When does the next Star Wars movie come out?

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last updated 7 November 2022

The latest Star Wars series Andor is currently underway on Disney+, but what's next for the franchise after the show wraps up? And when will Star Wars finally return to movie theaters? Here's everything we know:

The Bad Batch, season 2 (Jan. 4)

The animated series The Bad Batch will return on Disney+ to kick off 2023. This spin-off of The Clone Wars revolves around a group of defective clone troopers who make up a squad known as the Bad Batch. The first season depicts their adventures with a female clone named Omega following the events of Revenge of the Sith, during which all clones were ordered to kill the Jedi. But the majority of the Bad Batch was able to resist this order, so they've now gone off on their own.

The end of the first season suggested season two could feature some intriguing connections to The Mandalorian, particularly Doctor Pershing's experiments with Baby Yoda, which may be linked to the effort to bring Palpatine back as a clone that leads to The Rise of Skywalker. As teased in the trailer, Palpatine himself will be appearing in The Bad Batch season 2, with Ian McDiarmid again voicing the character. Commander Cody, a clone from the prequels who served with Obi-Wan Kenobi and was a character on The Clone Wars, will also be in the new season, as will Gungi, a Jedi Padawan Wookiee also from The Clone Wars.

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The first volume of Visions told various unrelated Star Wars stories in an anime style, and they were made by a variety of Japanese studios. But executive producer James Waugh told Deadline the second volume will be a "sort of a global tour of some of the most interesting animation studios on a global level," so it sounds like the focus won't necessarily be anime this time. Waugh said episodes in volume two will come from animation studios in South Africa, Chile, England, Ireland, France, and India.

Described as the "first full-length animated Star Wars series created for preschoolers, early grade schoolers, and their families," Young Jedi Adventures will follow a group of Younglings as they train to become Jedi during the High Republic era, a period prior to the prequel trilogy — making them, thankfully, safe from Anakin Skywalker. It will premiere on Disney+ and Disney Junior in spring 2023.

The highly-anticipated third season of The Mandalorian premieres sometime in 2023, likely toward the beginning of the year. (It was previously said to be premiering in February, though the recent trailer just said "2023.") Following the events of The Book of Boba Fett, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) has been reunited with Grogu, who trained with Luke Skywalker but chose to return to his adoptive father.

In season 3, we'll be headed to Mandalore, home planet of the Mandalorian people. Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), in the season 2 finale, agreed to help Din rescue Grogu in exchange for a ship she planned to use to retake Mandalore, which was decimated by the Empire; she also urged the Mandalorian to help her do so. But Din is now in possession of the Darksaber, a legendary lightsaber that is traditionally wielded by the ruler of Mandalore. That may put him in conflict with Bo-Katan, who formerly wielded the Darksaber and said in season 2 the weapon is "rightfully mine." She would have to defeat Din in combat to get it back and lead the Mandalorians. In the season 3 trailer, Bo-Katan blames Din's "cult" of Mandalorians for having "fractured our people."

Back to the Future's Christopher Lloyd is set for a role, though it's not clear who he's playing, and the trailer confirms Babu Frik — that cute little alien who yelled "hey hey!" in The Rise of Skywalker — will make an appearance. Comedian Tim Meadows has also been cast in an undisclosed role. But Cara Dune won't be back, as Gina Carano was fired by Disney for controversial social media posts. Her character will reportedly not be recast.

At the D23 expo, Skeleton Crew was described as the story of "a group of kids who get lost in the Star Wars galaxy," and it's set after Return of the Jedi and around the same time as The Mandalorian. "It's the story of their journey trying to find their way home," Watts said, adding, "It stars four kids, but it is not a kids' show." According to Vanity Fair, Lucasfilm has been casting young actors around 11 or 12.

