Disney’s reported rule of waiting to announce new Disney Star Wars and Kathleen Kennedy (though this rule has already been broken with the announcement of Damon Lindelof’s possible Star Wars film), but the problem for Disney Star Wars isn’t merely premature project announcements, but rather that there seems to be no coherent vision for Star Wars’ movie future.

It's clear that Star Wars can still attract considerable talent, despite its constant schedule changes, delays, and project cancelations. The possible alienation of creatives isn’t even Star Wars’ biggest current problem, however. Though moving past the Skywalker saga was always going to take some new creative input and the willingness to take risks, Lucasfilm needs some sort of Disney+ Star Wars shows aren’t perfect, but their development always feels like it is being done with purpose and a clear vision. None of the recent Star Wars movie announcements have felt truly concrete, leaving too much room for creative differences and narrative gaps to fester, and this is a mistake that needs to be rectified.

Related: Why Star Wars Can't Get Its Movies Right (But Has So Many TV Shows)

Why Disney Is Struggling To Make New Star Wars Movies

Star Wars' Trilogy Break Can Restore The Best Of Disney Era Movies

After the completion of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, many questioned what Disney would focus on next. Despite the success of Luke Skywalker and even Ahsoka Tano has perhaps made the shows feel too connected to the larger Star Wars narrative. Disney Star Wars faces a difficult task – continuing to build on a franchise that is so well-known and that audiences are so invested in, yet without relying too overtly on nostalgia. It’s a tricky balance to find. Working with creators, writers, and directors who have their own clear artistic visions certainly promises more individual and unique stories within the Star Wars galaxy, but Lucasfilm needs to be wary of placing too much emphasis on what came before.

One of the reasons Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was much maligned during its original release is because it was too obvious that Star Wars wasn’t sure how Rey’s story was supposed to end, and thus they relied on a long-dead legacy character to fill a void that didn’t need filling. If Star Wars is going to have a successful movie future, it needs to be willing to take risks. Star Wars sequel trilogy into the future or go even further back than the High Republic to a time that is truly unexplored in Star Wars storytelling. There’s plenty of opportunity, but Disney and Star Wars need to be willing to take the risk.

What New Star Wars Movies Are Actually In The Works?

Rian Johnson Star Wars trilogy

Patty Jenkins’ Star Trek Into Darkness co-writer Damon Lindelof’s new Star Wars movie, which has announced Ms. Marvel’s Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to be directing, and is said to be set after the sequel trilogy. Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige is also set to produce a Star Wars project and has brought on Michael Waldron to write the script.

As it stands, there are still plenty of Star Wars movie projects in the works, but it remains to be seen how many will truly make it to the finish line. December 2025 currently holds a release slot for an untitled Star Wars film, so it will be interesting to see which of these projects may snag that release date in the future. Hopefully, the movie side of Star Wars will find its footing soon so that a galaxy far, far away can once again be enjoyed on the big screen.

Next: How Star Wars Episode 10 Can Fix The Sequel Trilogy's Mistakes