186-459: The Star Wars franchise involves multiple live-action and animated films. The series started with a trilogy set in medias res that was later expanded into a trilogy of trilogies, known as the " Skywalker Saga ". The original 1977 self-titled film (later subtitled A New Hope ) was followed by the sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983); these films form
372-590: A Jedi and his fall to the dark side as Darth Vader . The original trilogy follows his children, Luke and Leia , as they join forces with Han Solo and the Rebel Alliance against Vader and Palpatine's Empire . The sequel trilogy features Kylo Ren (Ben Solo)—Leia and Han's son and Luke's former Jedi apprentice—who fell to the dark side and seeks to rule the galaxy with Rey , Palpatine's granddaughter and Luke and Leia's last Jedi apprentice. Each episodic film begins with an opening crawl , accompanied by
558-436: A Star Wars film, with Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attached as director. THR reported that according to its sources, "the project is intended as a stand-alone but in success could lead to more movies", taking place after the sequel trilogy and possibly featuring some of its characters. In March 2023, it was reported that Lindelof and Britt-Gibson had left the project in mid-February and that Steven Knight
744-653: A co-chair at Lucasfilm with him, with the intention of transferring leadership entirely to her after about a year. She began working for him on June 1, 2012; Lucas soon proposed that they work together on the sequel trilogy. They brought in Michael Arndt to write a draft of Episode VII based on Lucas's synopsis. Star Wars screenwriting veteran Lawrence Kasdan was hired to support Arndt. After making an appearance at Star Wars Celebration VI in late August, Lucas took Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher to lunch and asked if they would be willing to reprise their roles for
930-539: A pacifist Jedi master reflects the Jedi's beliefs as being inspired by the Buddhist religion due to the character's inner conflict towards using a lightsaber and seeing it as a weapon of destruction. The Last Jedi features scenes recalling Akira Kurosawa 's Rashomon (1950), utilizing the Rashomon effect when Luke tells Rey that he considered murdering his nephew, Ben Solo, due to sensing his inevitable fall to
1116-434: A 10-episode adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back debuted in 1983. Billy Dee Williams joined the other two stars, reprising his role as Lando Calrissian. In 1983, Buena Vista Records released an original, 30-minute Star Wars audio drama titled Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell , written by Daley. In the 1990s, Time Warner Audio Publishing adapted several Star Wars series from Dark Horse Comics into audio dramas:
1302-427: A 2K scan which can be viewed by appointment. Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure was one of four films to be juried-awarded Emmys for Outstanding Special Visual Effects at the 37th Primetime Emmy Awards . The film was additionally nominated for Outstanding Children's Program but lost in this category to an episode of American Playhouse . At the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards , Ewoks: The Battle for Endor and
1488-561: A May 2015 release and then selling his company, but decided to leave the franchise in the hands of other filmmakers, announcing in January 2012 that he would step away from making blockbuster films. In early 2012, after being disappointed by the weak performance of Red Tails , Lucas announced to The New York Times that he was planning to retire. While he was in New York, he asked Kathleen Kennedy to lunch. He asked if she would be
1674-796: A cameo role in Episode IX , which he imagined filming by 2011. A Time magazine story in March 1978, quoting Lucas, stated there would be ten Star Wars films after The Empire Strikes Back . Gary Kurtz , the producer of the first two films, was aware of proposed story elements for Episode VII to Episode IX before 1980. At the time of the release of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lucas said there were seven further Star Wars films he wanted to make. He said he had "twelve-page outlines" for those films. In an interview with Jim Steranko in Prevue magazine published in late 1980, Lucas described how
1860-530: A continuation of the similarly titled television series , is being directed by Jon Favreau and is planned for release in May 2026. The combined box office revenue of the films amounts to over US$ 10 billion, and it is currently the third-highest-grossing film franchise . The major live-action releases (including all the films within the Skywalker Saga) were nominated for Academy Awards . The original film
2046-564: A couple of [filmmakers] that we've been in conversation with ... that I'm hoping will" oversee future films in the way that Favreau and Filoni have done for Star Wars television series. In 2019, then– Walt Disney Studios CCO Alan Horn stated that if The Mandalorian was successful, a feature film spin-off would be considered. A fourth season of the TV series was written from May 2022 to February 2023. Pre-production occurred in April 2023. Filming for
SECTION 10
#17327760181692232-602: A criminal life, mentored by veteran smuggler Tobias Beckett . After angering gangster Dryden Vos, for whom Qi'ra now works, Han and his company's lives depend on pulling a heist for him. Without a ship to travel, they hire Lando Calrissian , the captain and owner of the Millennium Falcon . A twist ending acknowledges Maul 's survival of The Phantom Menace , as previously explored by animated series. Before selling Lucasfilm to Disney, George Lucas had hired Star Wars original trilogy veteran Lawrence Kasdan to write
2418-583: A defecting stormtrooper , Finn , along with Han Solo and Chewbacca, to deliver the map to the Resistance. Episode VII began development on October 30, 2012. The screenplay for the film was originally set to be written by Michael Arndt, but time management and creative differences contributed to his departure from the project. On January 25, 2013, J. J. Abrams was officially announced as Episode VII ' s director and producer, along with producer Bryan Burk and Bad Robot . John Williams
2604-407: A defecting Imperial pilot, Bodhi Rook , to deliver a message warning of the weapon's existence and revealing its weakness to his rebel friend Saw Gerrera . Under the false promise of her father's liberation, Jyn agrees to help Rebel Alliance intelligence officer Cassian Andor and his droid K-2SO retrieve the message from Saw, now the paranoid leader of an extremist cell of rebels. The idea for
2790-639: A film about a young Han Solo. The film stars Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca (after serving as a double for the character in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi ), Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra, and Woody Harrelson as Beckett. Lucasfilm originally hired Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to direct, but they were fired during principal photography , and replaced by Ron Howard . In mid-2018, Lucasfilm confirmed that multiple anthology films were in development, with their release following
2976-481: A film set in the New Republic era, connecting storylines that began with The Mandalorian , The Book of Boba Fett , Ahsoka , and Skeleton Crew . In April 2023, during Star Wars Celebration Europe IV , Lucasfilm announced that James Mangold would write and direct a Star Wars film whose story "will go back to the dawn of the Jedi" and explore the origins of The Force , set around 25,000 years before
3162-699: A great idea when it's described in three sentences doesn't hold together when you try to make five or six scenes out of it. So plots change a lot when they start getting into script form. As part of his biographical research on George Lucas in the early 1980s, Lucas allowed author Dale Pollock to read the plot outlines of a 12-film saga on the condition of signing a confidentiality agreement. Pollock said these sequel trilogy drafts would "involve Luke Skywalker in his 30s and 40s" and that they would be "The three most exciting stories ... They had propulsive action, really interesting new worlds, new characters." Lucas's plans were drastically changed after The Empire Strikes Back
3348-490: A group of individuals who don't have magical powers that have to somehow bring hope to the galaxy." The film was the first to feature characters introduced in animated Star Wars TV series, namely The Clone Wars ' Saw Gerrera, portrayed by Forest Whitaker in the film. The movie received generally positive reviews, with its performances, action sequences, soundtrack, visual effects and darker tone being praised. The film grossed over US$ 500 million worldwide within
3534-510: A hiatus after 2019's The Rise of Skywalker . Various release dates were delayed or scrapped, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike . In May 2023, Kennedy said future Star Wars films would come out "when they're ready", citing the 3–4 year interim of more recent James Bond films . December 2025 and December 2027 dates have been reported with no known cancellation. In May 2020, Taika Waititi
3720-481: A lower level of canon than the episodic films. Following Disney's acquisition of the franchise, they were excluded from the canon. The Battle for Endor would be the last live-action Star Wars television project produced by Lucasfilm until 2019's The Mandalorian . In a story by Lucas and a screenplay by Bob Carrau, the Towani family spaceship shipwrecks on the forest moon of Endor . While trying to repair their ship,
3906-430: A master and their apprentice. The franchise is set against a backdrop of galactic conflict involving republics and empires, such as the evil Galactic Empire . The Jedi and Sith prefer the use of a weapon called the lightsaber , a blade of plasma that can cut through virtually any surface and deflect energy bolts. The rest of the population, as well as renegades and soldiers, use plasma-powered blaster firearms . In
SECTION 20
#17327760181694092-472: A mixed reception from critics and audiences. Several Star Wars films have been produced separately from the Skywalker Saga. In 2008, Lucasfilm released the animated film The Clone Wars , which is set during the prequel trilogy and serves as the theatrical pilot of the television series of the same name . Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, an "anthology" film series set between
