Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has discussed the surprising similarities shared by two upcoming entries in the Star Wars film series.
During an interview with GamesRadar+, Kennedy revealed that James Mangold and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy‘s respective Star Wars films do share connective tissue, despite taking place tens of thousands of years apart. Mangold’s film takes place during the earliest days of the Jedi, roughly 25,000 years before the events of 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Meanwhile, Obaid-Chinoy’s film follows Rey Skywalker (Daisy Ridley) as she builds a new Jedi Order. It is set 15 years after the events of 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (i.e. about 50 years after A New Hope).
According to Kennedy, there have long been talks at Lucasfilm about making a film chronicling the dawn of the Jedi. “That’s come up a lot, from the moment I stepped in and George [Lucas] brought me into the company, there’s been a lot of interest in that,” she said. “It was something that Jim [Mangold] immediately sparked to, and I think it’s a really nice compliment to what we’re doing with moving into the future with Rey, and then understanding a bit more of where this all came from … Because it will be at the heart of creating the new Jedi Order, so to get a real sense of where that might have began with the dawn of the Jedi could be pretty cool.”
What Star Wars movies are currently in development?
The films helmed by Mangold and Obaid-Chinoy are two of three big-screen projects that were announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023. The third is a film directed by Dave Filoni, which will serve as the grand finale of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and its spin-offs (i.e. The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew).
Additionally, Taika Waititi — who helmed The Mandalorian’s Season 1 finale — has been developing a Star Wars movie of his own at Lucasfilm for a number of years now. Meanwhile, there are still tentative plans for Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson to lead the charge on an all-new trilogy set in the galaxy far, far away.
