D23 runs from August 9th to August 11th and Lucasfilm have formally confirmed in recent days that they will take part in the most exciting event at D23, the Disney Entertainment Showcase panel, where a plethora of Disney’s studios will be showcasing various upcoming projects. So, what can Star Wars fans expect to be at the two hour long panel?
Skeleton Crew
The next Star Wars project set to be released is the Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and Christopher Ford (Spider-Man: Homecoming) created live-action series, Skeleton Crew. Last week, Lucasfilm began promoting the series when they released a handful of stills from the show via People and announced a release date of December 3rd for the show.
Given that promotion has already begun and the release of the series is only four months away, it almost feels like a given that Lucasfilm will showcase a trailer at D23.
In April of 2023, Lucasfilm showed a trailer for Skeleton Crew at Star Wars Celebration and frankly, at least to me, it was the best trailer I saw at the event which also included trailers for Ahsoka, The Acolyte and Andor season two. This trailer, along with Andor and The Acolyte, leaked online not too long later.
The trailer for The Acolyte shown at Celebration was near identical to the first trailer released for the series in February of this year. Given that Skeleton Crew was originally supposed to release in the holiday season of 2023, I almost expect the trailer shown at D23, and later released to the public, to be very, very similar to the that shown at Celebration last year.
There’s no guarantee that Lucasfilm will release the trailer as it’s shown at the event, they may wait a few days or weeks. However, I’d be pretty surprised if it didn’t immediately release given last weeks photo drop.
Andor Season 2
The second and final season of Andor was initially due to release this month. However, as I exclusively reported in September last year, the final season of what I consider to be the best piece of Star Wars material in decades, has been delayed into 2025. Though I expect it to be somewhat early 2025.
Principal photography on the season wrapped up in the early part of this year, following a break in filming due to various industry strikes, and the season has also seemingly wrapped on reshoots. In terms of filming, it’s in the bag and is working towards its release window in post-production.
Why do I think it’ll be at D23? Andor, though it wasn’t a hit in terms of viewership, is a critical darling and is possibly the most prestige piece of live-action Star Wars material that Lucasfilm under Disney has produced, so they’ll definitely want to remind audiences that a new season is arriving.
Lucasfilm might formally announce that the second and final season will bow in 2025 and they may even treat those in attendance at D23 to some footage. Given how Andor season two was only four months deep into production when they showed a teaser at Star Wars Celebration last year, I imagine whatever teaser or trailer they possibly show to the D23 crowd will differ from the Celebration showcase.
Though Andor might get a trailer shown at D23, it’s really quite likely that it’s exclusive to those in the room. As mentioned, Andor is quite a ways away from releasing and Lucasfilm’s focus will be on Skeleton Crew and rightly so. Marvel Studios, though they may announce a handful of things, their focus, at least on the TV side, will be on Agatha All Along as it’s their next release.
I doubt we’ll see a trailer officially trailer and I doubt we get a hard release date, simply just 2025.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
Lucasfilm’s next theatrical release, their first since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian and Grogu is about to begin principal photography ahead of its release of May 22nd, 2026. I don’t expect a huge update on this project, but I think it’s possible that we get some updates.
As mentioned, principal photography is due to begin, if it already hasn’t, and I could see Lucasfilm taking a moment just to update fans on the production and revealing that filming has formally begun. This will reinforce confidence in fans actually getting to see a brand new Star Wars movie on the big screen after a handful of false dawns.
I also think that it’s possible that they announce some cast members. At this moment in time, Lucasfilm have not announced a single cast member for this movie – returning or new. It was previously reported that one of the most iconic women in all of sci-fi, Sigourney Weaver, is set to appear in the Jon Favreau directed flick.
Other theatrical releases; Rey, Shawn Levy and more
At Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm announced three movies – New Jedi Order (working title) directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel), Dawn of the Jedi directed by James Mangold (Logan) and an untitled MandoVerse crossover directed by Dave Filoni (Ahsoka). Lucasfilm have not given any official update on these projects since their announcements sixteen months ago and maybe, just maybe they’ll give some at D23.
Currently Lucasfilm have three Star Wars films dated officially. The Mandalorian and Grogu for May 2026, an untitled film for December 2026 and an untitled film for December 2027. It’s believed that December 2026 is the window for New Jedi Order, which will see Daisy Ridley return as Rey Skywalker, and December 2027 is the window for Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi which explores the origin of the Jedi. Lucasfilm have never publicly commented on what project of theirs will release in the December 2026 and December 2027 windows. Perhaps at D23, Lucasfilm will at least comment on what film will release in the December 2026 window, at least.
