Everything Kathleen Kennedy Just Revealed About Star Wars’ Upcoming Movies: Timelines, Characters, & More

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy gave a bombshell interview during which she provided several shocking Star Wars updates. The future of Star Wars movies and TV shows has been in question of late, especially because many of the upcoming Star Wars movies still seem to be a major question mark. It doesn’t help that Star Wars’ upcoming TV shows are sparse, to say the least, with only Ahsoka season 2 and Andor season 2—which comes out in just a few months—currently confirmed.

With Star Wars Celebration 2025 just around the corner in April, surely more announcements are coming, but there has certainly been plenty of concerned chatter about Star Wars’ future. The franchise was thrown even further into chaos just this week when it was circulating that Kathleen Kennedy was retiring. Now, not only has Kennedy indicated she isn’t leaving Lucasfilm, but she has also dropped a number of shocking revelations in a recent interview with Deadline.

Kathleen Kennedy Isn’t Going Anywhere Soon

The News Of Kennedy’s Retirement Wasn’t Entirely Accurate

Kathleen Kennedy reveals a colorful Star Wars logo shirt underneath her white jacket at a Star Wars event.

Just a few days ago, the news that Kathleen Kennedy was retiring was circulating widely, and it seemed all but confirmed. Kennedy has shocked many with the update that she isn’t planning to leave Lucasfilm anytime soon. In fact, not only is Kathleen Kennedy not retiring, but also, she explained in her interview:

“The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring. I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies. That is the first thing that’s important to say. I am not retiring. What’s happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both Bob and Alan about what eventual succession might look like.”

Kennedy did indicate that an announcement could be coming in “months or a year.”

It’s clear that the news wasn’t entirely inaccurate. Clearly, conversations are happening about an eventual succession plan. The word ‘eventual’ is the operative one, though, as this process will evidently be taking place at a much later point in time than was expected when this news first spread.

Kennedy Revealed First Details About Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Movie

Kennedy Provided Shocking Updates On Levy’s Movie

Director Shawn Levy smiling

Shawn Levy’s Star Wars movie is one of several upcoming Star Wars movies, but it is also among the projects that felt uncertain. Very little has been revealed about Levy’s movie, including its place in the Star Wars timeline. At present, Levy has really only shared that the movie is intended to be a standalone. Given the minimal details, it felt as though the movie was quite early on in the process, but Kennedy just confirmed that Levy’s Star Wars movie is much further along than many thought.

Shawn Levy with Star Wars imagery in the background

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Evidently, not only is Levy’s Star Wars movie fully underway, but also, it is the next to be released after The Mandalorian and Grogu. In Kathleen Kennedy’s retirement update, she explained:

I’m producing the Mandalorian movie right now, and I’m also producing Shawn Levy’s movie, which is after that.

This is a truly surprising update even among a sea of several other surprising revelations, as many had expected it to be Rey’s upcoming Star Wars movie, rumored to be titled Star Wars: New Jedi Order, that would follow The Mandalorian and Grogu in Star Wars’ release schedule.

Simon Kinberg’s Upcoming Star Wars Trilogy Is “The Next Iteration, The New Saga”

It Seems The Skywalker Saga Is Indeed Over

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News of Simon Kinberg’s upcoming Star Wars trilogy has been circulating for some time now, although it was a shock when it was announced. New Jedi Order had already gotten considerable attention, and it seemed like the surefire next step in Rey’s Star Wars story. The rumored title also heavily implied that Rey would be establishing her own Jedi Order. The news that Kinberg’s trilogy would see Rey in an “Obi-Wan Kenobi role” called that into question, however.

Nevertheless, during her interview with Deadline, Kennedy doubled down on the future of Simon Kinberg’s trilogy, revealing that “This is the next iteration, the new saga that moves us into the future.” Not only does this suggest how important this new trilogy is, but also, it confirms that the Skywalker Saga truly is over following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It remains to be seen what exactly this new trilogy will entail and which characters audiences know and love may be included.

