Two New Star Wars Movies Coming In 2026 And Lucasfilm May Repeat A Big Mistake
We haven't had a new "Star Wars" movie in theaters since "The Rise of Skywalker" in December 2019. Well, it looks like Disney and Lucasfilm are getting ready to relaunch the franchise with a fever in a few years, as we will get not one but two "Star Wars" movies in 2026, as well as one in 2027. So, after a break of nearly seven years, we'll go back-to-back in a galaxy far, far away, for better or worse. We'll get into why this might be trouble in a moment — but first, the details.
According to Variety, Disney has done some absolutely major reshuffling of its release calendar, with its biggest franchises moving all over the board. Virtually every Marvel Cinematic Universe entry is getting a new release date, and James Cameron's "Avatar" sequels were also delayed significantly. But for "Star Wars" fans, we got an update on the future, as three films now have release dates. They are as follows:
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Untitled "Star Wars" movie: May 22, 2026
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Untitled "Star Wars" movie: December 18, 2026
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Untitled "Star Wars" movie: December 17, 2027
During "Star Wars" Celebration earlier this year, we learned there are three films actively in the works. One is from Dave Filoni ("Star Wars: The Clone Wars") and set during the "Mandalorian" era; one is from James Mangold ("Logan") and is set at the dawn of the Jedi thousands of years before the original trilogy; and another is from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy ("Ms. Marvel") and will see Daisy Ridley return as Rey to form a new Jedi Order. For the moment, it is unclear which movie will arrive on which date, nor is it clear if those three dates are specifically for these three movies, as there are others in development at Lucasfilm (including one from Taika Waititi of "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Love and Thunder" fame).
The Last Jedi and Solo all over again?
It is completely understandable that Disney wants more "Star Wars" in theaters. Even "The Rise of Skywalker," which was not roundly beloved, to put it kindly, still made more than $1 billion at the box office. There is an appetite for these characters and this universe. However, it is not quite as expansive as the Marvel Cinematic Universe in many ways (despite encompassing a whole galaxy), meaning it can't really sustain three movies per year. We've seen this in the past with disastrous results.
In December 2017, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" hit theaters and proved to be divisive in a way that caught Disney and Lucasfilm off-guard. While the movie still made $1.33 billion globally, there was some unexpected fallout. Unfortunately, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" came out just a handful of months later in May 2018 after a tumultuous production and become the lowest-grossing live-action "Star Wars" movie ever with just $393.1 million to its name. That was a major turning point for Lucasfilm.
As a result, it's a little tough to believe that Disney would, once again, risk repeating the sins of the past with a flagship franchise like this. It's also worth noting that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy recently said they would like to release a "Star Wars" movie every three or four years. So two in a year seems like a stretch. Ultimately, between the continuing writers' strike, ongoing development on all these films, and other factors, these release dates can (and likely will) change again. Let's just hope, in the end, the mistakes of the past remain in the past.