The New Star Wars Trilogy Rumor That Could Change The Jedi Forever
For many "Star Wars" fans, the Disney era of the highly successful franchise has been a mixed bag of highs and lows. Though 2015's "The Force Awakens" was a massive critical and financial success (via Rotten Tomatoes and Box Office Mojo), audience reaction to 2017's "The Last Jedi" proved it to be one of the most divisive entries in the entire series (via Rotten Tomatoes). Two years later, 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker" seemed to frustrate critics for the exact opposite reasons (via Rotten Tomatoes).
Outside of the Skywalker saga, Lucasfilm has also faced similar troubles. Though 2016's "Rogue One" was certainly popular among fans and critics alike (via Rotten Tomatoes), 2018's "Solo" became the first "Star Wars" movie to bomb at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). On the small screen, the first two seasons of "The Mandalorian" helped drive the first year's worth of subscribers for Disney+ (via The Hollywood Reporter), but more recent reactions to "The Book of Boba Fett" have been decidedly less enthusiastic.
Lucasfilm has seen fit to focus on television for the last few years, but many "Star Wars" fans are understandably eager to see a return to the big screen. Though the film studio certainly has plenty of options in moving the franchise forward, one rumor suggests they may have already figured out the first steps to their next theatrical release.
A rumor about a new Star Wars trilogy sparks speculation
During an episode of "The Ringer-verse" podcast, former Vanity Fair writer Joanna Robinson mentioned that she previously heard "whispers" about Lucasfilm pursuing another film trilogy. According to Robinson, this trilogy would supposedly be set sometime after the events of "The Rise of Skywalker." Though Robinson only shared sparse details on the project, she also reported that the trilogy could potentially portray the rebuilding of the Jedi Order.
In the days since this podcast aired, these quotes have sparked speculation among fans about everything from Daisy Ridley's contract to the possible appearance of an adult Grogu (aka Baby Yoda from "The Mandalorian"). However, all of this speculation leaves out the most important quote of the podcast. After mentioning the rumors, Robinson said, "You can fill an entire stadium with ideas Lucasfilm has been interested in but never realized."
Of course, the Disney era of "Star Wars" has publicly entertained a variety of projects that never quite came to fruition. These include, but are not limited to: director Josh Trank's "Boba Fett" movie, Rian Johnson's untitled trilogy, and an untitled film by "Game of Thrones" writers David Benioff and D.B.Weiss. Notably, Patty Jenkins' "Rogue Squadron" movie was also reported to be canceled late last year (via Puck News), but more recent reporting from Deadline indicates that Jenkins' "Star Wars" film is still in the early stages of development.