I do not expect much of an update, or any update, on Dave Filoni’s crossover movie. It’s at least four years away and Filoni is currently hard at working putting pen to paper for the second season of Ahsoka, which will likely start shooting next year.
Disney have a monster hit on their hands at the box office at the moment – Deadpool and Wolverine. The feature has already grossed over $820M at the global box office and is currently projected to earn a whopping $1.3B-$1.4B, making the flick the most successful live-action release of the year, second overall behind Disney’s Inside Out 2. And who directed Deadpool and Wolverine? Shawn Levy. And why is that important? Well it’ll tell you.
In late 2022, it was reported by the Hollywood trades that Levy is developing a Star Wars movie with Lucasfilm. Levy has commented on the project various times since it was first repotted and has confirmed this to be the case. Recently the project added Johnathan Trapper (The Adam Project) as a writer. Though Levy has confirmed that he’s working on a Star Wars movie, Lucasfilm have not commented on the matter. So, with Deadpool and Wolverine being the biggest movie in the world at this moment in time, there’s momentum for Lucasfilm to announce that Shawn Levy is working on a Star Wars movie and maybe they’ll share a tidbit on what it’s about, just as they did in 2023 when they announced New Jedi Order, Dawn of the Jedi and the MandoVerse crossover.
As mentioned earlier, the belief at this time is that New Jedi Order and Dawn of the Jedi will be the films that follow The Mandalorian and Grogu, so I don’t expect Lucasfilm to announce a release window for the Levy effort, unless the slate has changed significantly. I also don’t think Lucasfilm will announce any other movie and nor should they considering they’ve announced a ridiculous amount of movies in recent years and none of them have yet to release on the big screen.
Ahsoka Season 2
It seems too early for any real update on the second season of Ahsoka. It’s likely two years away from release, filming has yet to start and Dave Filoni is still penning the scripts, all while also working on The Mandalorian and Grogu. Maybe it’ll get a brief mention just to remind fans it’s in development, but I expect no significant update on this project.
The Acolyte Season 2
This is a can of worms I don’t really want to get into. The online discourse around this series is frustrating and nauseating.
The Acolyte was written with the idea of it being multi-season show, it had a bible written for it for at least two seasons, and we know that the shows creator, Leslye Headland, would love to move forward on a second season. But Headland in the past has been very honest in revealing that the first season would need to perform well to get a season two.
The Acolyte was divisive (what Star Wars product isn’t at this point?), but it felt like the most of any Star Wars TV project. The Acolyte had more reviews (written or video) than any other Star Wars TV series, that includes the multi-season Mandalorian, according to Forbes, with many of those reviews being negative (at least on YouTube). However, as mentioned by Headland, viewership is a key factor in a second season getting the green light and unfortunately for fans of the series, The Acolyte has not been performing that well.
The fourth, fifth and sixth episodes of The Acolyte failed to crack Nielsen’s Streaming Originals chart, meaning the show didn’t accumulate enough minutes watched to break into the top ten for three weeks in a row – it it’s the only live-action Star Wars series not to chart.
Given the performance and online reaction, I find it quite unlikely that a second season will be on the cards. But I can also see Lucasfilm sticking to their guns and allowing one more season, a final season, though I feel those resources could be spent elsewhere.
New Series
At this time we only know of three live-action Star Wars series due to be released – Skeleton Crew, Andor season two, Ahsoka season two. That’s one live-action Star Wars series in 2025, one in 2026 and one to be released this holiday season.
Some fans may feel as if the TV slate is quite light and I think that’s a fair observation. However, if Lucasfilm actually release two movies in 2026, do you really need more than one live-action series to release within that year? Probably not, it’s a bit over-saturating if you ask me – two movies and one live-action series feel more than enough. It’s too late in the game to get a second live-action series to release in 2025, so it appears Andor season two is it for that year. But what about beyond 2026?
Personally, if I’m Lucasfilm, I would hold off on any new TV series announcements until Star Wars Celebration 2025. Make that event really worth it for those die hard fans that make the trip next year. We know what to expect on the TV side in terms of live-action for the next two years and that’s okay – you don’t need to prematurely announce another project. Though it doesn’t scratch the same itch, I’m sure Lucasfilm would plug any holes in the calendar with a new animated series – they’re supposedly working on one.
Disney is reportedly set to cut down on the number of big budget series on Disney+ that include Marvel and Star Wars as the company shifts its focus back to theatrical (hence The Mandalorian and Grogu). One live-action series a year for 2025 and 2026 is enough, and seemingly aligns with Disney’s plans, as Lucasfilm look to the big screen.
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