Dave Filoni Opens Up About His Plan for the Future of STAR WARS
For the better part of a decade, Lucasfilm has announced a mountain of Star Wars movies that never actually made it to the screen. Fans have watched project after project get revealed, reshuffled, delayed, or disappear completely. At this point, every theatrical release feels like it survived a gauntlet.
Now the franchise is entering a new era. With Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan stepping into leadership roles at Lucasfilm, there’s finally a sense that the studio is trying to lock in a more focused direction for the galaxy far, far away. And according to Filoni, he’s already mapping out where things go next.
That journey officially kicks off with The Mandalorian and Grogu, which hits theaters next week. The movie was co-written and produced by Filoni, and during a recent interview with Collider, he talked about how he’s approaching the future of Star Wars storytelling now that he’s helping steer the ship.
Filoni explained: “I’m just looking at the stories and the potential and planning what I’d like to do. I believe in having an overarching idea and then saying, ‘Okay, it’s this many of that, and then we can have that.’
“There are certain things that have been in motion already that, obviously, I want to continue. Jon [Favreau] and I have had a great partnership for many years now, telling stories.
“So, I look at the stories that I’m kind of planning and architecting, and I look at other creative talents that bring us, also, great stories, and I just try to find a way to make them all work.”
Filoni gives fans just enough to chew on without spelling anything out directly. Still, there are some pretty obvious clues hidden in there.
Right now, the next major Star Wars projects already lined up are fairly clear. After The Mandalorian and Grogu, Filoni returns with Season 2 of Ahsoka, which is expected to debut on Disney+ in early 2027. After that comes Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, which is currently set for May 2027.
Beyond those projects, things get much murkier. When Filoni talks about continuing plans that were “already in motion,” there’s a good chance he’s referring to the rumored trilogy being developed by Simon Kinberg.
According to ongoing reports, those films could evolve into Episodes X, XI, and XII. There’s also the lingering possibility that elements from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey-focused movie may eventually fold into that larger story.
Then there are the projects that technically still exist in the Lucasfilm vault. Movies from James Mangold and Taika Waititi haven’t been canceled, even if updates on them have been scarce.
But the most interesting part of Filoni’s comments might be the way he specifically referenced his partnership with Jon Favreau. That feels like a pretty strong hint that the interconnected stories built around Din Djarin, Grogu, and Ahsoka are far from finished.
That’s probably the safest direction Lucasfilm could take right now. The Mando-era corner of Star Wars has been the franchise’s most consistent win over the last several years, and audiences are still heavily invested in those characters.
Of course, Filoni also has a habit of talking in riddles. Fans looking for concrete announcements may have to wait a little longer before Lucasfilm fully lays its cards on the table.
The next big reveals will likely happen either at D23 this August or during Star Wars Celebration in April 2027. Until then, Filoni appears to be doing exactly what fans hoped someone at Lucasfilm would eventually do: building a plan instead of throwing projects at the wall and hoping they stick.