Just when it looked like the galaxy far, far away was expanding, and we longtime fans were finally ready to spend some serious time outside the Skywalker family tree, Lucasfilm may be heading back to the tried-and-true well. If you’re like me, you may have missed the breaking news, but we are reportedly getting a big new Star Wars trilogy. As exciting as that sounds, many fans are saying the same thing about the upcoming Star Wars films.
A New Star Wars Movie Lands A Director
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spider-Man: Home trilogy filmmaker Jon Watts -- who directed the Spider-Man: Home trilogy -- is set to direct the first movie in a new trilogy written by Simon Kinberg. The movies are reportedly being developed as the next chapters of the Skywalker Saga, which previously concluded with The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Disney has not officially greenlit the project yet, and Lucasfilm declined to comment.
Watts is no stranger to either Disney franchises or this galaxy. He directed Tom Holland’s first three solo Spider-Man movies, co-created the show Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and directed episodes of it, which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription.
Kinberg also has a history with Lucasfilm. He co-created Star Wars Rebels with Dave Filoni and Carrie Beck and has allegedly been developing this mystery trilogy since 2024. Early reporting around the project was actually contradictory about whether it would continue Episodes I through IX.
The newest reports, however, have once again linked the trilogy to the Skywalker Saga, with Daisy Ridley reportedly being eyed to return as Rey. That would certainly make sense after The Rise of Skywalker ended with her taking the Skywalker name, but I understand why fans immediately started asking the obvious question.
Star Wars Fans Are Making An Observation That Aligns With My Thoughts
Lucasfilm itself still describes The Rise of Skywalker as the “epic conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.” But, apparently, “conclusion” may have been doing some temporary work there following the new trilogy news. The reaction on X was not exactly subtle. Under post about the big news, several fans immediately zeroed in on the decision to potentially revive the Skywalker Saga. Some of the responses included:
- @Maksh3adr00m: “There are no more Skywalkers.”
- @MoonKnight 5657: "This doesn't make no sense I thought they were done with the skywalker saga after episode 9."
- @ResonatJustice: “>Jon Watts directing >Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) writing… Brother…..”
- @Tosoto_: “What Skywalkers? The Palpatines wiped out their entire bloodline.”
- @Browny_red: “they're really making another Skywalker trilogy. that family never gets a day off”
- @AustinPlanet: “There is an entire galaxy worth of stories out there and LucasFilm just can’t leave the Skywalker’s alone. It’s so annoying. Also going from Tony Gilroy to Simon Kinberg sucks.”
That last comment is essentially where my head is at, and clearly a lot of fans feel the same way. To be fair, there are ways to continue this story without digging up another secret member of Anakin Skywalker’s extended family. Rey adopted the name at the end of Episode IX, and a trilogy about what “Skywalker” means after Luke, Leia and Ben Solo could move the saga somewhere new.
Still, Star Wars is an enormous galaxy. We have just started seeing Lucasfilm lean harder into corners that do not revolve around the same family. Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, led by Ryan Gosling, is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker and has been pitched as a standalone adventure with new characters. It hits the 2027 movie schedule on May 28.
What's worth noting is that not everybody is worried about Watts and Kinberg getting the keys to the Falcon, either. Some fans in the comments expressed their love for the sequel trilogy and hoped the later films would be as beloved and reevaluated as the prequel trilogy has become in recent years.
I can see the argument. I, for one, was hoping for an expansion of the universe instead of revisiting what the past nine mainline films have covered. But I'm willing to keep an open mind. I just hope Lucasfilm has a really good reason for taking the “Skywalker Saga” toys back out of their box because, judging by the first wave of fan reactions, I’m definitely not the only one asking: Why more Skywalker?
