While Avatar: The Way of Water is on the horizon, we're about to enter another Holiday season without Star Wars. Those movies arriving in theaters in time for Christmas had become something of a staple for the franchise since Disney took charge, but the last time we took a trip to this Galaxy Far, Far Away on the big screen was way back in December 2019.
Since then, it's become apparent that Lucasfilm is struggling to figure out where to take Star Wars next. Patty Jenkins touted Rogue Squadron in a splashy promo video, only for the project to fall apart with no official word as to why. Widely touted trilogies from Rian Johnson and the Game of Thrones showrunners have also failed to materialise, so what's the problem?
According to Puck, it's Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy.
They explain that the soonest we'll see another Star Wars movie is 2025 and even that's not guaranteed at this stage. It's likely to be the project from Damon Lindelof and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy we recently learned about, though nothing has been officially greenlit at this stage.
In fact, Disney has even advised Kennedy to stop announcing projects and creative partners "lest the ravenous nerd press pounce when those projects don’t actually happen, as is the case frequently at Lucasfilm."
Insiders explain that "a culture of fear and indecision around the next instalment" is a major issue, especially with Lucasfilm determined to get this next movie right after the disaster that was The Rise of Skywalker. Kennedy wants the next movie to be good, different from what we see on Disney+ (but also "kinda the same"), and steered away from fan service.
However, it still needs to be rooted in what fans love about Star Wars, and the Lucasfilm President is asking an awful lot from her collaborators. It sounds like the studio is in something of a mess, with many now wondering if Kennedy is the right person to continue steering the ship.
Yes, they've found success on television, but Star Wars on the big screen remains trapped in limbo with no clear sign of that changing in the near future. Does Kevin Feige have time?