4278-501: A nine-part saga that has a beginning, a middle and an end. It progresses over a period of about fifty or sixty years with about twenty years between trilogies, each trilogy taking about six or seven years. By the time of Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back ' s release, Lucas had written story treatments for all nine Star Wars episodes. In 1999, Kurtz revealed a brief outline of these treatments: In late 1980, Lucas stated that he had "titles and ten-page story outlines for each of"
4464-415: A press conference for the 1997 Special Edition of the original trilogy, Lucas stated, "I don't have scripts [for the sequel trilogy]. The only notion on that was, wouldn't it be fun to get all the actors to come back when they're 60 or 70 years old and make three more about them as old people." Also in 1997, he said: "[The whole story has] six episodes.... If I ever went beyond that, it would be something that
4650-464: A press conference to discuss The Phantom Menace , Lucas described the "nine-year commitment" required to make a Star Wars trilogy. In 2002, he said: "Basically what I said as a joke was, 'Maybe when Harrison and Carrie are in their 70s, we'll come back and do another version.' The thing I didn't realize then, and that I do realize now very clearly, is that not only would they be in their 70s, but I would be in my 70s too." He reiterated, "Ultimately,
4836-452: A sequel trilogy, George Lucas and original trilogy co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan started development on a standalone film about a young Han Solo. In February 2013, Disney CEO Bob Iger made public the development of a Kasdan film and Entertainment Weekly reported that it would focus on Han Solo. Disney CFO Jay Rasulo has described the standalone films as origin stories . Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that there
5022-465: A series of murders of Jedi Masters. The Star Wars canon fictional universe spans multiple eras, of which three are focused around each of the film trilogies. The following eras were defined in January 2021, and further refined and expanded in April 2023: The Expanded Universe of spin-off media depicts different levels of continuity, which were deemed non-canonical and rebranded as Legends on April 25, 2014, to make most subsequent works align to
5208-583: A spin-off film focusing on Lando Calrissian . Though it was specified that a project of that sort was not a priority at Lucasfilm. Around the same time, Donald Glover expressed similar interest in a Lando-centric film, suggesting it could take inspiration from the Steven Spielberg film Catch Me If You Can . At Disney Investor Day 2020, a Lando series was announced to be in development for Disney+ , with Justin Simien acting as showrunner. In 2023, it
5394-485: A teaser for the film to be scrapped from Star Wars Celebration. Though it was later revealed that Trank was removed from the project following behind the scenes issues on Fantastic Four . In May 2020, Trank confirmed that his planned Star Wars film was the Boba Fett film. In May 2018, it was reported that James Mangold would direct the Boba Fett movie, with Kinberg still attached as screenwriter. Five months later,
5580-442: A theme for Obi-Wan Kenobi for the miniseries and Han Solo's theme for Solo: A Star Wars Story . Williams also created the main theme for Galaxy's Edge . Several other composers worked on other soundtracks, including John Powell ( Obi-Wan Kenobi ), Michael Giacchino ( Rogue One ), and Ludwig Göransson ( The Mandalorian ). The first Star Wars audio work is The Story of Star Wars , an LP using audio samples from
5766-480: A week of its release. Solo , the second anthology film, focuses on Han Solo about 10 years before A New Hope . After an escape attempt from his Imperial-occupied home planet of Corellia goes wrong, a young Han vows to return to rescue his girlfriend Qi'ra . Han "Solo" joins the Imperial Academy; however, he is expelled for his reckless behavior. Han and his newfound Wookiee friend Chewbacca resort to
List of Star Wars films - Misplaced Pages Continue
5952-433: A worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various films and other media , including television series , video games , novels , comic books , theme park attractions , and themed areas , comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe . Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The original 1977 film, retroactively subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope ,
6138-400: Is a trilogy of subtrilogies; as it neared completion, Lucasfilm began to refer to it as the "Skywalker Saga". It was released beginning with the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V , and VI , 1977–1983), followed by the prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II , and III , 1999–2005) and the sequel trilogy (Episodes VII, VIII , and IX , 2015–2019). The first film released, Star Wars (1977), is
6324-514: Is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology. The planets range from wealthy, planet-wide cities to deserts scarcely populated by primitive tribes. Virtually any Earth biome , along with many fictional ones, has its counterpart as a Star Wars planet which, in most cases, teem with sentient and non-sentient alien life. The franchise also makes use of other astronomical objects such as asteroid fields and nebulae . Spacecraft range from small starfighters to large capital ships, such as
6510-772: Is impossible for the Force. These superpowers are wielded by two major knightly orders at conflict with each other: the Jedi , peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who act on the light side of the Force through non-attachment and arbitration , and the Sith , who use the dark side by manipulating fear and aggression. While Jedi Knights can be numerous, the Dark Lords of the Sith (or 'Darths') are intended to be limited to two:
6696-494: Is notorious for its extremely negative reception and was aired only once. Only the 11-minute animated sequence, which features the debut of bounty hunter Boba Fett , was positively received. The Ewoks from Return of the Jedi were featured in two spin-off television films, The Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor . Both aired on ABC on the Thanksgiving weekends of 1984 and 1985, respectively, with at least
6882-505: Is really the tragedy of Darth Vader. That is the story." In May 2011, Lucas was in Orlando, Florida , to celebrate the opening of Star Tours – The Adventures Continue at Walt Disney World . He was invited to breakfast by Disney CEO Bob Iger , who asked Lucas if he would be willing to sell his company to Disney. Lucas had begun to consider retiring, but was not ready to do so at that time. Lucas considered directing Episode VII for
7068-462: Is trained by Luke Skywalker, the last living Jedi, while again facing Ren and the First Order. The Rise of Skywalker was released on December 20, 2019, and features the conclusion of the age-old conflict between the Jedi and Sith, with Rey confronting the resurrected Emperor Palpatine . About 30 years after the destruction of the second Death Star, Luke Skywalker has vanished. The remnants of
7254-538: The Jedi Academy trilogy (1994) by Kevin J. Anderson , the 14-book Young Jedi Knights series (1995–1998) by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta , and the X-wing series (1996–2012) by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston . Del Rey took over Star Wars book publishing in 1999, releasing what would become a 19-installment novel series called The New Jedi Order (1999–2003). Written by multiple authors,
7440-442: The 2008 series of the same name . Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, all animated series released prior to 2014, apart from the 2008 series, were discarded from the franchise's canon . Subsequent animated series include Rebels , released in 2014; Resistance , released in 2018; and The Bad Batch , released in 2021. Several micro-series and shorts have also been released by Lucasfilm since Disney's acquisition, with
7626-618: The Empire have become the First Order, which seeks to destroy Luke and the New Republic . The First Order is opposed by the Resistance , led by General Leia Organa. On the planet Jakku , Resistance pilot Poe Dameron obtains a map to Luke's location, but he is captured by First Order commander Kylo Ren—the son of Leia and Han Solo. Poe's droid BB-8 escapes with the map and encounters a scavenger named Rey. Rey and BB-8 team up with
List of Star Wars films - Misplaced Pages Continue
7812-597: The Legends non-canonical Thrawn trilogy of novels, was interviewed about the sequel trilogy after its development by Disney was announced in 2012. He confirmed that it was never meant to be based on his Thrawn trilogy nor the rest of the Expanded Universe , and said that he had been briefed years before on Lucas's plans for the sequels: The original idea as I understood it—and Lucas changes his mind off and on, so it may not be what he's thinking right now—but it
7998-403: The New Republic era, serving as the climax of the various live-action television series that began with The Mandalorian in 2019. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will direct a third film about a new Jedi Order, set fifteen years after the sequel trilogy. In January 2024, it was announced that Jon Favreau would direct a new Star Wars film, titled The Mandalorian & Grogu . In February of
8184-466: The Republic , the return of Luke as a Jedi Master (a role similar to that of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy), Luke's sister (not yet determined to be Leia), Han, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO . However, after beginning work on the prequel trilogy, Lucas insisted that Star Wars was meant to be a six-part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy. Lucas decided to leave the franchise in
8370-409: The Sith . Although no longer canon, the story is paralleled in The Force Awakens with Han and Leia's son Ben Solo , who becomes the evil Kylo Ren. Three series set in the prequel era were published by Scholastic for younger audiences: the 18-book Jedi Apprentice (1999–2002) chronicles the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn in the years before The Phantom Menace ;
8556-480: The Star Destroyers , as well as space stations such as the moon-sized Death Stars . Telecommunication includes two-way audio and audiovisual screens, holographic projections, and hyperspace transmission. The universe of Star Wars is generally similar to the real universe but its laws of physics are less strict allowing for more imaginative stories. One result of that is a mystical power known as
