The Rise of Skywalker is the last of the Star Wars “saga” films that include the original, prequel, and latest sequel trilogies. It’s also the last Star Wars film in the works at the moment. With the success of 2015’s The Force Awakens, Disney CEO Bob Iger said Lucasfilm is planning for the next “decade and a half” of Star Warsfilms. But following the rough productions of the two standalone “Star Wars Story” films, Solo and Rogue One (and Solo’s comparatively shaky take at the box office), he walked that back, saying fans should expect a slowdown in the pace. Lucasfilm has since canceled a nascent standalone film that was reportedly about Boba Fett.
But Rise of Skywalker won’t be the last we see of the franchise: Disney is prepping two TV shows for its streaming service, Disney+, as well as a revival of its animated Clone Wars series. And we’ll likely see more films in the future.
Rise of Skywalker has had its own rough production. Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow was initially slated to direct, but left the production in 2017, and was replaced by The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams. Production started in 2018, and the film includes original series stars Mark Hamill and Billy Dee Williams, as well as the late Carrie Fisher.
Rise of Skywalker is due out on December 20th, 2019. Follow along for all the updates, trailers, and commentary for the film.