Another new “Star Wars” project has collided with some space debris.
Writer Steven Knight, whose “Maria” looks to be a major contender this awards season, is no longer writing the new “Star Wars” movie that would be centered around Rey (Daisy Ridley) and set after the events of 2019’s much maligned “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Still, we were assured that the film is still very much in development.
Knight joined the project in 2023, replacing screenwriters Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson. The story is rumored to focus on Rey’s attempts at starting a new Jedi Academy. (Lindelof and Britt-Gibson’s supposedly featured Rey as a 60-year-old woman.) At the time that Lindelof and Britt-Gibson were replaced, filming was intended to begin in early 2024.
That did not happen. Instead, “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” a feature-film version of the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” began filming in 2024, for release in the summer of 2026. There are untitled “Star Wars” projects tentatively dated for December 2026 (when most assumed the Rey film would occupy) and December 2027.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who directed episodes of “Ms. Marvel” and won two Oscars for her documentary short films, is still attached to direct.
Other “Star Wars” projects in development include a feature helmed by “Deadpool & Wolverine” filmmaker Shawn Levy and a “Dawn of the Jedi” feature, set thousands of years in the past, to be directed by James Mangold. Dave Filoni, who created the animated “Clone Wars” series and been a part of most of the live-action series, is also developing a feature.
On the small screen side of things, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” premieres the first week of December on Disney+ and next year sees the long awaited return of “Andor,” for its second and final season.
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