It might be fair to say that Star Wars is now perhaps the President of False Starts in Hollywood. It used to be unstoppable, but since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, a string of announced films have quietly disappeared from the release calendar as Disney focused on television. And then abandoned that, too. And now, another previously unannounced theatrical project has officially joined that growing list.

Screenwriter Simon Farnaby has confirmed that he and Paddington and Wonka director Paul King were developing a Star Wars movie for Disney and Lucasfilm before the project was ultimately scrapped, when Disney decided it wasn’t for them. Farnaby and King‘s screenplay was based around a robot character, rather than an established character from the franchise, which made Disney think it would be better suited to another project instead.

“They were like, we really need it to be a Star Wars movie, which is probably why it didn’t get turned into a Star Wars movie! But we never really nailed it. [Disney] basically said, ‘It’s not right for Star Wars, but do you want to rework it as a sci-fi film?’ So we’re working on that now.”

Although Farnaby didn’t reveal when the project was cancelled, he explained that he and King eventually moved on to collaborate on Wonka, which was released in 2023. Farnaby was speaking to Variety when he revealed the news.

What’s Next for Star Wars?

The news comes during a period of transition for the franchise. Earlier this year, longtime Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stepped down, with Dave Filoni taking over leadership of the studio. Lucasfilm’s most recent theatrical release, The Mandalorian and Grogu, struggled to meet expectations at the box office, posting the lowest domestic opening weekend in the history of the Star Wars film franchise. While the movie still performed solidly worldwide, its underwhelming debut has increased scrutiny over Disney’s long-term theatrical plans.

Fortunately for fans, the galaxy far, far away isn’t disappearing anytime soon. Ahsoka Season 2 is expected to premiere in early 2027, while Shawn Levy’s Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, is currently scheduled to arrive in cinemas in May 2027.

via Collider