Kathleen Kennedy on ‘Star Wars’ future: “We need to create a whole new saga”

Don’t expect director Taika Waititi’s planned Star Wars film to be about Chewbacca’s grandmother.

Zack Sharf Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy wasn’t joking when she told Total Film magazine last month that “Star Wars” will need “to create a whole new saga” in order to return to the big screen and not just rely on threads from the past. That’s exactly what Taika Waititi wants to do with his upcoming “Star Wars” movie, which will be the franchise’s first movie since the Skywalker saga came to a controversial end with “The Rise of Skywalker.”Waititi recently told Total Film that he’s not interested in making a movie with pre-existing characters and story threads (think “Rogue One” which connects directly to “A New Hope” through the Death Star ) or telling origin stories (think Ron Howard’s polarizing Han Solo prequel “Solo”).

Judging by the recent reports, it would appear the next “Star Wars” film to arrive in theaters will likely be whatever Taika Waititi comes up with. And while we don’t have any specifics about Waititi’s addition to the galaxy far, far away, the filmmaker is teasing that it’s going to be something brand-new.

While fans are, of course, excited to see Ewan McGregor return to his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the, aptly titled, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” Disney+ series, there has been equal (if not more) anticipation at the idea of Hayden Christensen returning as Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader. Thankfully, for most people, the hype was well-deserved when we saw the duo face off in a recent episode.

In the “Star Wars” universe, like any franchise, there are close-call casting decisions that don’t make the grade or simply go another way. Actress Jessica Henwick (“The Matrix Resurrections”), for example, lost out to Daisy Ridley for the Rey role in “The Force Awakens” but did play a small pilot in the film instead.

Just over four years ago, “Solo: A Story Wars Story” hit theaters to muted praise and middling box-office numbers. In fact, “Solo” is the lowest-grossing “Star Wars” film to date, so by all accounts, if Kathleen Kennedy and the rest of Lucasfilm don’t consider the movie failure, fans, pundits, and nearly everyone else, definitely do.

Obi-Wan Kenobi” star Moses Ingram after racist backlash directed at her on social media.“We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold. If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist,” they wrote in a rare statement.“There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.”The 29-year-old actress recently revealed that she received “hundreds” of racist messages on social media since the Disney+ series debuted on May 27.Messages the actress shared on her Instagram Stories include the use of the N-word and claims that she was a “diversity hire.”“You won’t be loved or remembered for this acting role,” one toxic fan wrote.“There’s nothing anybody can do about this.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” last week, where she stars as Reva, the Inquisitor. Reva is obsessed with hunting down Obi-Wan to bring him to Darth Vader; apparently, she believes that she’ll get “what I’m owed” if she does.

Donald Glover is still being considered to play Lando Calrissian in a planned Star Wars spin-off series based on the character.That’s according to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who revealed in a new interview with Total Film at Star Wars Celebration last week that she will “never say never” about recasting roles, after Glover played Lando in the flop Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).An unnamed series centred on Lando, the character originated by Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), has been in development for a number of years. It was first announced to Disney investors as an “event series” in December 2020, with writer-director Justin Simien (Dear White People) attached to the project.Speaking to Total Film, Kennedy made reference to a new Vanity Fair interview that seemed to imply that the franchise had learned its lesson with Solo and would move away from stories featuring legacy characters recast with younger actors.“I never say never [about recasting].

Wrapping up the last bits of “Star Wars” celebration weekend, the content keeps flowing on Disney+. While we’ll get two Lucasfilm live-action shows this year, “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” airing now and “Andor” in late August, we’re also getting two animated series too.

Wilson Chapman editor“The Mandalorian” is expanding its reach across the galaxy.On Saturday, “Mandalorian” executive producers Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau took the stage at Star Wars Celebration for “Mando+,” a panel on the future of the smash-hit “Star Wars” Disney+ series, plus its spin-offs “The Book of Boba Fett” and the upcoming “Ahsoka.”Joining them at onstage at the Anaheim Convention Center was a veritable bounty of guest stars, including the “Mandalorian” himself, Pedro Pascal, his doubles Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder, longtime series director Rick Famuyiwa and recurring cast members Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Weathers, Emily Swallow and Katee Sackhoff. Also in attendance was “The Book of Boba Fett” lead Temuera Morrison and the stars of the upcoming “Ahsoka,” Rosario Dawson and Natasha Liu Bordizzo.

Star Wars spin-off series, Andor – watch it below.On Thursday (May 26), Disney kicked off ‘Star Wars Celebration’, its four-day fan event in Anaheim, California, unveiling a number of teaser trailers, release dates, casting announcements and more.Among the announcements was the first trailer for the Andor, a 12-episode series that acts as a prequel to 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.Set five years ahead of the events of Rogue One, in which Andor (played by Diego Luna) and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) led a group of rebels on a mission to steal the plans of the original Death Star, Andor will explore Cassian’s backstory as he starts his journey toward becoming a rebel hero.The series will “explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved.

As “Star Wars” fans, there isn’t much to complain about these days, toxic fandom aside. Sure, you can complain about the inconsistent quality in the recent trilogy, and the Disney+ shows have been hit and miss (see “The Book Of Boba Fett”).

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea has a new role in the latest Star Wars spin-off series, Obi-Wan Kenobi.Warning – major spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi aheadFlea appeared in the first two episodes of the new series, which arrived on Disney+ this week (May 27).Obi-Wan Kenobi is set ten years after the events of Revenge Of The Sith. The show will follow Jedi Master Obi-Wan’s “greatest defeat as he witnesses the the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader,” according to Disney.In the show, Flea plays a bounty hunter called Vect Nehru.

, which arrives on Disney+ today. Ewan McGregor reprises his beloved role as Obi-Wan and Hayden Christensen returns as Anakin-turned-Vader for the first time since the 2005 film,, in this new limited series. Christensen’s epic comeback to the world of comes amid rumors that he’ll be making an appearance in  — another forthcoming  spinoff series.

Ewan McGregor hasn't given his wife any advice about joining the 'Star Wars' universe. The 51-year-old actor - who is reprising his role as 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' as the titular character in the new Disney+ series - thinks it is "cool" that Mary Elizabeth Winstead will play an undisclosed role in 'Ahsoka', but he hasn't offered her any tips. He said: “She doesn’t need any advice from me, but it was kind of cool that when it came up and she was starting to think about it – we thought it was amazing to both be in this world together.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead joining the universe with an undisclosed role in. “She doesn’t need any advice from me, but it was kind of cool that when it came up and she was starting to think about it – we thought it was amazing to both be in this world together,” he said.

original series is. The newest spinoff from executive producers Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni will star Jude Law. “He has such an amazing sort of aptitude around the characters that he plays,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy tells ET about casting the longtime actor after having previously worked with him on the 2001 film, which co-starred former child star Haley Joel Osment.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterThere is no shortage of television shows set in a galaxy far, far away.During Disney and Lucasfilm’s presentation at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, Calif., most of the time was devoted to introducing new series like “Skeleton Crew,” starring Jude Law, and “Andor,” featuring Diego Luna in a prequel to “Rogue One,” as well as long-in-the-works titles like “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” which premieres on May 27.But in contrast to the robust slate of “Star Wars” TV series set for Disney+, the franchise’s feature film landscape has been as desolate as the sands of Tatooine in the wake of 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” That’s surprising, since “Star Wars” is one of Hollywood’s biggest properties and the studio has a trio of untitled space opera movies set to hit theaters around Christmas every other year starting in 2023.