Every Star Wars Movie That Has Been Canceled At Disney

As of this writing, it’s been more than five years since we’ve had a “Star Wars” movie in theaters, dating back to “The Rise of Skywalker” at the end of 2019 — though it hasn’t been for a lack of trying on Disney and Lucasfilm’s part. In the years since Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, many, many “Star Wars” movies have entered development. There are probably several that we’ll never hear about. Most of these movies never actually got made.

We’re finally getting back to a place where this beloved franchise will return to theaters, with director Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu” set to arrive in 2026. Beyond that, we’ve got a new movie starring Daisy Ridley’s Rey in development, as well as a movie from “Clone Wars” maestro Dave Filoni that will tie together all of the shows in the “Mandalorian” universe. Not to mention a possible new trilogy from Simon Kinberg (“Dark Phoenix”). In short, there is much to look forward to.

But what about the movies that didn’t make the cut? What projects were scrapped along the way? We’re going to take a look at every “Star Wars” movie that was canceled during the Disney era of Lucasfilm, and try to determine why they didn’t happen. Let’s dive in.

One of the first and still most famous “Star Wars” movies to get the ax at Lucasfilm during the Disney era was an untitled spin-off film centered on the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett. Despite having very little screen time in the original trilogy, Fett became one of the most popular characters in the entire franchise. So, when the idea of doing standalone films in a galaxy far, far away came up, he seemed like a logical subject. It was in 2013 when it was first reported that the project was in development. Five years later, it was totally dead.

Originally, Josh Trank (“Chronicle”) was tapped to helm the Boba Fett movie, and Lucasfilm has even put together a concept trailer that was supposed to be shown at Star Wars Celebration. That never happened, as Trank was eventually fired from the film in 2015. Later, it was revealed that none other than James Mangold (“Logan”) was taking over development of the project. His time, too, would prove to be ill-fated.

Mangold’s version of the film also stalled out, mostly thanks to “Solo: A Star Wars Story” bombing at the box office in 2018. That led Lucasfilm to rethink its strategy with the films going forward. To put the final nail in the coffin, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed in October 2018 that the Boba Fett movie was 100% dead. Fans eventually did get to see the bounty hunter in a solo project, which took the form of the TV series “The Book of Boba Fett.” He wasn’t the only character that would go from the big screen to the small screen during this period.

One of the most talked-about movies that never came to be was “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” For years, Ewan McGregor, who played the legendary Jedi in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, discussed his desire to return as the character in a film that would take place in the years after “Revenge of the Sith” and before “A New Hope.” Once Disney purchased Lucasfilm, the company set about developing just such a film.

Eventually, this idea was turned into a TV series on Disney+ as well, just like “The Book of Boba Fett.” This was in part due to the failure of “Solo” at the box office and also in part due to the success of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+. The real kicker here is that series writer Stuart Beattie later revealed that he pitched an entire “Obi-Wan Kenobi” movie trilogy to Lucasfilm. That never came to pass.

Instead, we got one season of “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” even though McGreggor has ideas for a second season. Be that as it may, as of this writing, it remains a limited series, with no indication that Lucasfilm intends to explore the character further, be it in a TV show or on the big screen. For better or worse, circumstances in the industry around this time forced the project to evolve into something a bit smaller.

One thing that has emerged several times during the Disney era of Lucasfilm is the studio seemingly getting a bit ahead of themselves. In early 2018, Lucasfilm made an official announcement that “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were set to helm not just a single movie, but an entire “Star Wars” trilogy. They never even made it to a single film.

It’s a little unclear precisely what happened with this one, but it certainly doesn’t help that the final season of “Game of Thrones” was met with near-universal distaste from viewers. It also didn’t help that the pandemic eventually upended development all across Hollywood. In any event, somewhere along the line, this project was abandoned.

“We wanted to do The First Jedi. Basically how the Jedi Order came to be, why it came to be, the first lightsaber…,” Benioff said in a 2023 interview of their scrapped “Star Wars” trilogy. Essentially, this trilogy would have explored the very origins of the Jedi Order.

While the Benioff and Weiss trilogy may not be happening, interestingly enough, James Mangold is now developing a movie tentatively titled “Dawn of the Jedi.” It will, very similarly, take place 25,000 years before the events of the movies and showcase the very first Jedi. Whether or not it will use any of the ideas from this trilogy is unknown, but that seems unlikely. In any case, this was a big, splashy announcement that ultimately went nowhere.

Known best as the chief architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, mega-producer Kevin Feige was announced to be developing a mysterious “Star Wars” movie in September 2019. Things got a little more interesting when, in January 2021, Michael Waldron (“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”) was set to pen the screenplay for the film. It’s unclear what the film was going to be about, or how far Waldron got in the process, but the project died before it ever saw the light of day.

The difference with this movie, as opposed to the Benioff and Weiss trilogy, is that Lucasfilm never officially announced this one. In an April 2023 interview, Kathleen Kennedy said that Feige’s “Star Wars” movie was never officially discussed with her:

“Kevin Feige’s project was something announced in the press, or I guess, fandom, but there was — nothing ever got developed. We never discussed an idea, because as everybody knows, Kevin is a huge ‘Star Wars’ fan. And if, you know, he did come up with something, I would be all ears, but that’s never really happened.”

