Disney’s Next Star Wars Trilogy Is Officially Fixing The Sequels’ Worst Crime

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Disney is taking lessons from the mixed reception of the last Star Wars trilogy as they plan the next one. While those films made a lot of money, critics weren’t always impressed. The Force Awakens successfully brought Star Wars back to life, but it closely followed the plot of A New Hope. The Last Jedi had some bold ideas but didn’t give enough focus to key characters. And The Rise of Skywalker relied too much on familiar elements instead of forging a new path.

The Star Wars sequel trilogy had more than just a few issues. The overall story felt disjointed, largely because there wasn’t a clear plan from the beginning. J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens raised many questions but didn’t provide satisfying answers. Rian Johnson was then brought in to try and resolve these issues with The Last Jedi. However, when Abrams returned for The Rise of Skywalker, he dramatically changed Johnson’s direction, most notably by suddenly making Rey a Palpatine – a twist that felt unearned and surprising.

George Lucas’s improvisational approach seemed to work really well with the original Star Wars trilogy, likely because those films stayed true to his vision. While he collaborated with other directors, writers, and editors to make it happen, the core story remained his own. This approach wasn’t as successful with the sequels.

After the somewhat confusing return of Palpatine in the previous films, Star Wars started to address inconsistencies and build a more cohesive story through novels and Disney+ shows like The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian. Thankfully, this effort has largely worked, and Palpatine’s schemes are now well-explained. Lucasfilm seems determined not to repeat past errors, so the only Star Wars trilogy currently planned will be written and produced by Simon Kinberg, who also worked on Star Wars Rebels.

Over a year after announcing several new movies at the 2023 Star Wars Celebration (with the exception of what is now The Mandalorian and Grogu, which is in production), Lucasfilm announced it’s collaborating with Kinberg on a new Star Wars trilogy. Details are scarce and reports vary, but the trilogy could either continue the Skywalker family saga after The Rise of Skywalker as Episodes IX, X, and XI, or it could begin a completely new storyline within the Star Wars universe.

In an exit interview earlier this year, former Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy revealed that Kinberg developed a detailed 70-page outline for a new project in August 2025, with revisions planned for March 2026. It appears Lucasfilm is relying on Kinberg’s unique creative direction to revitalize the theatrical Star Wars franchise and learn from the challenges of the last sequel trilogy. Unlike those films, recent announcements – including The Mandalorian and Grogu, Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, and other projects revealed in 2023 – have emphasized self-contained stories, and Rian Johnson’s previously planned trilogy seems to have been cancelled.

A Unified Vision Can Only Improve Star Wars’ Future Prospects

Considering Lucasfilm’s recent history, it’s quite possible Kinberg’s planned three-movie project will be cancelled. Many directors and writers have been involved and then moved on since The Force Awakens came out, and even a promising Kylo Ren story, supported by Adam Driver and director Steven Soderbergh, didn’t happen. Developing a whole trilogy is a risky undertaking.

The new heads of Disney and Lucasfilm, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, are likely to assess the performance of both The Mandalorian and Grogu and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter before greenlighting any new Star Wars films (and Kathleen Kennedy highlighted their interest in a concept from Kinberg). If Kinberg’s planned trilogy moves forward, it promises a more consistent and unified direction for the future of Star Wars movies. While other writers and directors might be involved, Kinberg’s vision will be central to the trilogy, similar to how George Lucas’s vision shaped the original films and prequels.

Disney+ has given us some excellent Star Wars stories lately, like Andor, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, The Bad Batch, and The Mandalorian. However, the franchise sometimes feels scattered, bouncing around different time periods, groups, and characters. While these individual stories and characters are valuable and should continue, it would also be great to see a strong, connected storyline that explores a previously untouched part of the Star Wars timeline.

With the exception of Starfighter, which takes place five years after The Rise of Skywalker, this time period allows for a completely fresh beginning for Star Wars. The story can introduce new characters, planets, conflicts, and ideas, even if these films are labeled as Episodes IX, X, and XI. Starting a new era would be thrilling, and Kinberg’s story doesn’t have to be tied down by previous events. It’s a chance to revitalize the franchise, which is definitely a positive step.

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2026-05-24 03:09