8742-618: The Thrawn trilogy, Leia considers an advantageous political marriage to Prince Isolder of the planet Hapes, but she and Han ultimately marry. Steve Perry 's Shadows of the Empire (1996), set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , was part of a multimedia campaign that included a comic book series and video game. The novel introduced the crime lord Prince Xizor , another popular character who would appear in multiple other works. Other notable series from Bantam include
8928-619: The University of Southern California , licensed the Star Wars radio rights to KUSC-FM for US$ 1 . The production used John Williams's original film score, along with Ben Burtt 's sound effects. The first was written by science-fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden . It was broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981, adapting the original 1977 film into 13 episodes. Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels reprised their film roles. The overwhelming success, led to
9114-433: The fourth highest-grossing film worldwide , unadjusted for inflation. After finding Luke Skywalker in self-imposed exile, Rey attempts to convince him to teach her the ways of the Force. She also seeks answers about her past and the conflict between Luke and his nephew Ben Solo (now Kylo Ren). Unbeknownst to Luke, Rey starts using the Force to communicate with Kylo. Meanwhile, Leia leads the Resistance as they are pursued by
9300-419: The hero's journey , which the Star Wars films are heavily patterned on. Rey's journey mirrors that of Anakin and Luke in the prequel and original trilogies. The final scene of The Last Jedi depicts servant children playing with a toy of Luke, with one boy using the Force to grab a broom. According to Inverse , this symbolizes that "the Force can be found in people with humble beginnings." A writer for
9486-444: The main Star Wars theme by John Williams , who composed each film's score. Following their initial theatrical releases, franchise creator George Lucas made multiple rounds of retroactive changes to the films of the original trilogy (and to a lesser extent, the prequels). As Lucas was outlining a trilogy of trilogies, he also imagined making additional movies unrelated to the Skywalker Saga. The first theatrical films set outside
SECTION 50
#17327760181699672-497: The official canon , but the theatrical animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and its television series continuation retain their canonical status . Two standalone films were produced and released between the sequel trilogy films: Rogue One (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), both set between the original and prequel trilogies. A yearslong hiatus began in late 2019, during which numerous films were announced and often shelved. The Mandalorian & Grogu ,
9858-475: The original trilogy . Twenty-two years later, the Star Wars prequel trilogy was released, consisting of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). Then, after creator George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, a Star Wars sequel trilogy consisting of Episodes VII through IX
10044-617: The prequel trilogy ( Episodes I – III ; 1999–2005) and the original trilogy ( Episodes IV – VI ; 1977–1983), serving as the final act of the " Skywalker Saga ". Lucas had planned a sequel trilogy as early as 1976, but canceled it by 1981. He produced only the first six episodes, and for a time described these as comprising the complete story. The sequel trilogy concept was revived when the Walt Disney Company entered negotiations to acquire Lucasfilm in 2011. Lucas produced new story treatments, but these were largely discarded. Both
10230-492: The third-highest-grossing film franchise of all time worldwide, behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Spider-Man , having grossed over $ 10 billion at the global box office. The eleven live-action films together have been nominated for 37 Academy Awards , of which they have won seven. The films were also awarded a total of three Special Achievement Awards . The Empire Strikes Back and Return of
10416-567: The "symbiotic relationships" between the Jedi, the Force , midi-chlorians (microscopic lifeforms, first mentioned onscreen in 1999's The Phantom Menace ), and the Whills (all-powerful creatures first mentioned in the title of the original outline of Star Wars , Journal of the Whills ): [The next three Star Wars films] were going to get into a microbiotic world. But there's this world of creatures that operate differently than we do. I call them
10602-475: The 11-book Jedi Quest (2001–2004) follows Obi-Wan and his own apprentice, Anakin Skywalker in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones ; and the 10-book The Last of the Jedi (2005–2008), set almost immediately after Revenge of the Sith , features Obi-Wan and the last few surviving Jedi. In 2019, a new prequel era novel, starring Qui-Gon and the young Obi-Wan, was published by Del Rey under
10788-455: The CBS documentary Dinosaur! were both juried-awarded Emmys for Outstanding Special Visual Effects. The film additionally received two nominations for Outstanding Children's Program and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Special. In the 2000s Zack Snyder pitched an adult-oriented film to Lucasfilm, but conversations ceased by the time Disney acquired the company in 2012. The project
10974-535: The EU material until April 25, 2014, when the company announced all of the EU works would cease production. Existing works would no longer be considered canon to the franchise and subsequent reprints would be rebranded under the Star Wars Legends label, with downloadable content for the massively multiplayer online game The Old Republic the only Legends material to still be produced. The Star Wars canon
11160-431: The First Order from the Sith planet Exegol . Palpatine orders Kylo Ren to find and kill Rey, who is revealed to be Palpatine's granddaughter. Palpatine unveils a Sith armada of Star Destroyers to reclaim the galaxy. Rey and the Resistance learn of Palpatine's return and embark on a quest to find him. They eventually locate Exegol; Rey confronts Palpatine, while the Resistance attack the Sith fleet. In June 2014, Johnson
11346-503: The First Order, led by Supreme Leader Snoke . Rey leaves Luke in an attempt to redeem Kylo and achieve peace. After Kylo kills Snoke, Rey is forced to choose between ruling the galaxy with him, or helping the outnumbered Resistance survive. On November 20, 2012, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg would write and produce Episodes VIII and IX , but were later confirmed to be writing standalone films . On June 20, 2014, Looper director Rian Johnson
SECTION 60
#173277601816911532-408: The Force which is described in the original film as "an energy field created by all living things ... [that] binds the galaxy together". The field is depicted as a kind of pantheistic god. Through training and meditation, those whom "the Force is strong with" exhibit various superpowers (such as telekinesis , precognition , telepathy , and manipulation of physical energy); it is believed nothing
11718-496: The Force, which was changed due to Johnson's plot of Luke having disconnected himself from the Force. Johnson implied that his portrayal of the Force in The Last Jedi was influenced by the "Mortis trilogy" of episodes from The Clone Wars , which he had rewatched early in the writing process on the advice of The Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni . He also stated that he considered including Lando Calrissian in
11904-532: The Jedi received Special Achievement Awards for their visual effects, and Star Wars received a Special Achievement Award for its alien, creature and robot voices. The franchise has received a total of fifteen Grammy Award nominations, winning six. In 1989, the Library of Congress selected the original Star Wars film for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry , as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The Empire Strikes Back
12090-507: The Jedi Expanded Universe." The announcement stated that the only existing Star Wars material that would be considered part of the new canon , would be Episodes I–VI along with The Clone Wars animated film and series. In 2015, Lucas revealed (to his disappointment) that his outlines had been discarded in order to "make something for the fans". Episode VII writer and director J. J. Abrams later revealed that
12276-492: The Marvel magazine Pizzazz between 1977 and 1979. The 1977 installments were the first original Star Wars stories not directly adapted from the films to appear in print form, as they preceded those of the Star Wars comic series. From 1985 to 1987, the animated children's series Ewoks and Droids inspired comic series from Marvel's Star Comics line. According to Marvel Comics former Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter ,
12462-518: The Sith . The film broke opening weekend box office records in North America with $ 248 million ($ 39 million more than previous record holder Jurassic World ) and totals of $ 529 million worldwide, the largest opening ever. The film set another new record by becoming the first movie to break the $ 1 billion mark in box office sales in just 12 days. It is currently the highest-grossing film of all time in North America and
12648-483: The Whills. And the Whills are the ones who actually control the universe. They feed off the Force. Back in the day, I used to say ultimately what this means is we were just cars, vehicles, for the Whills to travel around in. We're vessels for them. And the conduit is the midi-chlorians. The midi-chlorians are the ones that communicate with the Whills. The Whills, in a general sense, they are the Force. ... But it's about symbiotic relationships. I think, personally, one of
12834-604: The acquisition and plans to produce the trilogy were announced in late 2012. The first installment, The Force Awakens , was released on December 18, 2015, after a 10-year hiatus between the prequel and sequel trilogies. It was directed by J. J. Abrams who co-wrote the screenplay with Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt . Original trilogy cast members including Harrison Ford , Mark Hamill , and Carrie Fisher reprised their roles, co-starring alongside franchise newcomers Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Adam Driver , and Oscar Isaac . The second installment, The Last Jedi ,