In November 2023, it was officially made official when Feige confirmed personally that his “Star Wars” film wasn’t happening. That was that. That’s not to say that he won’t produce something in a galaxy far, far away in the future, but whatever this was, it fell apart before it every truly got traction.

Perhaps the most infamous of all unmade “Star Wars” movies, there is director Colin Trevorrow’s scrapped version of “Episode IX.” As it exists, the film was directed by J.J. Abrams and is titled “The Rise of Skywalker,” which made $1 billion at the box office and was, on paper at least, a success. Before Abrams came in to finish what he started with 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” it was Trevorrow, known best as the director of “Jurassic World,” who was supposed to cap off the sequel trilogy.

Following the divisive nature of “The Last Jedi,” Lucasfilm began restructuring some things behind the scenes. Part of that involved parting with Trevorrow, whose version of the film would have been titled “Duel of the Fates,” which we know thanks to a verified leaked script. Even the opening crawl text from that script makes it clear that this would have been a very different movie.

“The iron grip of the FIRST ORDER has spread to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Only a few scattered planets remain unoccupied. Traitorous acts are punishable by death.

Determined to suffocate a growing unrest, Supreme Leader KYLO REN has silenced all communication between neighboring systems.

Led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, the Resistance has planned a secret mission to prevent their annihilation and forge a path to freedom…”

While Episode IX was made in some form, Trevorrow’s conclusion to the trilogy would have changed things dramatically. Not to be hyperbolic, but this could have completely reshaped the future of the franchise.

One of the more mysterious “Star Wars” movies to enter development only to be scrapped along the way was one from director J.D. Dillard (“Sweetheart,” “Devotion”), who was tapped to helm a secretive film set in a galaxy far, far away in early 2020. Matt Owens (“Luke Cage”) was set to pen the film. While there is a bit of haziness when it comes to what this one would have been about, it hardly matters because it’s never going to see the light of day.

“[A new “Star Wars” movie is] unfortunately no longer a thing. It was not for lack of trying,” Dillard confirmed in a November 2022 interview. As for what it would have been about? In that same interview, he suggested that it would been, at least in part, inspired by the “TIE Fighter” video game of old. That, however, runs in stark contrast to some earlier reports.

When the project was first announced, Deadline reported that the film would have taken place on the strange Sith planet of Exegol, which was revealed in “The Rise of Skywalker.” This is the planet where Palpatine was hiding, and where his strange cult known as the Sith Eternal resided. It’s an odd place with a lot to explore. Maybe that will be explored in the future, but it likely won’t be Dillard doing it.

Guillermo del Toro is one of our finest living filmmakers, and from his Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water” to “Blade II,” he’s done it all. At one point, del Toro was very much trying to get his foot in Lucasfilm’s door, and he wanted to make a “Godfather”-style story about none other than Jabba the Hutt. Del Toro first revealed his idea for a “Star Wars” movie in 2015 months before “The Force Awakens” hit theaters, and the possibilities for the series seemed endless.

Things got a little more real in 2017 when del Toro revealed he had discussed some “ideas” for a “Star Wars” movie with Kathleen Kennedy. Then we didn’t hear anything for a long time until, in 2023, screenwriter David Goyer (“Man of Steel”) revealed that he had written an unproduced “Star Wars” movie that del Toro was going to direct. While he didn’t say precisely what it was, del Toro didn’t leave much room for interpretation.

Taking to Twitter at the time, del Toro confirmed the news saying, “True. Can’t say much. Maybe two letters ‘J’ and ‘BB’ is that three letters?” Fans can put that together easily enough. It was very clearly the Jabba the Hutt pitch. There is a lot of meat on those bones, as the Hutt family has been explored a lot outside of the movies. But how exactly did Jabba gain his power? We may never know because Lucasfilm pulled the plug on this one. Why? It’s never been explained, but this was added to the ever-growing scrap heap of abandoned “Star Wars” movies.

Lucasfilm still has quite a few “Star Wars” movies in development. As it stands, it’s hard to imagine that all of the ones that haven’t officially been canceled will make it across the finish line. To cap this off, we’re going to run down, in rapid fire style, several of the movies that are still technically alive but haven’t been officially canceled yet. Here we go…

• “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi has been developing a very mysterious “Star Wars” movie for years now. Any official updates have been few and far between. Last we heard in 2023, Waititi said, “It’s something I’d really like to get right, so I don’t want to rush it. So, just going to let it bubble along on the side. It’s exciting.” At the very least, this one isn’t happening any time soon.

• “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins was, at one point, going to direct “Rogue Squadron,” which looked like it was going to be the first “Star Wars” movie to make its way to the big screen after “Rise of Skywalker.” Announced in December 2020, this one seemed like it was good to go. Then, Lucasfilm later canceled “Rogue Squadron” only to un-cancel it in March 2024. That said, the movie remains without a release date and we’ve yet to hear anything official in some time. So this one is at best on the bubble.

You can grab all of the “Star Wars” movies on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD from Amazon.