Star Wars Celebration in Chicago is in full swing. The title for the new and ninth “Star Wars” movie (and trailer), ‘The Rise Of Skywalker’ has been revealed. This has obviously raised more questions than it has provided answers and Lucasfilm has a whole weekend of goodies coming up for fans including news about Disney+’s “The Mandalorian,” possibly the Cassian Andor series, the return of the animated “Star Wars: Clone Wars” and much, much more.
READ MORE: ‘Star Wars’: John Boyega Also Has No Clue What ‘Rise Of Skywalker’ Means
This mean, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is making the press rounds again and teasing the future of “Star Wars.” Part of that plan is the end, or at least the conclusion of the Skywalker saga that has spanned nine films and forty years. “We knew we were going to close this up; we knew that even before we started ‘The Force Awakens,’” Kennedy told the Hollywood Reporter this weekend.
That means, no more movies about Luke, Han and Leia and their gang and even possibly the new cast that surrounds them, Rey, Poe, and Finn (though not confirmed, some of these cast members have also discussed the trilogy as the end of their characters for now).
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And although “Star Wars” is taking a break from the big screen per Disney’s Bob Iger, Kennedy is looking ahead. “We are looking at the next saga. We are not just looking at another trilogy; we’re really looking at the next ten years or more,” Kennedy said.
READ MORE: ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ Teaser: The Final Saga Film Is ‘The Rise Of Skywalker’
Part of the reason “Star Wars” is taking a break is that nothing is currently ready to go for the big screen, but the next ten years of what Kennedy is talking about seems to be centered around three different filmmakers and two different sagas.
READ MORE: Disney Boss Bob Iger Says ‘Star Wars’ is Going On A Film ‘Hiatus’ After ‘Episode IX’
“This [movie] is the culmination of the Skywalker Saga; it’s by no means the culmination of Star Wars,” she explained. “I’m sitting down now with [‘Game Of Thrones’ creators] Dan Weiss and David Benioff…and Rian Johnson. We’re all sitting down to talk about, where do we go next? We’ve all had conversations about what the possibilities might be, but now we’re locking it down.”
READ MORE: ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ Teaser: The Final Saga Film Is ‘The Rise Of Skywalker’
Both the ‘Game Of Thrones’ duo and Johnson are said to be developing a trilogy apiece, and those six films certainly could easily fill up “Star Wars” on screen for the next ten years. Meanwhile, Disney+ can fill the small screen with stories and characters not big popular enough for a theatrical release (as “Solo: A Star Wars Story” proved).
READ MORE: Rian Johnson Refutes Rumors That He Is Leaving The ‘Star Wars’
Kennedy tells THR that a summit to chart that 10-year plan with Johnson and the ‘Game Of Thrones’ filmmakers is set for next month.
On some levels, this means the future of “Star Wars” is male, creator-wise, but then again who’s to say, Weiss, Benioff, and Johnson will direct all three of, if any, of these movies.
Johnson has refuted rumors that he is leaving the “Star Wars” universe and insists his trilogy is still a good, but considering how the darker corners of fandom have treated him, one would not be surprised if he only directs one “Star Wars” movie and then passes on the others ala George Lucas and remains on as the de facto creative director. More from Star Wars Celebration all weekend long.
Btw, in related Star Wars Celebration new, here’s the trailer for the STAR WARS: JEDI FALLEN ORDER video game.