13020-512: The airing of the animated TV series in late 2008, the theatrical feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars was compiled from episodes "almost [as] an afterthought." It reveals that Anakin trained an apprentice between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith ; the series explains Padawan Ahsoka Tano 's absence from the latter film. The film and series exist in the same level of canon as the episodic and anthology films. Before selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, and parallel to his development of
13206-727: The announcement. Since the new canon has been introduced, there has been a multitude of pieces of Expanded Universe continuity that have become a part of canon. Star Wars in print predates the release of the first film, with the November 1976 novelization of Star Wars , initially subtitled " From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker ". Credited to Lucas, it was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster . The first "Expanded Universe" story appeared in Marvel Comics ' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 (the first six issues being an adaptation of
13392-411: The apparent cancellation of Wonder Woman 3 . In April 2023, Kennedy said the project could still happen either as a film or a television series. On March 13, 2024, Jenkins stated that she had signed a new contract with Lucasfilm to write and direct Rogue Squadron . Rian Johnson , the writer/director of The Last Jedi (2017), is confirmed to write and direct the first film of a new trilogy he
13578-520: The breakage. While the helmet obscures his vulnerabilities in The Force Awakens , its fractured form in The Rise of Skywalker instead communicates the fractured nature of his character. Kylo overcomes and kills his father in The Force Awakens before reconciling with his memory of him in The Rise of Skywalker ; according to Terrio, this reconciliation represents the "Atonement with the Father" stage of
13764-542: The castaway family is split, when a giant creature known as the Gorax kidnaps the parents. Taking pity on the kids, a group of native Ewoks led by Wicket decides to help little Cindel Towani and her older brother Mace, rescue their parents. Among other stylistic choices making the film unique from the Star Wars episodes is the inclusion of a narrator. The sequel focuses on the Ewoks protecting their village from marauders led by
13950-484: The combined box office revenue of the films equate to over US$ 10 billion, making Star Wars the third-highest-grossing film franchise of all time. The Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" across multiple fictional eras , in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid ) co-exist with droids , which may be programmed for personal assistance or battle. Space travel between planets
14136-509: The complaints of derivativeness, Abrams said, "What was important for me was introducing brand new characters using relationships that were embracing the history that we know to tell a story that is new – to go backwards to go forwards". The same year, the Disney-produced Star Wars anthology film Rogue One was released, and it was reported that Lucas liked it more than The Force Awakens . In 2017, Lucas described
14322-452: The core values we should have in the world, and kids should be taught, is ecology, to understand that we all are connected. (Lucas, 2018) By June 2012, Lucas had agreed to sell his company, provided that Kennedy would replace him as president of Lucasfilm. Iger agreed, while insisting that Disney would have final say over future movies. Lucas's final stipulations before the sale in late 2012 were that his story treatments would be used and that
14508-415: The dark side before becoming the one most committed by the end of the trilogy in reversal to his grandfather Darth Vader 's arc in the original trilogy, noting that Johnson took that planned direction in consideration when shooting The Last Jedi even though he took other decisions. Unlike the previous two trilogies, whose films were released approximately three years apart ahead of Memorial Day weekend,
14694-454: The dark side. Later, Kylo recounts his perspective, which prompts Luke to tell a third, combined perspective of the event. According to Adam Driver, Kylo Ren is "morally justified in doing what he thinks is right". The Rise of Skywalker depicts Kylo Ren having his helmet repaired following its destruction in The Last Jedi . Abrams compared the fractured mask to Kintsugi , a Japanese ceramic art of repairing broken pottery which accentuates
14880-401: The death of Carrie Fisher in late December 2016, media outlets speculated on whether her role would be recast for Episode IX and whether the absence of her character would affect the film's plot. A few weeks later, Lucasfilm stated that they would not digitally recreate Fisher's performance for the film. In April 2017, Kathleen Kennedy stated that Fisher would not be in Episode IX , but it
15066-416: The earlier animated series falling under Disney's "Vintage" collection of Star Wars content. The Star Wars franchise includes several live-action series. The first series, The Mandalorian , was released in 2019 for the streaming service Disney+ and is set between the original and sequel trilogies of the Skywalker Saga. Due to its success, the series spawned multiple live-action spin-offs set during
15252-399: The episodic films, The Clone Wars film , and television series . From 1976 to 2014, the term Expanded Universe (EU) was an umbrella term for all officially licensed Star Wars storytelling material set outside the events depicted within the theatrical films, including novels, comics, and video games. Lucasfilm maintained internal continuity between the films and television content and
15438-497: The events of A New Hope . It is set to be the start of a new era set within Star Wars timeline, dubbed Dawn of the Jedi . The film has been described as a " Cecil B. DeMille -style biblical epic.", with Mangold citing The Ten Commandments as a major inspiration for the film. Mangold was offered the project during production of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny . Mangold confirmed shortly afterwards that he had begun developing
15624-495: The evil Sith lord Palpatine (Darth Sidious). The original trilogy depicts the heroic development of Luke Skywalker as a Jedi and his fight against Palpatine's Galactic Empire alongside his sister, Leia . The prequels tell the tragic backstory of their father, Anakin , who is corrupted by Palpatine and becomes Darth Vader . The sequels follow the conflict between Leia's son, Ben Solo , and Luke and Leia's protegé, Rey , and their eventual alliance against Palpatine after
15810-425: The evil Lord Terak, who killed all the members of the Towani family except for Cindel, in search of a power battery. It was followed by the TV series Ewoks (1985–1987). In December 2020, A Droid Story , an animated adventure film for Disney+ was announced. According to the official Star Wars Twitter , the "epic journey will introduce us to a new hero guided by R2-D2 and C-3PO ." The Star Wars films are
15996-463: The expansive scope of Star Wars had started with an overlong screenplay: So, I took the screenplay and divided it into three stories, and rewrote the first one. ... Then, I had the other two films, which were essentially split into three parts each, two trilogies. When the smoke cleared, I said, 'This is really great. I'll do another trilogy that takes place after this.' I had three trilogies of nine films, and then another couple of odd films. ... It's
16182-463: The fall of the Empire. In 1971, George Lucas wanted to film an adaptation of the Flash Gordon serial , but could not obtain the rights, so he began developing his own space opera . After directing American Graffiti (1973), he wrote a two-page synopsis, which 20th Century Fox decided to invest in. By 1974, he had expanded the story into the first draft of a screenplay. Fox expected
16368-474: The film alongside his screenplay for the DC Universe Swamp Thing film, and was uncertain which project would move forward first following his Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown . In April 2024, it was reported that Beau Willimon (who had written episodes of Andor ) would co-write the film alongside Mangold. During an interview in May 2024, producer Simon Emanuel seemingly revealed
16554-530: The film is aiming for a 2026 release, although specifics were not given at the time. In April 2024, it was announced that the film would be released on May 22, 2026. In October 2022, The Hollywood Reporter reported that after a two-week writers' room in July (which included Patrick Somerville , Rayna McClendon, Andy Greenwald , and maybe Dave Filoni), Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson were co-writing
16740-468: The film through Bad Robot with Kennedy and Michelle Rejwan . Disney had originally scheduled the film's release for December 2019, in keeping with the previous two sequel trilogy films, but then moved it up to May 24, a time of the year more common to the first six Star Wars episodes. However, after Abrams' return, its release date was moved back to December. On January 10, 2018, it was reported that John Williams would return to compose and conduct
16926-428: The film was announced to be cancelled, with Lucasfilm instead focusing their attention on The Mandalorian , which utilized a similar character to Fett. Mangold confirmed his brief involvement in 2023, revealing he wrote a "borderline R-rated" script. He cited the poor commercial performance of Solo as the main reason for the film's cancellation. In 2017, it was announced that an anthology film focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi
17112-525: The film was still set to be released in December 2023. Kathleen Kennedy stated in May that the film has been "pushed off to the side for the moment", with the script still being worked on and Waititi's film expected to be released first. On September 15, 2022, the film was confirmed to be taken off from Disney's release schedule, although in December Jenkins said she was actively working on it amid
17298-479: The film would be of limited financial success, and so it was given a relatively low budget, with production being moved to Elstree Studios in England to help save on cost. Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, and first subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in the 1979 book The Art of Star Wars . The film's success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial . With the backstory he created for
17484-486: The film's script was completed in a November 2015 interview with Wired . In December, Hamill, Isaac, Christie, and Boyega were confirmed to reprise their roles as Luke Skywalker, Poe Dameron, Captain Phasma, and Finn, respectively. Kennedy announced at the December 17 London premiere of The Force Awakens that most of its cast would return for Episode VIII . On January 20, 2016, Lucasfilm and Disney announced that
