over a 7,000 year span in the non-canon Legends content. Characters like Tenebrae, Revan, Satele Shan and Darth Malgus are beloved by fans and could be folded into Star Wars canon via projects told in this era.
The High Republic (500 BBY-82 BBY)
An era that so far has only been explored through novels and comic books, the High Republic explores the glory days of the Republic and its expansion into the Outer Rim. The Acolyte, which streams in 2024, is the first live-action project set during this era. Lucasfilm gave an updated synopsis of The Acoltye which “will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes but discovers the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.”
Fall of the Jedi (32 BBY-19 BBY)
As revealed in Star Wars comics, the Fall of the Jedi era is essentially the “prequel era.” The events of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, The Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith all take place during this era.
Reign of the Empire (19 BBY-9 BBY)
An era that has only recently begun to be explored more thoroughly, the Reign of the Empire is a relatively short period of time between the beginning of Palpatine’s reign and the formation of the rebellion. The animated series The Bad Batch, Solo: A Star Wars Story and the Disney Plus streaming series Obi-Wan Kenobi all take place during the Reign of the Empire.
Age of Rebellion (5 BBY-0 BBY)
The original “era”, Age of Rebellion has also been further explored with some of the best Star Wars content created since Disney bought Lucasfilm. The animated series Rebels, Disney Plus’s streaming series Andor, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi fill up the Age of Rebellion.
The New Republic (9 ABY-?)
The present-day of Star Wars content, the New Republic is, essentially, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s Mando-verse. So far, what we know about the New Republic has come from three seasons of The Mandalorian and one season of The Book of Boba Fett. While it seems that Ahsoka won’t be told linearly, it is believed that at least part of the series will be set during the New Republic era. Additionally, Dave Filoni is directing a film that Lucasfilm explains “will 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.“
Rise of the First Order (33ish ABY-35 ABY)
The sequel era. Rise of the First Order has been, so far, told through the animated series Resistance, and the sequel trilogy of The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. There are currently no known plans to further explore this era.
New Jedi Order (50 ABY-?)
The second brand new era added to the Star Wars timeline, the New Jedi Order era will be defined, at first, by Rey’s efforts to create, well, a new Jedi Order 15 years after the event of The Rise of Skywalker. The era’s storytelling will be broken in by director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, whose film “will tell the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down.”
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