Disney to Release 2 New ‘Star Wars’ Movies in 2026

The “Star Wars” movie drought will soon be over. Lucasfilm and Disney announced on Tuesday that two new “Star Wars” movies will be released in 2026 — one on May 22, 2026, and one on Dec. 18, 2026, which will mark seven years since the release of the last “Star Wars” film in theaters, the trilogy-capper “The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019.

The studios didn’t specify exactly which “Star Wars” movies are taking the 2026 slots, but odds are good that one is the new film featuring the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey, which was announced at Star Wars Celebration in April.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is directing that feature, which is set 15 years after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker” and finds Rey serving as a Jedi Master who’s trying to rebuild a new Jedi Order.

“I’ve spent the majority of my life meeting real heroes battling oppressive regimes, which is why I’m interested in a new Jedi Order,” Obaid-Chinoy said at the time. The filmmaker recently directed episodes of “Ms. Marvel.”

“My heart is pounding,” Ridley said in April. “Thank you, Kathleen [Kennedy] and Sharmeen for having me back. I’m so happy to be continuing this journey.”

That feature is one of three new “Star Wars” movies that Lucasfilm head Kennedy announced at Star Wars Celebration. James Mangold is also writing and directing a film about the origins of the Jedi, set in the distant past, while “The Mandalorian” and “Ahsoka” mastermind Dave Filoni is directing a live-action feature set before “The Force Awakens” that will bring together characters from the Disney+ shows.

Taika Waititi is also developing a “Star Wars” feature of his own.

Disney made a habit of releasing new “Star Wars” movies in December as opposed to the traditional May corridor until the release of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which underwhelmed at the box office in May 2018. This new 2026 feature will be the first May “Star Wars” movie release since that film.

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Daisy Ridley to Return as Rey in New ‘Star Wars’ Movie