Star Warshad a bit of a difficult year in 2024 for myriad reasons, and these 10 news stories—good and bad—represent the franchise’s most significant from the year.Star Warsmovies and TV showsare in a bit of a holding pattern at present, it seems. There are a number ofupcomingStar Warsmoviesthat have been announced, but whether they will really come to fruition feels like another question entirely.
Star Wars’upcoming TV showsare perhaps even more concerning, as, currently, there are only two that are confirmed:Andorseason 2 andAhsokaseason 2. Surely, with Star Wars Celebration taking place in April 2025 (and after no Star Wars Celebration in 2024), major announcements will be coming following this relatively quiet year. Nevertheless,these 10Star Warsnews stories from 2024 represent the most major updates in the franchise from the year.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Was Announced (& Is Now Finished Production)
Star Wars' Next Movie Is Slated For 2026
Arguably the biggest news from the year came in January, whenStar Warsannounced the franchise’s next movie:The Mandalorian & Grogu. This was a truly shocking announcement, both becauseStar Warshasn’t released a movie sinceStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerin 2019 and because this meant fan-favoriteStar WarsshowThe Mandalorianwas making the jump to the big screen—the firstStar Warsshow to do so. GivenThe Mandalorianis largely considered one ofStar Wars’best TV shows, it certainly deserves the honor.
Even more surprising, by the end of the year,Star Warshad also announced thatthe moviealready wrapped production.The Mandalorian & Groguis therefore presumably right on schedule for its August 14, 2025, release date.Details aboutThe Mandalorian & Groguare still coming somewhat few and far between, but that is standard in a franchise that is known for secrets and major twists.
The Mandalorian & Groguis therefore presumably right on schedule for its July 16, 2025, release date.
Ahsoka Season 2 Was Confirmed To Be In The Works
Ahsoka Season 2 Is One Of Only 2 Confirmed Upcoming Star Wars Shows
As mentioned,Star Warscurrently has just 2 upcoming shows announced, one of them beingAhsokaseason 2. This news came at the same timeStar WarsannouncedThe Mandalorian & Grogu, and while there’s always going to be fanfare around a brand-newStar Warsmovie, the announcement thatAhsokaseason 2 is coming was plenty exciting, too. Not only didAhsokaseason 1 feature some ofStar Wars’best characters, among them Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, but also,theAhsokaendingleft a number of thrilling story possibilities on the table.
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At the end ofAhsokaseason 1, Ezra Bridger andGrand Admiral Thrawnwere headed back to the mainStar Warsgalaxy while Shin Hati, Baylan Skoll, Sabine Wren, and Ahsoka herself were all still on Peridea. Thrillingly,Anakin Skywalker was also on Peridea as a Force ghost, suggesting he could return in season 2 as well.Ahsokaseason 2 is expected to begin filming in the summer of 2025, so hopefully, more updates will be coming soon.
Carl Weathers Sadly Passed Away
Star Wars And The Rest Of Cinema Lost A Star
Star Warshad multiple devastating losses in 2024, the first of which was the death of Carl Weathers, who played Greef Karga inThe Mandalorian. Weathers had been a wonderful part of the show, with Karga and Din Djarin proving to have a very interesting dynamic that (touchingly) resulted in Karga giving Din Djarin and Grogu their own little home after Din adopted Grogu. It was also clear that Weathers had a deep adoration for this character and forStar Wars, which had long been a bright spot in the franchise.
Of course,Carl Weathers is likely best known for his role as Apollo Creed in theRockymovies, which have become cult classics. Even outside his roles inRockyandStar Wars, Carl Weathers was a true star. His loss was felt throughout the cinema industry and far beyond it.
Hayden Christensen Helped Darth Vader Take Over The Empire State Building
New York Celebrated Star Wars In The Best Way
In March of this year, Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen participated in Darth Vader’sEmpire State Building takeover. The event saw Christensen standing alongside Darth Vader and a number of stormtroopers to flip a switch and turn the lights of the Empire State Building red. The ‘takeover’ also included a window display, a LEGOStar Warsexhibit, and an absolutely massive Darth Vader Funko Pop.
This takeover also drove home yet again that, whether Hayden Christensen has an upcomingStar Warsproject or not, he is happy to participate in various events related to the franchise and represent Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Christensen’s continued willingness to do so, and his clear love for the franchise, certainly contribute to how beloved he has become in the franchise. Hopefully, though, he will indeed be returning in a new project soon, be itAhsokaseason 2 or something else.
Tales Of The Jedi Became Tales Of The Empire
This Show Announcement Shocked Everyone
Star Warswas full of surprises this year, among them the revelation thatrather thanStar Wars: Tales of the Jediseason 2,Star Warswas releasingStar Wars: Tales of the Empire. This news came just a few months before the show debuted, and it was very reminiscent of the surprise thatThe Mandalorian & Groguwas being announced whenThe Mandalorianseason 4 had been expected. This ended up being a brilliant change, though, asTales of the Empireprovided some fascinating new stories.
