Thrawn and Rey: Star Wars future revealed after Kennedy's departure

Jan 19, 2026

Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy has resigned, making way for Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan. They will share responsibilities, focusing on the creative and commercial sides respectively.

Star Wars is in a somewhat strange position. The franchise has many directions it could have gone in, but many projects never made it to production. Many decisions depend on Disney and Bob Iger, who is more cautious about risks than any of the heads of the subsidiary studios.

The Hollywood Reporter spoke about the current status of Star Wars and where they might go next. First of all, films that will be released in the next couple of years were mentioned.

The first of them isThe Mandalorian and Grogufrom director Jon Favreau. Filoni co-authored the story. The premiere will take place on May 21 this year, and the future of the franchise on the big screen depends on the project.

The film was approved to replace the fourth season ofThe Mandalorianduring the 2023 strikes. But after the first trailer, it made fans wonder why Lucasfilm didn’t just wait to create the fourth season.

Shawn Levy's project Star Wars: Starfighter is scheduled for release next. This is the final film in the series produced by Kennedy as president of Lucasfilm. Little is known about the blockbuster, which will be released in May 2027, other than that it takes place five years afterThe Rise of Skywalker . Sunrise.

What's next for Star Wars?

Several releases have been officially announced, including Filoni's film. It should unite the characters from the seriesThe Mandalorian,The Book of Boba Fett,AhsokaandThe Backbone. The heroes had to confront Grand Admiral Thrawn.

The crossover has been postponed indefinitely.ButAhsokawill have a second season, and Favreau expressed hope for a fourth season ofThe Mandalorian.

In other projects, James Mangold and Beau Willmon's Jedi origins film has a "great script" but is on hold. Taika Waititi submitted a script that Kennedy described as "hilarious," but it has yet to be greenlit. Donald Glover presented his script about Lando. And, of course, Steven Soderbergh and Adam Driver insisted on a Kylo Ren solo film based on a script by Scott Burns.

Simon Kinberg is currently writing the script for his trilogy. He is expected to submit a script this year, with Filoni and Brennan backing him. There are no details about Kinberg's project yet.

It is noted that the film about the new Jedi Order with Daisy Ridley has advanced the furthest. Although the ninth episode was controversial, the characters in the sequel trilogy have enough fans.