There Are “Other Developments” In The Mandalorian Era

The Mandalorian And Grogu Is Far From The End

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Kathleen Kennedy has also revealed that more is coming for the Mandalorian era in Star Wars. Kennedy specifically spoke about developments in the New Republic era, explaining that there are “other developments going on in that space.” Kennedy also shared that this is an era the franchise is particularly focused on right now, which isn’t all that surprising.

Not only were The Mandalorian season 1 through 3 and The Book of Boba Fett both set in this era, but also, Skeleton Crew and Ahsoka season 1 explored this period of time. Given The Mandalorian and Grogu will continue Din Djarin and Grogu’s stories, this movie will be the first feature-length project to depict the New Republic era as well. Likewise, Ahsoka season 2 is just around the corner, offering even more insight into this period of the Star Wars timeline. There is evidently even more to come, as well.

The Mandalorian and Grogu imagery with Din Djarin and Grogu flying

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James Mangold Is Still Working On His Dawn Of The Jedi Script

This Story On The Prime Jedi Is Still Underway

James Mangold and the Prime Jedi.

One of the more exciting upcoming Star Wars projects is James Mangold’s movie, rumored to be titled Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi. This movie, as the rumored title suggests, is expected to tell the story of the prime Jedi—the very first Jedi in Star Wars. This would truly bring something brand-new to Star Wars, and it is exactly what the franchise needs right now.

Unfortunately, like many movies on this list, Dawn of the Jedi has had very few updates or details released thus far, and its future seemed uncertain. Kennedy has provided a thrilling update on this movie, though. Of Mangold and Dawn of the Jedi, Kennedy said, “He’s working on this script right now.” According to Kennedy, Mangold was delayed because of other projects he is working on as well as the awards season, but she is confident the movie will be worth the wait.

Taika Waititi Hasn’t Been Ruled Out, But Is Just Very Busy

This Upcoming Star Wars Movie Remains In Doubt

Taika Waititi in Free Guy

Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie is yet another that was previously announced but hasn’t shown much movement. Waititi, known for projects like the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor: Love and Thunder and the TV series Our Flag Means Death, would be a fascinating addition to the Star Wars franchise because of his sense of humor and body of work. Nevertheless, with very few updates, it seemed uncertain whether this Star Wars movie would ever come to be.

Of all the Star Wars projects mentioned in Kennedy’s Deadline interview, Waititi’s seemed to be the least certain. Kennedy explained:

“I keep waiting for Taika [Waititi], and he is working with another writer now. He’s so busy. I love him. I think if we ever do get a script from Taika, it’s going to be fantastic. I already saw a first act that I loved, but tying him down, it’s tricky.”

Kennedy’s wording is particularly indicative of the uncertainty still surrounding the movie, as she said “if” they get a script, suggesting there is a possibility one doesn’t come. Evidently, this simply comes down to Waititi’s busy schedule, but hope remains that this movie will be coming down the line at some point.

Kathleen Kennedy Is Surprisingly Silent About Rey’s New Jedi Order Movie

Updates On Rey’s Movie Were Noticeably Absent

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The most glaring absence in Kennedy’s interview was any mention of New Jedi Order or Rey’s future in Star Wars. Kennedy addressed a whole host of questions currently lingering in the franchise and even provided updates that few saw coming, such as details about Waititi’s progress. One would expect that New Jedi Order, which has gotten so much attention in the last two years, would have been front of mind as well. This suggests that Kennedy may have been intentionally avoiding discussing the movie.

If that’s the case, there are a number of possible explanations. Perhaps Lucasfilm is still working out precisely what they want the new movie to entail, which would mean withholding any updates for now. It’s also possible that New Jedi Order is in the works and they are holding off until Star Wars Celebration for some major reveals. Unfortunately, it’s also possible that Rey’s movie is on hiatus or may even be on the chopping block.

At present, one can only speculate about the future of Rey and her upcoming movie. It’s certainly odd and has raised some eyebrows that it was absent from this thorough interview, during which Kennedy revealed so much about what is coming in Star Wars. Nevertheless, this entirely unexpected interview with Kathleen Kennedy has answered several burning Star Wars questions.