17670-504: The film's title, Jedi Prime . In September 2023, David S. Goyer revealed that he had written a treatment for an unproduced Star Wars film about the origins of the Jedi Order. On May 4 , 2020, Taika Waititi (who directed the first-season finale of The Mandalorian and voiced IG-11 ) was officially announced to direct a Star Wars film from a screenplay he was co-writing with Krysty Wilson-Cairns . As of May 2022, his film
17856-650: The film), followed by Foster's sequel novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye the following month. After penning the novelization of the original film, Foster followed it with the sequel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978). The novelizations of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) by Donald F. Glut and Return of the Jedi (1983) by James Kahn followed, as well as The Han Solo Adventures trilogy (1979–1980) by Brian Daley , and The Adventures of Lando Calrissian trilogy (1983) by L. Neil Smith . Timothy Zahn 's bestselling Thrawn trilogy (1991–1993) reignited interest in
18042-468: The film, possibly giving him the role of new character DJ ( Benicio del Toro ), but did not because it would have meant Lando betraying the characters without redemption. Abrams credited The Last Jedi with influencing him to be more daring on The Rise of Skywalker . Some reports indicate that, contrary to popular belief, some plot points across the trilogy were planned in advance. The idea of Luke Skywalker living on an island following his failure to stop
18228-442: The filming took place at Pinewood Studios near London . Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman were the producers and J. J. Abrams executive produced. The Rise of Skywalker is the final film of the Skywalker saga, featuring a climactic clash between the Resistance and the First Order, and the Jedi and the Sith. The film is set a year following The Last Jedi and depicts the return of Palpatine, who has been secretly controlling
18414-487: The first also being given a limited international theatrical release. Warwick Davis reprised his debut role as the main Ewok, Wicket , in both. They are set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi . Both films were released on VHS, LaserDisc, and on a double-feature DVD. Although based on stories written by George Lucas, they do not bear Star Wars in their titles, and were considered to exist in
18600-506: The fourth film chronologically and was later subtitled Episode IV – A New Hope . The saga begins chronologically with Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and concludes with Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019). The story follows each generation of the Force -sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against Palpatine , an evil Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious. The prequel trilogy focuses on Anakin Skywalker 's training as
18786-532: The franchise and introduced the popular characters Grand Admiral Thrawn , Mara Jade , Talon Karrde , and Gilad Pellaeon . The first novel, Heir to the Empire , reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list , and the series finds Luke, Leia, and Han facing off against tactical genius Thrawn, who is plotting to retake the galaxy for the Empire. In The Courtship of Princess Leia (1994) by Dave Wolverton , set immediately before
18972-404: The franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader". Prior to releasing the original 1977 film, and made possible by its success, Lucas planned "three trilogies of nine films". However, he announced to Time in 1978 that he planned "10 sequels". He confirmed that he had outlined the prequels and sequels in 1981. At various stages of development, the sequel trilogy was to focus on the rebuilding of
19158-446: The franchise. This led to a sequel trilogy , consisting of Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). All nine films, collectively referred to as the " Skywalker Saga ", were nominated for Academy Awards , with wins going to the first two releases. Together with the theatrical live action "anthology" films Rogue One (2016) and Solo (2018),
19344-570: The games and the books ". A script was being worked on as of December 2020, at which time, Wonder Woman 3 's story was still being worked on. Matthew Robinson was hired to write Rogue Squadron in May 2021; late the next month, Jenkins revealed that the script was almost finished. On November 8, the film's production was delayed from 2022 due to Jenkins' busy schedule. A month later, Jenkins had left her planned Cleopatra film as director in order to focus on Rogue Squadron and Wonder Woman 3 . Disney announced in April 2022 that
19530-640: The gap between the High Republic publishing initiative and the events of The Acolyte . Titled Star Wars: The Acolyte – Kelnacca , the one-shot was written by High Republic writer Cavan Scott with art by Marika Cresta. It focuses on Kelnacca, the Wookiee Jedi introduced in The Acolyte . John Williams composed the soundtracks for the nine episodic films. He stated he would retire from the franchise with The Rise of Skywalker , but he composed
19716-412: The hands of other filmmakers, announcing in January 2012 that he would make no more Star Wars films. That October, the Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that Episode VII would be released in 2015. The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy , became president and served as executive producer of new Star Wars feature films. Lucas provided Kennedy his story treatments for
19902-418: The late 1980s and early 1990s, including the ability to create computer-generated imagery (CGI), inspired Lucas to consider that it might be possible to revisit his saga. In 1989, Lucas stated that the prequels would be "unbelievably expensive". In 1992, he acknowledged that he had plans to create the prequel trilogy. A theatrical rerelease of the original trilogy in 1997 " updated " the 20-year-old films with
20088-671: The main episodes of the Skywalker Saga entered development in parallel with the production of the sequel trilogy, described by Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo as origin stories . The first film released was 2016's Rogue One , which tells the story of the rebels who steal the plans for the Death Star , the Galactic Empire 's superweapon, just before the events of the original Star Wars film. A second film, 2018's Solo , tells Han Solo's backstory, set 10 years prior to A New Hope . The series Obi-Wan Kenobi
20274-455: The main episodic series were the Ewok spin-off films Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985), the first of which was screened internationally after being produced for television . After the conclusion of his then-six-episode saga in 2005, Lucas returned to spin-offs in the form of television series . An animated film, The Clone Wars (2008),
20460-549: The movie came from John Knoll , the chief creative officer of Industrial Light & Magic . In May 2014, Lucasfilm announced Gareth Edwards as the director of an anthology film, with Gary Whitta writing the first draft for a release on December 16, 2016. The film's title was revealed to be Rogue One , with Chris Weitz rewriting the script, and Felicity Jones in the starring role. Ben Mendelsohn and Diego Luna also play new characters, with James Earl Jones returning to voice Darth Vader . Edwards stated, "It comes down to
20646-490: The movie material, while others rely heavily on the non-canonical Expanded Universe (rebranded as Star Wars Legends and removed from the canon in 2014). Star Wars games have gone through three significant development eras, marked by a change in leadership among the developers: the early licensed games, those developed after the creation of LucasArts, and those created after the closure of the Lucasfilm division by Disney and
20832-519: The murder of his Jedi apprentices and then training an apprentice who would help him overcome his self-doubt was first pitched by George Lucas in 2013 during creative meetings between himself and Lucasfilm as part of story discussions for Episode VII (these ideas would later be used in The Last Jedi ). Several plot points of The Rise of Skywalker were pitched in an early 2014 story meeting between Lucasfilm executives (including Dave Filoni, Pablo Hidalgo , Doug Chiang , John Knoll and Kiri Hart) after
21018-410: The music for Episode IX . The next month, Williams announced that it would be the last Star Wars film music he would compose. On July 6, 2018, it was reported that Keri Russell was in early talks for a role in Episode IX . On July 9, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Billy Dee Williams was confirmed to reprise the role of Lando Calrissian. On July 27, the official casting announcement
21204-472: The new films. They agreed, as did Harrison Ford after being promised that Han Solo would be given meaningful closure. Details of his sequel trilogy treatments included the conclusion of the Skywalker family 's story, with its third generation being portrayed in their twenties. Lucas hoped to explain concepts he had imagined when he originally drafted his saga in the 1970s. Most specifically he revealed
21390-480: The nine episodes. In an interview with the same magazine, Gary Kurtz explained that the total number of films or their content might change as they were produced. Lucas similarly stated in an interview with Starlog magazine in September 1981 that he had the nine-film series plotted, but: ... it's a long way from the plot to the script. I've just gone through that with Return of the Jedi , and what seems like
21576-455: The nine films of which are collectively referred to as the " Skywalker Saga ". The saga was produced non-chronologically, beginning in media res with the release of the original trilogy between 1977 and 1983. This was followed by the prequel trilogy, released between 1999 and 2005, and the sequel trilogy, released between 2015 and 2019. Each trilogy focuses on a generation of the Force -sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against
21762-451: The nine-film series plotted, but due to the stress of producing the original trilogy, he had decided to cancel further sequels by 1981. In 1983, Lucas explained that "There was never a script completed that had the entire story as it exists now ... As the stories unfolded, I would take certain ideas and save them ... I kept taking out all the good parts, and I just kept telling myself I would make other movies someday." Technical advances in
