The end of an era. More than 40 years after the Skywalkers first graced the screen, the family's expansive tale will come to an end with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. But what then? Fans are already starting to wonder. As it turns out, not even Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy can be sure of the franchise's future. Not yet anyway.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Kennedy talked about the concluding entry in the "Skywalker Saga," as well as her plans going forward with a franchise detached from the plot and characters of current films. "It's an incredible challenge, and it is something that we're in the middle of, and I can't even begin to tell you where this may end up," she stated. She acknowledged that the cinematic future of Star Wars is nothing to take lightly, because the next film will inevitably decide the next step for the franchise. Lucasfilm currently has "various things we're looking at and various ways in which we can begin or not."
Kennedy went on to explain that the future is filled with opportunity, and that there are still a number of different areas that Star Wars films could explore, "Do you go back? Do you go forward? All those questions are being asked. Do we stay in this galaxy? Do we go to another? The universe is never-ending... They have endless possibilities."
Two planned trilogies had been announced, one helmed by D.B Weiss and David Benioff and the other by director Rian Johnson. However, these projects have either no progress at all to report or been seemingly scrapped. Either way, it appears that fans will have to wait quite some time before Star Wars returns to cinema. Disney CEO Bob Iger even seemed to encourage a short break in theatrical releases in a recent statement.
That does not meant the franchise will be inactive. Several live-action series are being produced for the Disney+ streaming service, including the ongoing The Mandalorian as well as the highly-anticipated, and currently untitled series centered on Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film arrives Dec. 20.