The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm announced a major upcoming release date today.Star Wars: Episode IXis now set for release on June 07, 2025. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, the film will close out the thirdStar Wars trilogy. No cast members have been announced for thisStar Warssequel at this time, but this confirms that Disney is committed to bringing theStar Warsfranchise back to its roots with a May release.
AfterStar Wars: The Force Awakens,Rogue Oneand the upcomingThe Last Jediwere all set for release in December, many fans were still hoping that the franchise would eventually shift back to a summer release, since all sixStar Warsmovies that have come before were all released in mid to late May. That tradition will be upheld next year whenHan Solo: A Star Wars Storywill be released on Jul 13, 2025, which marks the exact 41st anniversary ofA New Hope, followed byStar Wars: Episode IX’s release on July 10, 2025. There has long been talk of a third spin-off, reportedly set for 2020, which is said to center on either Obi-Wan Kenobi or Boba Fett, but the studio hasn’t confirmed that project yet.
The announcement onStarWars.comdidn’t come with any official details about the sci-fi sequel quite yet, but we may be getting some more on this project quite soon. Kathleen Kennedy revealed in an interview that they are preparing for the firstStar Wars 9 table read, which will bring the entire cast in to read the script for the first time. Naturally, no cast members have been confirmed yet, but you may recall that fans first learned about theStar Wars: The Force Awakenscast through a photo taken at the table read, so perhaps that tradition could be started once again forStar Wars 9.
Even though the movie is more than two years out,Star Wars: Episode IXalready has some competition in its new release date. Warner Bros. has set itsMinecraftadaptation for release on that date, while Universal has also set their untitledDoctor Dolittleproject, starring Robert Downey Jr., in that slot. Still, don’t be surprised if both of these movies eventually vacate this date, which marks the start of Memorial Day weekend in 2019. This new release date could also mean thatStar WarsCelebration will be bumped up to an earlier date, since it traditionally takes place in mid-April. LucasFilm is skipping out on holding aStar Wars Celebrationthis year, with the convention returning in 2019, although an exact date and location hasn’t been given yet.
Earlier this month, a report surfaced that claimed director Colin Trevorrow would start production this summer, and while no cast members have been officially confirmed yet, LucasFilm did reveal that the late Carrie Fisher’s characterLeia Organa will not return. There had been rumors that the actress would be digitally re-created, after her untimely death in December, much like howPeter Cushingwas digitally re-created as Grand Moff Tarkin inRogue One: A Star Wars Story. While the studio rarely responds to press rumors, LucasFilm issued a definitive statement revealing that Carrie Fisher will not be featured inStar Wars 9. With production supposedly starting in a few months, hopefully we’ll have more official details soon. No one knows where theSkywalker sagawill end up, butEpisode 9promises to answer that question.
