Just when we thought Disney and Lucasfilm had figured out the next few years of Star Wars movies, another curveball has hit the fandom. Prepare for a brand-new trilogy to be written and produced by Star Wars Rebels and X-Men veteran Simon Kinberg.
Deadline broke the news on Thursday (Nov. 7), stating the new trio of movies would be considered Episodes X, XI, and XII of the Skywalker Saga, which seemingly was finished with 2019's disappointing The Rise of Skywalker.
However, the piece also said that some "insiders" rejected that idea, instead claiming these new movies will kick off a new saga instead.
With the Skywalker bloodline effectively ended at the end of IX in spite of Rey carrying the name forward, the new trilogy could be both things, sort of: a continuation of the 'main' storyline with legacy characters from the sequels and a new start with fresh faces, which is how Star Wars has operated in the past.
The Hollywood Reporter, meanwhile, stated "the new story is not meant to be a continuation of the Skywalker Saga," but didn't shoot down the possibility of old faces popping up, which kind of reinforces the idea this could be set in the post-IX galaxy and not in the distant past. This would raise the question of what's happening with the Daisy Ridley-led movie — to be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and previously written by Peaky Blinders' Steven Knight — that's been in development for nearly two years now as far as we know. Perhaps that project has morphed into the start of this new trilogy?
Anyhow, many Star Wars fans and moviegoers might raise an eyebrow at the news, as Simon Kinberg's curriculum isn't super enticing at first glance, having been involved in flops such as X-Men: Dark Phoenix and 2015's dreadful Fantastic Four reboot (damage that Marvel Studios will try to undo next year).
On the other hand, he helped make the far better received X-Men: First Class and Days of Future Past, and co-created one of the best Star Wars shows so far, Star Wars Rebels, alongside Dave Filoni (now creative honcho at Lucasfilm). Other credits include huge big-screen hits like Logan, Deadpool & Wolverine, and The Martian.
In any case, setting a single creative to write and produce an entire trilogy is a move in the right direction if we're walking towards another big story arc, as by far the largest criticism the sequels faced was the lack of a cohesive single vision that was felt through the entire journey.
Kinberg is also attached to produce a new Star Trek movie over at Paramount, so maybe he'll be leaving that universe behind as he embarks on a bigger adventure in a galaxy far, far away.
As we wait for official news on the movie front of Star Wars, The Mandalorian & Grogu is next in line to hit theaters on May 22, 2026.
Among the countless movies reportedly in development, only three more have been confirmed by Disney and Lucasfilm: the aforementioned Rey Skywalker-centric standalone, a 'Jedi origins' prequel directed and co-written by James Mangold, and a Dave Filoni-helmed event movie that will finish the New Republic-era storylines that have been planted through several TV shows developed alongside Jon Favreau.
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