Star Wars: Franchise Is "Moving On" From Skywalker Saga and Into New Era

05/18/2022 05:16 pm EDT

It's no surprise to Star Wars fans that the feature films from that galaxy far, far away are moving past the Skywalker saga, the studio made it clear with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that it would be a conclusion to the episodic films. Speaking in a new interview with Vanity Fair, Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy reiterated that the Skywalker Saga is no longer their priority and that they'll be moving around in the timeline of Star Wars, exploring new eras across the franchise. When asked about the upcoming Disney+ series The Acolyte, Kennedy offered some details about the series, it's setting, and a tease of where things are headed for Star Wars.

"(The Acolyte) sits right on the edge of the High Republic Era. It's a bit of an experiment for us because it isn't building within the timeline and the era that Jon (Favreau) and Dave (Filoni) are. It isn't necessarily going to be where features are. We are moving into a new era with what [showrunner] Leslye Headland is doing. There are certainly reflections of things that people are going to recognize, and it will have connectivity in Star Wars. But this will be a whole new [era] of storytelling if we determine-like we did with The Mandalorian-that it works and that there's interest. I think there will be."

The next question in the interview was with regard to getting "outside the gravity of the Skywalker saga," something that Kennedy said is "vital," adding: "Just staying within the construct of George's storytelling, to keep chipping away at that, I think would be wrong. It's our job to step away now, but still have a connection to the mythology that George created. That won't stop. But we are moving on from the Skywalker saga. That's what's taking a lot of time, discussion, and thought right now."

Kennedy went on to note that they consider the publishing side of their output the "test kitchen" for new eras to explore in television and on the big screen. She revealed it's something they began doing five years ago, noting: "As we look at where Star Wars is going, we don't just assume it's only going to be on television and in movie theaters. That's another evolution we're having a lot of conversation around."

In the same interview Kennedy confirmed that it seems like the next Star Wars movie that will make its way to theaters is the project in development from Thor: Ragnarok's Taika Waititi, with Star Wars: Rogue Squadron by Patty Jenkins on the backburner.

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