Dawn of the Jedi, a prequel set earlier than any other movie in the franchise, is set to be directed by James Mangold from a screenplay co-written by Mangold and Beau Willimon (Andor, House of Cards). Mangold has been nominated for two Oscars, once as a screenwriter for 2017's Logan and once as a producer on his directorial effort Ford v. Ferrari, which was nominated for Best Picture. Other franchise efforts helmed by Mangold include The Wolverine and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Per Empire magazine (via World of Reel), Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi is set to commence production in the near future. During an interview promoting his new Timothée Chalamet-led Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, Mangold revealed that once his work on the project - which comes with quite a bit of Oscar buzz - is over, he will be shooting the new Star Wars movie. Thus, the movie could potentially kick off production by the end of 2025.
What This Dawn Of The Jedi Update Means For Star Wars
The Franchise May Still Be On Track
This is the firmest update that has come from one of the Star Wars movies, other than the Disney+ series follow-up The Mandalorian & Grogu, in some time. While Lucasfilm recently recommitted to three movies from the franchise coming between 2026 and 2027 while at D23, the previously announced movies on the roster had not received any updates in some time.
The Mandalorian & Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau, is currently in production and is set to premiere on May 26, 2026.
In addition to Dawn of the Jedi, the titles that have previously been announced include the New Jedi Order movie, which is set to feature the return of Daisy Ridley as Rey. That project is also seeing some movement, as Ridley teased at a recent Collider event that "things are evolving." These two updates have come over the course of the same week, which would seem to indicate that the franchise is indeed preparing to make good on that D23 promise.
Our Take On James Mangold's Dawn Of The Jedi
This Update Is Perfectly Timed
This update on the production of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi is exciting, as there have been no feature films from the franchise released in theaters since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, which was a critical and commercial disappointment. On top of the anticipated The Mandalorian & Grogu, the fact that there is indeed motion on the prequel means that the franchise may have finally shaken off the doldrums caused by that movie's underperformance. Additionally, this indicates that the movie's pre-production progress puts it perfectly in place for bigger updates to come during Star Wars Celebration in 2025.
Source: Empire (via World of Reel) & Collider
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi
- Director
- James Mangold
- Sequel(s)
- Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
Announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2023, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi is a prequel focusing on the first-ever Jedi. Taking place 25,000 before Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Dawn of the Jedi will explore the events set prior to the Old Republic and the Disney+ series, The Acolyte.