21948-625: The number of Disney employees who could read them would be limited. Lucas gave Kennedy the final draft of his story treatments during the October 2012 sale. The same month, the Disney sale and production of the sequel trilogy, as well as a 2015 release date for a new film, were announced to the public. Lucas stated, "I always said I wasn't going to do any more, and that's true, because I'm not going to do any more. But that doesn't mean I'm unwilling to turn it over to Kathy to do more." Both plot outlines,
22134-416: The one written in the 1980s and the one written in the early 2010s, were given to Iger around the time that Disney acquired Lucasfilm. In January 2013, Lucas held the first story briefing about the as-yet untitled Episode VII at Skywalker Ranch . Related concepts stemming from these early briefings include the following story elements: In an interview published in 2020, Lucas says he decided not to work on
22320-648: The original 1977 film. Lucas felt betrayed by Iger and Abrams because they discarded some of his sequel trilogy ideas. Episode VIII: The Last Jedi writer and director Rian Johnson 's initial response to the script of The Force Awakens included the suggestion of minor adjustments to the ending. According to Abrams, these improved the movie and made it line up more with The Last Jedi . Abrams intended for BB-8 to help Rey search for Luke, which Johnson changed to R2-D2 (due to his being Luke's droid, as well as BB-8 belonging to Poe and not knowing Luke). Additionally, Abrams' ending featured Rey finding Luke lifting rocks with
22506-417: The original and sequel trilogies, respectively. Steven Knight departed the project by October 2024 with filming not expected to start until late 2025. In December 2020, it was revealed that The Mandalorian and its related series were planned to culminate in a "climactic story event". At Star Wars Celebration in 2023, it was announced that Dave Filoni would make his live-action feature directorial debut with
22692-473: The original film and a new narration to retell the story, released in 1977. Most later printed novels were adapted into audio novels, usually released on cassette tape and re-released on CD. As of 2019, audio-only novels have been released not directly based on printed media. Radio adaptations of the films were also produced. Lucas, a fan of the NPR-affiliated campus radio station of his alma mater
22878-663: The original trilogy. In an interview with Charlie Rose , Lucas likened his decision to sell Lucasfilm to Disney to a divorce, and outlined the creative differences between him and the producers of The Force Awakens . Lucas described the previous six Star Wars films as his "children" and defended his vision for them, while criticizing The Force Awakens for having a "retro feel", saying: "I worked very hard to make them completely different, with different planets, with different spaceships ... to make it new." Lucas also likened Disney to "white slavers", which drew some criticism. He subsequently apologized for this remark. In 2016, responding to
23064-497: The outer reaches of the galaxy, crime syndicates such as the Hutt cartel are dominant. Bounty hunters are often employed by both gangsters and governments, while illicit activities include smuggling and slavery . The combination of science fiction and fantasy elements makes Star Wars a very universal franchise, capable of telling stories of various genres. The Star Wars film series centers around three sets of trilogies,
23250-446: The plot of The Force Awakens had been finalized, including the notion of Leia as a mentor figure to Rey, Leia breaking through to her son Ben Solo (Kylo Ren) and the notion of Rey as "the Skywalker" of the trilogy by metaphor rather than blood connection. The return of Emperor Palpatine in Episode IX was planned as far back as the earliest development phase of the trilogy. Similarly, Abrams hinted that Palpatine being Rey's grandfather
23436-649: The release of the film would be delayed from May to December 2017. Three days later, the release date of December 15, 2017 was confirmed, as well as the title Star Wars: The Last Jedi . Principal photography began in February 2016; additional filming took place in Dubrovnik from March 9 to March 16, as well as in Ireland in May. Principal photography wrapped in July 2016. Carrie Fisher died on December 27, 2016, but had completed filming her role as Leia. Much of
23622-455: The saga will be six films, a 12-hour story. Then people can watch all six films together as they were intended to be seen." In 2007, Lucas described making the films at that age as "an idea that seemed amusing at the time, but doesn't seem realistic now", and suggested that "off-the-cuff" comments he had made in earlier years had been misconstrued as absolute statements. In 2008, after all six films had been released, Lucas said: "The movies were
23808-431: The same fictional era, including The Book of Boba Fett , released in 2021; Ahsoka , released in 2023; and the upcoming Skeleton Crew . These series follow the plight of the New Republic and its allies against the remnants of the fallen Galactic Empire . A story focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi was planned as a film before becoming a live-action series after the box office failure of Solo in 2018. The series
23994-525: The same website interprets the end of The Rise of Skywalker as seeing Rey "bury the past" and rejecting "any power her grandfather held over her" in a completion of the hero's journey. The sequel trilogy experienced diminishing box office returns with each succeeding film. Nevertheless, it is the highest-grossing trilogy of the franchise overall, with The Force Awakens ranking as the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time . George Lucas agreed with critics who considered The Force Awakens too derivative of
24180-502: The same year, Bob Iger announced that the film would be the first release of the next slate of Star Wars movies. The Mandalorian & Grogu is scheduled for release on May 22, 2026. Lucasfilm has a number of Star Wars films in various stages of development, including: The first two animated series, Droids and Ewoks , were produced in the 1980s. They were followed by the Clone Wars animated micro-series in 2003 and
24366-404: The same year, Disney had given him a mandate to discard Lucas's story and "start from scratch". Episode VII: The Force Awakens was written by Lucasfilm veteran Lawrence Kasdan, along with J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt. Bob Iger's memoirs, published in 2019, recount that Lucas was upset after hearing the plot of The Force Awakens in meetings, specifically about elements that were derivative of
24552-492: The season was scheduled to begin in September, but was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes . In January 2024, it was announced that series creator Jon Favreau would write and direct a theatrical film based on the series (separate from Filoni's upcoming film), titled The Mandalorian & Grogu . Filming was expected to begin later in 2024 as the first Star Wars film to enter production since The Rise of Skywalker . In February 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that
24738-411: The sequel The Last Jedi as "beautifully made". Marcia Lucas , George Lucas's ex-wife, who was an editor of all three original films and won an Oscar for her work on the first, criticized the Disney sequels in an interview with J. W. Rinzler for his posthumous final book, Howard Kazanjian : A Producer's Life . She stated that Kennedy and Abrams "don't get" the franchise, particularly criticizing
24924-468: The sequel films were released two years apart from each other in December. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released on December 18, 2015, and introduces the 19-year-old orphan, Rey, who is drawn into the conflict between the Resistance and the First Order , a ruthless military faction commanded by Kylo Ren —the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo. In The Last Jedi , released on December 15, 2017, Rey
25110-460: The sequel, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy of trilogies. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980, also achieving wide financial and critical success. The final film in the trilogy, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi , was released on May 25, 1983. According to producer Gary Kurtz, loose plans for a prequel trilogy were developed during the outlining of the original two films. In 1980, Lucas confirmed that he had
25296-746: The sequels during the 2012 sale, but in 2015 it was revealed Lucas's sequel outline had been discarded. The sequel trilogy also meant the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe stories, which were discarded from canon to give "maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience." Episode VII: The Force Awakens was released on December 16, 2015, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi on December 13, 2017, and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker on December 18, 2019, in many countries. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi were both critical and box office successes. Episode IX received
25482-467: The series was set 25 to 30 years after the original films and introduced the Yuuzhan Vong, a powerful alien race attempting to invade and conquer the entire galaxy. The bestselling multi-author series Legacy of the Force (2006–2008) chronicles the crossover of Han and Leia's son Jacen Solo to the dark side of the Force; among his evil deeds, he kills Luke's wife Mara Jade as a sacrifice to join
25668-626: The story of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker, and when Luke saves the galaxy and redeems his father, that's where that story ends." In another 2008 interview, Lucas ruled out anybody else making Star Wars films, and added that the Expanded Universe did not line up with his vision. Asked if he wanted new Star Wars films to be made after his death, he said: "I've left pretty explicit instructions for there not to be any more features. There will definitely be no Episodes VII – IX . That's because there isn't any story. ... The Star Wars story
25854-443: The strong sales of Star Wars comics saved Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978. Marvel's Star Wars series was one of the industry's top selling titles in 1979 and 1980. The only downside for Marvel was that the 100,000 copy sales quota was surpassed quickly, allowing Lippincott to renegotiate the royalty arrangements from a position of strength. In the late 1980s, Marvel dropped a new Star Wars comic it had in development, which
