Star Wars Is Now About Persistent Storytelling, Not Trilogies, Says Kathleen Kennedy

Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy has addressed the reason for the hiatus in the Star Wars film slate, explaining that there has been a shift in their storytelling approach.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Kennedy opened up about the master plan for the Star Wars franchise as she admitted Lucasfilm is navigating a new path after regrouping and mapping out the future. It seems the pivot towards television has influenced their film projects, as Kennedy hinted that trilogies may no longer be the best way to structure their stories.

“I do think a little bit of fun has gone out of making these gigantic movies. The business, the stakes, everything that’s been infused in the last 10 years or so. There’s a kind of spontaneity and good time that we have to be careful to preserve,” Kennedy explained. “We all recognized, every single one of us, that this was a new chapter for the company and that we needed to all work together to create the architecture for where we were going.”

Kennedy said the team reassessed the situation and now has “a road map” for the future. That road map includes Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie, which is reportedly pegged to arrive on the big screen before Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron, considering that one was delayed indefinitely. Both projects are expected to be standalone films rather than part of a series.

“I hesitate to use the word trilogies anymore because Star Wars is much more about persistent storytelling,” Kennedy said, even though there was a trilogy from Rian Johnson on the horizon at one time. Kennedy suggested this project has been put on the back-burner due to other commitments that the filmmaker has on his plate with Netflix.

Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie and TV Show

Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were also down for a Star Wars trilogy, but that was cancelled after the duo departed the project, citing their historic deal with Netflix. A separate Star Wars project from Marvel’s Kevin Feige also isn’t set in stone despite a promising update last year. “I would love to see what movie he might come up with,” Kennedy said. “But right now, there isn’t anything specifically.”

There is, however, a fleet of hotly-anticipated Disney+ shows coming from the galaxy far, far away, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, which will premiere its first two episodes on May 27, plus Season 3 of The Mandalorian, Andor with Diego Luna, and the upcoming Ahsoka series. Spider-Man’s Jon Watts is also reportedly working on a Star Wars coming-of-age series.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.