Just over a week after announcing a new trilogy of Star Wars feature films is in development with writer Simon Kinberg, there’s another detail for speculation-crazed Star Wars fans to ponder. Disney has shifted an “Untitled Star Wars” film from its upcoming schedule, slotting Ice Age 6 onto that release date (December 18, 2026) in its place.
Variety confirmed the date change. A couple of things right off the bat: that doesn’t mean the Star Wars film isn’t happening. It just means there will be a longer wait to see it. It also doesn’t change the fact that the next big-screen Star Wars adventure, The Mandalorian & Grogu, is currently set to hit theaters May 22, 2026. Disney also has yet another Star Wars film, similarly untitled, still hung on December 17, 2027.
However, the schedule change does bring up some interesting questions, especially since Star Wars is in a moment where Lucasfilm is feeling increasing pressure to decide what comes next for the franchise. After Kinberg’s trilogy was announced, io9 took a look at the entire upcoming Star Wars slate—including confirmed projects, projects probably coming but that aren’t yet in production, and stuff that’s been sort of drifting in the galaxy far, far away.
So what was most likely to have been hovering over that December 18, 2026 spot? You have to guess it had been set aside for one of the three features announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023: Sharmeen Obiad-Chinoy’s tale focusing on Daisy Ridley’s Rey and the New Jedi Order; Dave Filoni’s Mandoverse-adjacent film rumored to incorporate the Heir to the Empire novels; and James Mangold’s exploration of the earliest days of the Jedi.
With Kinberg’s trilogy now entering the mix, it’s entirely possible Lucasfilm wanted to buy more time to decide which of these movies to release first. Even beyond the scrutinized realm of Star Wars media, release dates change in Hollywood all the time—and there’s no arguing with the idea that taking more time to get the movie right is better than rushing something to screens, no matter how impatient fans might get.
At any rate, the guy with the helmet and his little green buddy will be coming in about a year and a half; maybe by then, we’ll have a better idea of what will follow it to screens. What do you hope is the next Star Wars movie after The Mandalorian and Grogu?
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