Summary
- Disney has produced an overwhelming amount of Star Wars content, leaving fans fatigued.
- Despite mixed responses, upcoming projects lack a clear direction, creating uncertainty about the franchise's future.
- Lucasfilm needs to prioritize quality over quantity and plan carefully to recapture what made Star Wars great.
When Disney officially acquired LucasFilm in 2012, many fans were understandably nervous. The mouse house was set to inherit one of the most beloved franchises of all time with Star Wars, and many feared it would ultimately dilute the brand. However, Disney made it apparent that was not its intention, instead seeking to honor what came before it and take the franchise to new heights with stories featuring new characters in the Star Wars lore.
While Disney's had mixed results with most of its Star Wars offerings thus far, that hasn't stopped Disney from plotting more Star Wars stories going forward. There's only one problem, though. The original promise not to dilute the Star Wars franchise seems to have gone out the window. So, what is next for the Star Wars franchise? And can Disney write its wrongs before it destroys it altogether?
12 Highest-Grossing Star Wars Movies, Ranked
The Star Wars franchise has made a lot of money over the years, and the cinematic runs of its best movies prove just how successful Star Wars can be.
Too Much Star Wars in Too Little Time
Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, there have been a total of five movies: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Solo: A Star Wars Movie, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Movie. While that might not seem like a lot, that includes an entirely new trilogy, and two prequel films. On the smaller screen, Lucasfilm has been even busier. Not only has Lucasfilm released the highly loved The Mandalorian on Disney+, but it also debuted the live-action shows, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, and The Acolyte. While on the animated side, Lucasfilm has unveiled The Bad Batch, Visions, and Rebels, just to name a few. That's five live-action shows, with Skeleton Crew already locked and loaded for debut later this year. It's a lot of Star Wars in a rather short period of time, leaving fans tired rather than eager for more because there's no need to wait. All the more frustrating is that the fan response to most of Lucasfilm's live-action output has been less than stellar, yet it feels as though Disney and Lucasfilm sought to push forward with more rather than scale back.
While The Mandalorian continues to prove successful for Lucasfilm and Disney+, so far, the other shows have failed to truly strike a chord with audiences. In fact, The Book of Boba Fett is one of the streaming service's lowest rated shows thus far, and has been canceled. With its other live-action shows struggling to find success, it's strange that Lucasfilm continues to push forward with new projects, instead of taking the time to reevaluate its process.
No Clear Direction on Where to Go
Now that Lucasfilm has finally taken the time to slow down its movie pipeline, it's time to look at what is next for Star Wars on the big screen. Already in production, The Mandalorian & Grogu, is slated to hit theaters in May 2026. The film, which sees the titular characters make the leap from the small screen to the big screen for the first time, is being directed by The Mandalorian's series creator, Jon Favreau. It's set to mark the first Star Wars film since 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and is currently the only Star Wars movie in production. However, that will soon change as Lucasfilm has already confirmed Rey's return with Daisy Ridley set to headline a new Star Wars movie in the coming future.
Outside those two films, though, the only other project that appears to be confirmed is director Shawn Levy's untitled Star Wars movie. With one project in production, and two confirmed to be in the works, there still doesn't appear to be any sort of plan going on at Lucasfilm with the franchise. The latest trilogy was a mixed bag among fans and critics. While it did well at the box office, most were less than satisfied with how the trilogy was handled, with the story not seemingly having been planned out ahead of time. Then there were the one and done films, such as Solo and Rogue One, with the former having been a box office disaster and the latter having given the franchise the critically acclaimed Andor series on Disney+.
It has often felt like Lucasfilm was simply throwing things at a wall and waiting to see which would stick. Sadly, it's been over a decade since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, and despite the plethora of Star Wars projects that have been released, it feels like there's really nothing to show for the franchise. One can only hope that, going forward, Lucasfilm takes the time to determine what it's doing with the franchise and what else it can achieve beyond the lore fans have already come to know and love. Much like its fellow Disney partner, Marvel Studios, it's time Lucasfilm seeks to recapture what made the franchise so great to begin with. That means taking the time to develop a quality over quantity outlook.
The Best Order to Watch Every Star Wars Movie (Star Wars Timeline)
Figuring out the best order to watch Star Wars can be a little tricky, as both the release date and chronological orders have their pros and cons.