26040-517: The studio had no plans to make one. In August 2017, it was rumored that a film focused on Jabba the Hutt was in the works. In June 2018, a rumor circulated that a movie taking place in Mos Eisley was in the works as well. In September 2023, David S. Goyer confirmed that he had written a script treatment for an unproduced Jabba-centric film that was intended to be directed by Guillermo del Toro . It
26226-417: The style of CGI envisioned for the new trilogy. Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999, Episode II: Attack of the Clones on May 16, 2002, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on May 19, 2005. The first two films were met with mixed reviews, with the third being received somewhat more positively. Together with the original trilogy, Lucas has referred to the first six episodic films of
26412-530: The theater next December. He has never been able to be surprised by a Star Wars film before and he said he was looking forward to it." Production began in April 2014; it was released on December 18, 2015. In the US, the film received a PG-13 rating "for sci-fi action violence" and the equivalent M rating in Australia, the second Star Wars film to receive that classification after Episode III – Revenge of
26598-457: The three-part Dark Empire saga, Tales of the Jedi , Dark Lords of the Sith , the Dark Forces trilogy, and Crimson Empire (1998). Return of the Jedi was adapted into 6-episodes in 1996, featuring Daniels. The Star Wars franchise has spawned over one hundred computer, video, and board games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles . Some are based directly on
26784-490: The title Star Wars: Master and Apprentice . Although Thrawn had been designated a Legends character in 2014, he was reintroduced into the canon in 2016 for the third season of the Rebels animated series, with Zahn returning to write more novels based on the character and set in the new canon. Marvel Comics published a Star Wars comic book series from 1977 to 1986. Original Star Wars comics were serialized in
26970-456: The transfer of the license to Electronic Arts . Star Wars sequel trilogy The Star Wars sequel trilogy is the third trilogy of the main Star Wars franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas . It is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures . The trilogy consists of episodes VII through IX , chronologically following
27156-410: The trilogy because he was "about to have a daughter" at the time and decided to "enjoy life for a while." He also detailed more of his story treatments: In April 2014, it was announced that "In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of
27342-747: The trilogy's core theme is about learning from the previous generation, akin to the Americans in the War of 1812 , who preserved what was fought for in the American Revolutionary War . On the inspiration for the First Order formed "from the ashes of the Empire", Abrams spoke of conversations the writers had about how the Nazis could have escaped to Argentina after World War II and "started working together again." Polygon considers that The Last Jedi ' s portrayal of Luke Skywalker as
27528-630: The ways of the Force under Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa , and confronts Kylo Ren —the son of Leia and Han Solo , nephew of Luke, and grandson of Anakin Skywalker —who has fallen to the dark side . The first two films received positive reviews from critics, while the third received mixed reviews. The trilogy grossed over $ 4.4 billion at the box office worldwide, with each film surpassing $ 1 billion worldwide. According to Mark Hamill , who plays Luke Skywalker , Star Wars creator George Lucas told him in 1976 that he planned three or four Star Wars trilogies. Lucas suggested that Hamill could have
27714-550: Was "no attempt being made to carry characters (from the standalone films) in and out of the saga episodes." The standalone films are subtitled "A Star Wars Story" . Rogue One is set directly before Episode IV: A New Hope and focuses on the eponymous group of rebels who obtain the plans to the Death Star. Its laser was developed by scientist Galen Erso (played by Mads Mikkelsen ) after the Empire forcibly abducted him, separating him from his daughter Jyn . Galen secretly sends
27900-495: Was a box-office success. In November 2024, Simon Kinberg was reported to be writing and producing a new Star Wars trilogy with Kathleen Kennedy also to help produce the films. The first spin-off film (also the first sequel to be released) was a holiday TV special aired in 1978. Two live-action TV films created in the mid-1980s feature the Ewoks. Produced for CBS in 1978, the Star Wars Holiday Special
28086-421: Was a two-hour television special, in the format of a variety show . Stars of the original film and archive footage from the original Star Wars film appeared alongside celebrity guest stars in plot-related skits, musical numbers, and an animated segment, all loosely tied together by the premise of Chewbacca 's family waiting for his arrival for the "Life Day" celebration on his home planet, Kashyyyk . The special
28272-520: Was also likely to appear in the film. The next month, Kennedy stated that Waititi was now writing the film alone. In early May, Deadline Hollywood reported that Waititi may begin filming the project in 2024. In September 2023, amidst rumors of the film's cancellation, it was revealed that it was still in development and that Waititi would resume writing the script after the conclusion of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike . In 2018, while promoting Solo , Kathleen Kennedy expressed interest in making
28458-399: Was also revealed that this was the same project as the rumored Mos Eisley film, with Alden Ehrenreich expected to reprise his role as Han Solo. The film was cancelled due to Solo ' s poor commercial performance. Star Wars Star Wars is an American epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas , which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became
28644-452: Was an early idea he and Lawrence Kasdan had while working on The Force Awakens , although Daisy Ridley later claimed that ideas for Rey's lineage changed throughout filming of The Rise of Skywalker . Adam Driver claimed that back when shooting The Force Awakens , Kylo Ren was not meant to be redeemed by the end of the trilogy, which was the character arc Abrams had in mind at that moment, with Ren starting insecure about his commitment to
28830-459: Was announced as the director of a film titled Rogue Squadron , initially set to be released on December 22, 2023. According to the official Star Wars website, the film would "introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride, and move the saga into the future era of the galaxy." According to Jenkins, the film would be an original story "with great influence from
29016-581: Was announced as the writer and director of Episode VIII ; he confirmed in August that he would direct. On March 12, 2015, Lucasfilm announced that Johnson would direct Episode VIII with Ram Bergman as producer. In March 2015, Oscar Isaac confirmed he would reprise his role as Poe Dameron in Episode VIII . In July, it was reported that Benicio del Toro was being considered for a villain; he later confirmed that he had been cast. In September, it
29202-603: Was announced as writing a story treatment for Episode IX , but later stated he had not been involved with writing the film. In August 2015, Colin Trevorrow was announced as the director of Episode IX, and he, with Derek Connolly , began writing a script draft secretly titled Star Wars: Duel of the Fates . Many elements from that draft survived into the actual film. In February 2016, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that pre-production of Episode IX had begun. Following
29388-534: Was announced in January 2014 that in 2015 the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics, whose parent company, Marvel Entertainment , Disney had purchased in 2009. Launched in 2015, the first three publications were titled Star Wars , Darth Vader , and the miniseries Princess Leia . First announced as Project Luminous at Star Wars Celebration in April 2019, the Star Wars: The High Republic publishing initiative
29574-450: Was cancelled in 2018, later being re-developed as a TV series for Disney+ , which aired in 2022. Rogue One and Solo actors Felicity Jones, Alden Ehrenreich and Emilia Clarke all stated that their contracts also included future installments. Solo director Ron Howard said that while no sequel was in development, it was up to the fans to decide. Although critics noted that Solo left room open for sequels, in 2022, Howard confirmed that
29760-531: Was expected to be released before Rogue Squadron (originally scheduled for December 2023 prior to its delay), with Kennedy asserting that Waititi's film may be released in late 2023. In June 2022, Waititi agreed with Kennedy's view that the films should move into new territory in favor of origin stories, and stated he would continue writing the project while filming other projects. The movie was reportedly expected to be shot in Los Angeles. By March 2023, Waititi
29946-479: Was followed by the sequels Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), forming the original Star Wars trilogy . Lucas later returned to the series to write and direct a prequel trilogy , consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). In 2012, Lucas sold his production company to Disney , relinquishing his ownership of
30132-442: Was going to be three generations. You'd have the original trilogy, then go back to Luke's father and find out what happened to him, and if there was another seventh, eighth, or ninth film, it would be Luke's children. In 1992, Lucas announced his intentions to produce a prequel trilogy . When asked, he would frequently repeat that he had no plans to make the sequel trilogy and that he would not allow other directors to make it. At
30318-445: Was hired to compose the music for the entire sequel trilogy. In October, it was announced that writing duties would be taken over by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, co-writer of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi . George Lucas was set to provide Abrams with advice as a creative consultant; however, Lucas had no involvement, with his representative stating that he "ideally would love not to see any footage until he walks into
