- Simon Kinberg has been hired to direct the next trilogy of Star Wars.
- Lucasfilm is keen on bringing back Rey Skywalker as the protagonist but as of now has no idea what to do with the character.
- The trilogy is still in the discussion phase but there are story overlapping problems with standalone Star Wars projects already in the works at Lucasfilm.
Multiple franchises have lived in glory and died throughout history. However, Star Wars seems to be the only franchise that has managed to live for over 40 years and still has an ever-growing fanbase. This not only puts a lot of weight on the shoulders of Lucasfilm but also the directors and creative teams helmed with the task of carrying it forward. Recently, it was revealed that Simon Kinberg has been brought in to direct the new trilogy for Star Wars. But, is the direction where the franchise is headed defined yet? Lucasfilm seems not to have the high ground in planning the future so let’s talk about what we know about it.
Direction for the Future of Star Wars Is Still Undefined
The most recent addition to the Star Wars franchise was Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. This movie showed us that Rey, a scavenger who turned into a Jedi took up the Skywalker name hinting towards the possibility of the creation of a new Skywalker Saga. According to a report by THR, this is being considered as a base for the upcoming Star Wars Trilogy under the direction of Simon Kinberg.
However, there is a big problem with this as well. Even though a new trilogy featuring Rey played by Daisy Ridley is just in discussion, it would collide with a standalone movie revolving around the same character being actively worked on at Lucasfilm under the direction of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. This project was revealed at the Star Wars Celebration in London in April 2023. However, the production of this feature film came to a halt with writers leaving it and now, Lucasfilm is actively looking for new writers to work on it.
This could also be the reason why Simon Kinberg was hired in the first place to make a trilogy since Lucasfilm has to somehow move forward with Rey’s character and the standalone feature is not looking like it’s working out well.
Too Many Lined Up Projects Could Lead to Overlapped Storylines
On the other hand, even though Lucasfilm is keen on bringing back Rey, they have no idea where to place the character. Daisy Ridley has officially been confirmed to appear in several Star Wars movies and projects moving forward, but even the creative teams at Lucasfilm have no idea which ones.
Simon Kinberg will be working on the new trilogy but even after that, several other projects in the Star Wars Universe are being actively worked on. For instance, the next confirmed movie in line is Mandalorian and Grogu releasing in 2026, Taika Waititi is confirmed to be working on a Star Wars movie, and Shawn Levy is set to be working on a feature project. On top of all these lined-up projects, a Rogue Squadron project is also in development but we don’t know who is directing it.
What I mean to say is even though these projects are majorly standalone, questions like where in Star Wars’ timeline they fit will be raised by the fandom and the creators will have to answer it. Eventually, the projects that are meant to be standalone will be seen as a part of the broader universe and might overlap with timelines and characters in the Star Wars Universe turning it into a hot mess. These projects make it seem like Lucasfilm is desperate to push out something so people don’t forget about Star Wars, which in my opinion is responsible for the death of a lot of franchises, Star Trek for instance.
No One at Lucasfilm Can Come to the Same Page
One of the sources of THR took into account that Star Wars is not just another franchise but at par with being a religion for fans. The stories and the lore are decades-long and it is extremely difficult to create something that the Star Wars fandom can thoroughly enjoy. Comparing the Star Wars lore to the Holy Bible, the source commented-
“You’re being asked to create the new New Testament,And no one can agree on anything and there’s a lot of second guessing about meanings.” – The Hollywood Reporter
The problem being mentioned here is truly understandable since when you are supposed to carry forward such a massive story, there are going to be a lot of debates and a lot of ideas that will not work well with the other ones. So, we can conclude that even though Lucasfilm does want to take the Star Wars franchise ahead, they are going to take some time to figure out a direction for the beloved franchise to move forward, and in my opinion, that’s a good thing. It’s better to take time rather than rush toward something that might result in X (formerly Twitter) or Reddit posts like “Star Wars is dead”. So, let’s hope for the best and see where it goes.
