This Week, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Star Wars Theatrical Release Date Predictions, Werner Herzog, and More

Welcome back to 'This Week, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away', as we eagerly await the announcement from SAG-AFTRA that the 108-day strike has come to an end. It's been an interesting week in Star Wars land, with small developments on several fronts, including future feature films, upcoming video game releases, and new details on an upcoming comic book. So let's try to make some sense out of it.



But first, a programming note...

• Here at SWNN, we've been hosting weekly YouTube shows on our channel where we try to connect with our readers and viewers by interacting with them as they post on the chat. Given the lack of news and forthcoming Star Wars releases, we've decided to take a look back at the feature films from the Disney era, starting with The Force Awakens this part Thursday. On November 2, we'll be talking The Last Jedi, and if all goes well, I should be joining the conversation as well. So look forward to that on Thursday at 8pm PT/11pm PT.

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<h2>Three Things That May Have Flown Casual</h2>

• A second season of the ILM documentary, Light &amp; Magic, has apparently wrapped filming. Joe Johnston confirmed as much during the wrap party of the historic studio lot 32Ten, where most of the visual effects for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were created. What will the new set of episodes focus on? You tell me!
• Star Wars: Outlaws, the next big video game from a galaxy far, far away, may not be hitting as early as we thought. This is not because of any behind-the-scenes troubles, but rather because Ubisoft may want to spread out their income. Details here. (Elsewhere in video game news, the Dark Forces remaster is set for February 2024.)
• The Blue Side of the Force: Hot Toys announces a jaw-dropping Grand Admiral Thrawn figure. Read all about it! In related news, Hasbro has announced new Black Series figures, including Sam Witwer's own Starkiller, Paz Vizsla, and Mace Windu.

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<h2>Quote of the Week</h2>


There are several candidates here. Eman Esfandi was one of my favorite parts of Ahsoka, so him saying in a recent video 'Because also I already felt so connected to Ezra and felt like he was there whenever I needed him, I just felt that inspiration' was quite beautiful.



There is also Shawn Levy: 'So I’m going into the development of my Star Wars movie with a similar optimism, and faith that my instincts will be allowed to lead the way.” Who the hell knows what this guy is cooking. And even though he may be one of the least interesting creatives working on Star Wars right now, I really like his public persona and how he conducts himself in interviews, so I am cautiously optimistic about it!



But because we didn't cover this, I'll give the edge to Werner Herzog: 'We should not dismiss Star Wars: they are new mythologies and a new way of seeing our role in the universe.” Sure, sounds like a no-duh, but in the current combative climate between popular films and art-house directors crying about them, having someone like Herzog publicly advocate for Star Wars' place in our 21st-century mythology is important.



Werner Herzog and Dave Filoni on the set of THE MANDALORIAN.



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<h2>Star Wars and The Great Scheduling of Our Time</h2>


You may have heard by now that the Hollywood industry is in a bit of a dire state right now. Production was grinded to a halt on most sets during the summer when, after 2.5 months of the writers being on strike (and effectively shutting down plenty of sets with their picket lines), the actors' union also announced they couldn't sign a new deal with the studios. The labor dispute between the studios and the writers was settled a month ago, and that between the studios and the actors seems to be a matter of hours as of the posting of this article, and may have already been settled by the time you're reading this.



Regardless, there will be long-lasting effects on the industry coming out of the strike, and one that will affect the moviegoers the most is the whole reshuffling of the schedules. Sony Pictures moved around a bunch of movies in late August, and this week, Paramount also announced several delays, including the latest Mission: Impossible movie. Disney also confirmed that their spring 2024 releases are now 2025 titles, though it's highly suspected this was a 'To Be Continued' type of situation, especially as they didn't even mention any Marvel Studios film, and several of them are considered virtually impossible to meet their current dates.



So what about Star Wars? I might be proven wrong by Monday, but I have the feeling that Lucasfilm will not be severely affected by this massive rescheduling; quite the opposite, actually. Let's go back to May for a second, back when there were only two Star Wars films on Disney's calendar, in December 2025 and December 2027. In June, they announced that 2025 was no longer, and instead, they would be releasing two films in 2026, in May and December. (The former was set three weeks after the next Avengers movie, but there's no way Marvel is meeting that release date as of today, so we should be good.)



While no specific project has been attached to either date, it's long been assumed that the Daisy Ridley-led film focused on Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order will be coming out on May 22, 2026. It is the project farthest along in development at the moment, and my understanding is that Lucasfilm wants a draft from writer Steven Knight around the end of November at the latest, possibly so they can send back their notes by Christmas and get the ball rolling in the spring for a late summer 2024 shoot. Think that originally pre-production was set for August/September of this year, so that window must have been moved to February/March 2024. In any case, it should be more than enough time to hit theaters in 2.5 years. (Fingers crossed.)







So what then? The next date on the schedule is December 18, 2026, and the speculation is that this is going to be Dave Filoni's movie, which would culminate the New Republic-era storylines. Well, here's my prediction: This is actually when Taika Waititi will be releasing his long-in-the-works feature film. For starters, by then it will have been nearly seven years since Waititi signed with Lucasfilm to do the film, and though he hasn't been actively working on it since early 2020, Waititi is reportedly in very much active development on his script.