30504-444: Was hired to replace them as screenwriter. Filming was reportedly set to begin in February 2024. At April 2023's Star Wars Celebration, Kennedy officially announced a Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy-directed movie, with Daisy Ridley returning as Rey as she constructs a new Jedi Order 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker . She reportedly may be a supporting character in the vein of Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in
30690-483: Was in development with Stephen Daldry set as director and writer. In May 2018, the film was reportedly titled Obi-Wan: A Star Wars Story , with a plot involving Kenobi protecting a young Luke Skywalker on the planet Tatooine during tensions between local farmers and Tusken Raiders . Production on the film was expected to take place in Northern Ireland under the working title Joshua Tree in 2019. The film
30876-458: Was in talks to direct a Star Wars film, following his work on Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and the fifth and final season of Stranger Things . In September 2023, Levy revealed that development began, but has since been stalled due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike . In January 2024, it was reported that the fourth season of The Mandalorian would be reworked into theatrical sequel films if The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026)
31062-431: Was later announced that Fisher would in fact appear using unreleased footage from The Force Awakens . In August, it was reported that Jack Thorne would rewrite the script. In September 2017, Lucasfilm announced that Trevorrow had stepped down as director, and a week later, it was announced that J. J. Abrams would return to direct Episode IX . He co-wrote the script with Chris Terrio , in addition to producing
31248-428: Was made up. I really don't have any notion other than, 'Gee, it would be interesting to do Luke Skywalker later on.' It wouldn't be a part of the main story, it would just be a sequel to this thing." He further stated, "When you see it in six parts, you'll understand. It really ends at part six." On the possibility of someone else making Star Wars films, Lucas said, "Probably not, it's my thing." In August 1999, at
31434-539: Was made, including the return of Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o , Domhnall Gleeson , Kelly Marie Tran , Joonas Suotamo , Billie Lourd , Mark Hamill, and Anthony Daniels , with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant joining the cast. The same announcement confirmed Williams' return and that Carrie Fisher would posthumously portray Leia Organa using unreleased footage from The Force Awakens . Lucasfilm also initially had plans to include unseen footage of Fisher from The Last Jedi , but it
31620-415: Was nominated for most of the major categories, including Best Picture , Best Director , Best Original Screenplay , and Best Supporting Actor for Alec Guinness (who played Obi-Wan Kenobi ), while all theatrical live-action films have been nominated for particular categories. Several official Star Wars television series have also been released, all now on Disney+ . The main Star Wars film series
31806-456: Was officially announced to write and direct a live-action Star Wars film. Three further live-action films were officially announced at April 2023's Star Wars Celebration , to be helmed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy , Dave Filoni , and James Mangold . Kennedy said upcoming films would include the trademark opening crawl. In January 2024, a Mandalorian film from Jon Favreau was announced. Additionally, Kennedy stated in May 2022 that "There's
31992-411: Was originally planned as a film, but changed to a miniseries due to Solo underperforming at the box office. In April 2023, three new Star Wars films were announced to be set within different eras of the franchise. An untitled film written and directed by James Mangold will be set during the "dawn of the Jedi". Dave Filoni will direct a film set between the original and sequel trilogies during
32178-717: Was outlining as of early 2019 with Ram Bergman producing alongside Kennedy. It was said to differ from the Skywalker-focused films in favor of focusing on new characters and possibly a different era than the main film franchise. The project was considered to have been "back-burnered" by May 2022 due to Johnson's involvement with other projects, including the Knives Out franchise. Johnson indicated that he would make at least one more film in that series following Glass Onion before returning to Star Wars . In November 2022, Deadline Hollywood reported that Shawn Levy
32364-534: Was picked up by Dark Horse Comics and published as the popular Dark Empire series (1991–1995). Dark Horse subsequently launched dozens of series set after the original film trilogy, including Tales of the Jedi (1993–1998), X-wing Rogue Squadron (1995–1998), Star Wars: Republic (1998–2006), Star Wars Tales (1999–2005), Star Wars: Empire (2002–2006), and Knights of the Old Republic (2006–2010). After Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, it
32550-425: Was redeveloped as Rebel Moon (2023). In early 2013, Bob Iger announced the development of spin-off films focusing on Han Solo, Boba Fett , and Yoda . Simon Kinberg was announced to be the screenwriter of the Boba Fett film shortly afterward. In mid-2014, Josh Trank was officially announced as the director of an undisclosed spin-off film, but had left the project a year later due to creative differences, causing
32736-542: Was released as a pilot to a TV series of the same name . An anthology series set between the main episodes entered development in parallel to the production of the sequel trilogy, described by Disney chief financial officer (CFO) Jay Rasulo as origin stories . The first entry, Rogue One : A Star Wars Story (2016), tells the story of the rebels who steal the Death Star plans directly before Episode IV . Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) focuses on Han's backstory, also featuring Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian . Preceding
32922-430: Was released on December 15, 2017, with Rian Johnson as screenwriter and director, and most of the cast returning. The final installment, The Rise of Skywalker , was released on December 20, 2019. It was directed by Abrams, who co-wrote it with Chris Terrio . The trilogy follows the orphan Rey and the plight of the Resistance against the First Order , which has risen from the fallen Galactic Empire . Rey learns
33108-542: Was released on Disney+ in 2022 and is set between the prequel and original trilogy films. It was followed by the live-action series Andor in the same year; both series follow their titular characters during the reign of the Empire. The Acolyte is a series created by Leslye Headland set at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the Skywalker Saga , and follows an investigation into
33294-422: Was released, namely Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). The first three spin-off films produced were the made-for-television Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), The Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985). Following Disney's 2012 acquisition of the franchise, these earlier films were dropped from
33480-816: Was released, owing to the stress of producing the first three films as well as pressure from his wife, Marcia , to step back from this kind of filmmaking. By 1981, Lucas had decided to make only one Star Wars trilogy. According to Gary Kurtz, details of elements from the discarded sequel trilogy which were incorporated into Return of the Jedi include: Through the 1980s, Lucas variously hinted at plot elements from his abandoned sequel trilogy, which he said would have revolved around moral and philosophical problems, including distinguishing right from wrong, justice, confrontation, and passing on what one has learned. Ideas which seem to have been used in Disney's sequel trilogy include: Ideas that were apparently not retained in Disney's sequel trilogy include: Timothy Zahn , who wrote
33666-413: Was reported that Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Tatiana Maslany , Gina Rodriguez , Olivia Cooke , and Bel Powley were on the shortlist for two separate parts. Jimmy Vee was cast as R2-D2, succeeding Kenny Baker , who would die the next year. Some pre-production filming took place in September 2015 on the island of Skellig Michael , Ireland to take advantage of better weather conditions. Abrams revealed that
33852-422: Was revealed in a press conference in February 2020. Involving the majority of the then current officially licensed publishers, a new era set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga was explored in various books and comics. Including ongoing titles by Marvel and IDW Publishing, written by Cavan Scott and Daniel José Older respectively. Marvel Comics will publish a one-shot comic book on September 4, 2024, that bridges
34038-405: Was revealed that Simien would be replaced as showrunner by Donald Glover and his brother Stephen. Nearly two months later, Stephen Glover stated in an interview that the project was being redeveloped as a feature film. Donald Glover confirmed his involvement as a writer on the film in September 2024. On December 10, 2020, during Disney Investor Day, Wonder Woman (2017) director Patty Jenkins
34224-455: Was selected in 2010, while Return of the Jedi was selected in 2021. 35 mm reels of the 1997 Special Editions were the versions initially presented for preservation because of the difficulty of transferring from the original prints, but it was later revealed that the Library possessed a copyright deposit print of the original theatrical releases. By 2015, Star Wars had been transferred to
34410-503: Was subsequently restructured to only include the existing six feature films, the animated film The Clone Wars (2008), and its companion animated series. All future projects and creative developments across all types of media would be overseen and coordinated by the story group, announced as a division of Lucasfilm created to maintain continuity and a cohesive vision on the storytelling of the franchise. Multiple comics series from Marvel and novels published by Del Rey were produced after
34596-503: Was ultimately not used in the film. It was announced later the same day that Russell had joined the cast. On April 12, at the 2019 Star Wars Celebration , the title for Episode IX was confirmed to be The Rise of Skywalker. Principal photography began on August 1, 2018, and wrapped on February 15, 2019. The Rise of Skywalker was released in the United States on December 20, 2019. According to J. J. Abrams and Chris Terrio,
#168831