From the looks of it, Ahsoka appears to essentially be a live-action sequel to Star Wars Rebels. That animated series ended with its protagonist, Ezra Bridger, disappearing into space with the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn, and the final scene showed that Ahsoka planned to team up with Mandalorian Sabine Wren to find him. In The Mandalorian, we saw Ahsoka is looking for Thrawn's location, which could lead her to Ezra. So the assumption among fans is that Ahsoka will be about this search for Ezra, following the Rebels cliffhanger.

Sabine Wren has been confirmed to appear in Ahsoka in live-action, and she'll be played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo. Eman Esfandi has also reportedly been cast as Ezra Bridger. Footage shown at Star Wars Celebration confirmed Hera Syndulla from Rebels will appear, as well, though it's not clear who has been cast in that role. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ivanna Sakhno have also been cast, but their parts haven't been revealed, and Ray Stevenson, who voiced Mandalorian Gar Saxon in The Clone Wars and Rebels, is reportedly playing a villain.

Hayden Christensen is also returning as Anakin Skywalker after his role in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin is dead at this point in the timeline, as like The Mandalorian, the show is set after Return of the Jedi. But he could appear as a Force ghost, which would allow Ahsoka to talk with her former master about his turn to the Dark Side and ultimate redemption. It's also possible the series could feature flashbacks to Anakin's time as Darth Vader or even to Ahsoka's time as Anakin's Padawan during the Clone Wars.

In 2020, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said Ahsoka will be part of a series of interconnected Star Wars shows set during the timeline of The Mandalorian that "will culminate in a climactic story event." It hasn't been confirmed what that event is, though some fans have speculated several of the shows that take place around the same time — The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and perhaps even Skeleton Crew — could lead to an Avengers-style crossover, which could involve a battle against Thrawn.

The Acolyte takes place around 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace during a period known as the High Republic, which is currently being explored in a series of novels and comics. The Republic was considered to be at its height during this period, but the show is expected to plant the seeds of how the Jedi could eventually be so blind as to have the Senate taken over by a Sith Lord in the prequel trilogy.

In May 2022, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said there's been "no movement" on the show, though she confirmed the hope is to get Glover back. "You need to ask Donald," she told CinemaBlend. "He's the one that holds all the cards here. … It's not for lack of trying. It's just that he's a very busy guy." Williams' potential involvement hasn't been confirmed, though he did share the announcement on Instagram.

Another project announced with great fanfare during Disney's 2020 investor presentation was Rogue Squadron, which was said to be a fighter pilot movie directed by Wonder Woman filmmaker Patty Jenkins. Lucasfilm even released a promo video for the film, which showed Jenkins getting into an X-Wing after describing how the project was inspired by her father, who was a fighter pilot. There was speculation the movie could take place after the sequel trilogy, as Lucasfilm said it would "move the saga into the future era of the galaxy" as it introduces a "new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride."

Disney originally had Rogue Squadron scheduled for a December 2023 release, meaning Star Wars would return to movie theaters after a four-year break. But in November 2021, The Hollywood Reporter said Rogue Squadron had been "taken off the production schedule," and in September 2022, Disney removed the film from its calendar. It currently has no release date, and it's not completely clear that it will even still be made. In November 2021, Puck reported Rogue Squadron was being delayed due to "creative differences," as "Jenkins couldn't agree on the script with Lucasfilm executives."

In June 2022, though, Waititi told The Wrap he's "still trying to figure out what the story is," even though Kennedy said Waititi was "currently hard at work writing" the film in December 2020 and Waititi himself told Wired in 2021, "We've got a story. I'm really excited by it because it feels very me." Speaking to Total Film, Waititi expressed his desire to "expand" the Star Wars universe and not just rely on existing characters.

Once again, no plot details have been revealed, though the plan is for it to be written by Michael Waldron, who created Marvel's Loki series and wrote Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In May 2022, Waldron told Variety he was currently writing the film. "We're finally into it in earnest," he said. "I mean, I'm writing away. It's a lot of fun. I'm enjoying having the freedom on that to do something that's not necessarily a sequel or anything."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.