After The Mandalorian And Grogu: 4 Confirmed Star Wars Releases Fans Can’t Miss
Seven years since its last theatrical outing, Star Wars storms back as Pedro Pascal leads The Mandalorian and Grogu onto the big screen. It plays it safe, but the franchise-sized budget turns comfort-food Star Wars into a full-blown event.
Star Wars is finally stepping back into theaters after seven years away, and it is doing it with the safest possible bet: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Pedro Pascal on the big screen, the fan-favorite duo front and center, and a budget sized to all but guarantee it turns a profit before it ever settles into a cozy second life on Disney+. It is a cautious play, but frankly, that is the point.
Where Lucasfilm is at right now
Disney is recalibrating. The Disney+ blitz did not exactly hit the numbers they wanted, so the firehose of new shows has slowed way down. Odd twist: we actually have more clarity on animation than live-action at the moment. There are rumblings of unannounced animated projects (very likely more from Visions and the Tales shows), while multiple films are in various stages of pre-production — including a trilogy written by Simon Kinberg — but nobody will say which ones are actually going to shoot. Typical franchise chessboard stuff.
What is actually locked in
- Star Wars: Starfighter ( film ) — May 28, 2027
Part of the franchise's 50th anniversary celebration, this one is written by Jonathan Tropper and directed by Shawn Levy. The cast is stacked in a way Star Wars movies usually are not: Ryan Gosling, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams, with Flynn Gray as a kid hunted by dark forces who gets scooped up by Gosling's mysterious starfighter pilot. Plot is under wraps, but the setup screams 'Chosen One' riff. It is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, which means we finally check in on the post-sequel era. Also worth flagging: the logo echoes the classic Jedi insignia. Between that and the timing, Lucasfilm is clearly treating this as a relaunch moment. - Ahsoka Season 2 (live-action series) — delayed to 2027
The only live-action Star Wars show we know is actively in development just slid to 2027, with no explanation from Lucasfilm. Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Ivanna Sakhno, Eman Esfandi, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Lars Mikkelsen are back. After Ray Stevenson's passing, Rory McCann has stepped in as Baylan Skoll. On the story side, the New Republic vs. Imperial Remnant conflict is heating up, while Ahsoka Tano, Sabine Wren, Baylan Skoll, and Shin Hati remain stuck on Peridea — the extragalactic world Season 1 revealed was once the seat of a dark side empire spanning galaxies. The finale also pointed to ties with the Mortis Gods, the ancient Force avatars, which is a big swing for live-action. Hayden Christensen, who appeared as Anakin's Force ghost in Season 1, is teased for a much larger role. - Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi (animated series) — 2026
The other confirmed 2026 title spins out of the Visions anthology, but in an alternate timeline. The Jedi are nearly wiped out, and Lah Kara — daughter of a legendary swordsmith who has figured out how to build lightsabers again — teams up with a small group trying to revive the Order while also rescuing her father from the Sith. This was teed up in Visions Season 3's standout episode 'Child of Hope', which positioned Lah Kara as a new 'Chosen One' who is dangerously susceptible to the dark side. Non-canon means creative freedom, and Production IG looks like it is running with it. File this under: most intriguing. - Maul - Shadow Lord Season 2 (animated series) — 'coming soon'
Translation: do not be surprised if this slides to 2027. Season 1 ended with Jedi Padawan Devon Izara pledging herself as Maul's new apprentice. Season 2 will pick up her training during the Empire's Dark Times, with the show continuing its brutal, stylish take on Maul as he hunts for payback against the Sith who cast him aside. Season 1 sits at 98% with critics and 92% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, so yes, more of this is very welcome.
And The Mandalorian and Grogu right now
Back to where we started: Din and the kid are leading the theatrical return, and Lucasfilm is keeping it crowd-pleasing by design. Low risk, high ceiling, and a clear runway to a big streaming afterlife. If this one hits as expected, it sets the tone for everything queued up behind it.
As always, dates move and plans change, but these are the projects Lucasfilm is actually pointing to in public. I will update as the dust settles and the mystery films decide whether they are real or just really expensive paperwork.