Kathleen Kennedy Is Looking To James Bond For How To ‘Eventise’ Star Wars Movies
As Star Wars Day – aka May the Fourth – approaches in 2023, it will have been nearly three and a half years since a new Star Wars film hit theaters. When Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker was released in theaters at the end of 2019, it signified the end of the Skywalker Saga as well as a break in the film side of Star Wars storytelling.
The emphasis shifted to blockbuster Disney+ streaming shows like The Mandalorian and Andor, as well as the birth of the High Republic era in a series of novels and comics. However, plans for the galaxy’s glorious return to cinemas are in the works, with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy recently confirming plans for three new films at Star Wars Celebration, with The Force ready to awaken on the big screen once more.
Now it’s just a matter of when those three upcoming films will be released – and, according to Kennedy, that’s simply a matter of when they’re ready. “I’ve often brought up Bond,” Kennedy says at the Star Wars Celebration. “That’s every three or four years, and there wasn’t any pressure to make a movie every year.”
That, “I believe, was crucial to Star Wars. This must be made a reality.” The short answer is that nothing is anticipated to arrive in multiplexes until at least 2025. “It’s much better to tell the truth,” she says, “that we’re going to make these movies when they’re ready to be made, and we’re going to release them when they’re ready to be released.”
What those films are about spans a large portion of the Star Wars era. James Mangold is filming a film set 25,000 years before the Skywalker Saga about the first Jedi and the discovery of the Force. In a big-screen event, Dave Filoni will continue the Mando-verse era. In a film set 15 years after the events of Episode IX, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will recast Daisy Ridley as Rey.
It’s all about delving deeper into the lore and legacy of the Jedi spiritual system. “What we’re exploring is the evolution of the Jedi,” Kennedy confirms. “We’re going back in time, looking at the present, and now we’re 15 years after The Rise Of Skywalker.”
The First Order has gone, the Jedi are in disarray – there’s even speculation over how many still remain – and Rey is constructing the New Jedi Order based on the book she was given and that Luke imparted on her.” The effects of the Force will be felt for many years to come.
The upcoming Secret Invasion issue of Empire features a massive 20-page Star Wars blowout, delving into the saga’s future with new interviews and photoshoots with the galaxy’s brightest stars, including Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, Rosario Dawson, Tony Gilroy, Diego Luna, Jude Law, Katee Sackhoff, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Andy Serkis, Amandla Stenberg, and many more.
From Ahsoka to Andor Season 2, The Mandalorian, The Acolyte, and the trio of future films, it’s a comprehensive look at what Star Wars has to offer in the next years. You won’t want to miss it – get a copy when it hits stores on Thursday, May 11th, or join an Empire member now to get access to the entire issue on launch day.