Deadline said earlier this year that he wants to shoot it in 2024, and I actually have a good feeling about that. Much like with Knight, I wouldn't be surprised if Waititi received notes back from his latest draft by Christmas, hoping to also shoot mid-to-late 2024. This one might need even more pre-production time, as they will pretty much have to cast it from top to bottom. (We understand that this doesn't have any tie-ins to previous entries in the franchise, so besides Waititi himself there should be no actors attached to it at the moment.) Of course, it's always possible that Waititi, who has been attached to it for longer, comes in first in May, and later Obaid-Chinoy's movie follows in December 2026.



As far as Dave Filoni's film, there are a couple of reasons why 2026 seems like too soon. First, we understand that there is a second season of Ahsoka that should come, storywise, before the movie. Now, this hasn't officially been announced, but it should be a matter of time. Next on the Manhattan Beach lot should be The Mandalorian season 4, but Ahsoka season 2 could film in late 2024 or early 2025 for a 2026 release. Filoni probably has the story fully mapped out, and he might even have some scripts ready by now. Two possible scenarios arise here.







First, Ahsoka season 2 gets made and comes out in 2026. Let's say it wraps filming mid-2025. Does Filoni really move on immediately to shooting his feature film and get it out in December 2026? Seems a bit rushed, to say the least, even if he also has the story for the film conceptualized. I wouldn't even be surprised if there was a treatment already, though I doubt there's a finished draft yet. Scenario #2 is Ahsoka season 2 doesn't get made, in which case Filoni has to go back to the drawing board and retool the story he has for the film to include important beats from the planned season 2. That could potentially free up space for the film to shoot earlier, but it'd be another year before we have an actual functioning script, and by then, there are two other films that should be in better shape.



Then there's the definitive argument in my eyes: May 2027 is the 50th anniversary of A New Hope, and what better way to celebrate it than putting in theaters the first live-action feature film from Lucas' creative heir at the company? Hell, have the movie open on May 25, who cares that it's a Tuesday? (I'm only half-joking.)



There's also a counter-argument, of course, and that is the overabundance of Star Wars films in theaters within a year. In principle, the fact that they are so different from one another should work in its favor, and if they actually work, even more so. But when things do not work, then it becomes a huge gamble. Doing Filoni in December 2027 could be a potential alternative, especially if there is Ahsoka season 2 -- I just don't think they'll wait that long for Taika's or Sharmeen's projects.



What of James Mangold's Dawn of the Jedi-era project, then? Given Mangold's own schedule, it was always assumed that he'd be taking up the December 2027 slot, but if Obaid-Chinoy, Waititi, and Filoni are all coming first, having four films within less than two years seems too much. So I wouldn't be surprised if he moved to May 2028. That year also seems the earliest Shawn Levy would be able to finish his own project. Most of this is tentative, and highly subjective to change, even if as of today were true.



LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 07: James Mangold attends the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny presentation during the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)



One final bullet point: Donald Glover's Lando feature film. Back when we reported on the shift from Disney Plus series to movie, I came really close to adding a line to the story that pointed out we didn't know if this is going to be theatrical or direct to Disney Plus, but ended up cutting it for a couple of reasons. First, and least important, the only project that was ever in the cards for possibly being considered for streaming was that film from JD Dillard and Matt Owens that didn't move forward beyond two reports, one saying it was happening, and another, years later, saying it was no more.



But that was from a time when direct-to-streaming $90M films seemed like a sustainable business. That is no longer the case, which connects with my second point: Why would Donald Glover, who certainly wants to become a movie star and move away from TV (something that I'm sure was at least part of the reason why he wanted to not do the series), agree to do a direct-to-streaming feature film? Why would Disney, especially in the post-Batgirl world? The status of this particular project has me most intrigued: Is this a second chapter in an unplanned trilogy that started with Solo? How long have the Glovers been working on this and how far along is the script at this point? This could either be shot on a $130M budget and come out in 2025, or go through a hellish production and come out in 2030 with three different directors having boarded and left the project. I would be surprised if it went any other way.



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<h2>Jocasta Nu's Reading List</h2>

• SWNN: Nate Manning argues that Yoda may actually be the most important character in the High Republic after all.
• CBR: Jago Wainwright is pitching the next big Disney Plus series idea; a Grand Moff Tarkin-centered project that would depict his ruthless attitude and rise to power.
• CBR (I normally would pick up just one per site, but this was too hard to pass on): Meg Dowell wants to resurrect Mace Windu and says that if it's going to happen, Dave Filoni's film is the last chance to do it.
• MovieWeb: Speaking of Lando, this is the last thing that Star Wars needs, according to Kyle Kruske, who believes Star Wars fans want bigger spectacles on the big screen.
• Spiel Times: A Galaxy's Edge Easter Egg may reveal that Din Djarin's helmet is no longer his by the time of the sequel trilogy. What does that mean for The Mandalorian season 4 and beyond? Nobelle Borines has some fun speculating on it.

What did you think of the latest edition of “This Week, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away”? Let me know your comments, suggestions, and complaints in the comment section. You can also send them to us directly via our Contact page or by emailing us at starwarsnewsnet@gmail.com. Have a good week!



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