LikeTales of the Jedi,Tales of the Empirefollowed two distinct three-episode character arcs. InTales of the Jedi, that included Count Dooku and Ahsoka Tano, andTales of the Empirefollowed fallen Jedi Barriss Offee andNightsister of DathomirMorgan Elsbeth. This was particularly exciting in the case of Barriss Offee, as she hadn’t been seen inStar Warssince she tried to frame Ahsoka for a murder she committed (and nearly succeeded).It now remains to be seen whetherTales of the Jediseason 2 is ever coming, but it certainly doesn’t seem off the table.
Star Wars Announced Darth Jar Jar Was Coming To The Screen
Although it wasn’t part ofStar Warscanon,LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxywas one of the bestStar Warsreleases of the year. Like many LEGO shows and movies,Rebuild the Galaxytook advantage of the opportunity to play around with stories and characters in entirely unconventional ways. InRebuild the Galaxy, this thrillingly included bringing Darth Jar Jar to theStar Warsscreen for the very first time.
In addition to making someStar Warsviewers' dreams come true with Darth Jar Jar—even if it wasn’t canonical—Rebuild the Galaxyhad plenty of fun incorporating surfer Luke, Darth Rey, and Ewok bounty hunters into the miniseries. The series also took some well-meaning jabs atStar Wars, especially the sequel trilogy. Perhaps most notable among them was Luke’s joke about using the Force so hard he died, which was made all the better because, inRebuild the Galaxy, Luke was voiced by Mark Hamill himself.
The Acolyte’s Divisive Reception Led To The Show’s Cancelation
One of the most turbulent periods forStar Warsthis year was throughout the release ofThe Acolyte. Although the show brought a number of brand-new ideas, characters, and storylines to the franchise, it also proved to be incredibly divisive. At times,the controversy and backlash toThe Acolytewas downright jarring, especially when it came to the online vitriol targeted at the show’s actors and creators. Sadly, what seems to have been a concerted effort to ruin the show worked, asThe Acolyte’scancelation was confirmed very soon after the final episode aired.
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Some hope remains that the show’s fate could change or at least take a different shape. Manny Jacinto, who played Qimir/the Stranger inThe Acolyte, is among the guests at Star Wars Celebration 2025, leading many to wonder if there is majorAcolytenews coming at the event. It’s unlikelyStar Warswould reverse the cancelation (although that’s not impossible), but that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be a spin-off show in the works or some other continuation ofThe Acolyte’sstory.
Star Wars Legend James Earl Jones Died
Star Wars Suffered Another Major Loss This Year
Another massive loss this year was the death of the legendary James Earl Jones, who had been the voice of Darth Vader since the very beginning, in 1977. In that sense, James Earl Jones had truly helped to shapeStar Warsinto what it is today. FromA New Hopeon, Darth Vader’s booming voice and iconic lines were some of the most heavily referenced in the whole franchise, both in popular culture and outside it.
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Of course, James Earl Jones had a number of other iconic roles throughout his life as well. Mufasa from Disney’s 1994 movieThe Lion Kingwas yet another legendary part that James Earl Jones had played. This, alongside Darth Vader, was heavily referenced in tributes to the late star across social media and various news outlets.AsStar Warsmoves forward, James Earl Jones' passing will undoubtedly continue to be felt.
Ewan McGregor Received His Hollywood Star
This Momentous Occasion Brought Ewan McGregor And Hayden Christensen Together Again
This year, Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor received his Hollywood star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He certainly deserved this honor, as his variousStar Warsappearances are just some of the many incredible performances McGregor has delivered over the years. Among McGregor’s other best movies areThe Impossible,Trainspotting, andMoulin Rouge!
The Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony was also delightful forStar Warsfans, as the event brought Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor together once again. Christensen even delivered a very touching speech about his time working with McGregor onStar Warsand the pair’s real-life friendship. Hopefully, this will not be the last time the two come together, as there has been plenty ofevidence that Christensen and McGregor are returning toStar Wars. This could even be among the announcements coming during Star Wars Celebration 2025.
The Future Of Rey Skywalker Seems More Confusing Than Ever
Star Wars' New Trilogy Has Called Rey’s Future Into Question
Up until recently, Rey’s upcomingStar Warsmovie, rumored to be titledStar Wars: New Jedi Order, seemed all but guaranteed to be coming. Daisy Ridley had consistently spoken about how excited she was to begin the project, although she had yet to see a script, and there was no indication from Lucasfilm that the movie had been delayed or canceled. Yet, the announcement this year that Simon Kinberg was leading a newStar Warstrilogy has thrown that into question, especially because Rey will evidently have an ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi role’ in those movies.
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Lucasfilm still has yet to make any sort of statement regarding the fate of Rey’s movie, which may mean that movie will somehow connect to the upcoming trilogy rather than be replaced by it. However, Rey Skywalker’s future inStar Warsfeels very uncertain, even as it’s clear she will play some sort of role moving forward. While 2024 was a bit of a rocky year forStar Wars, the franchise did have a number of key announcements, and, clearly, more will be coming in 2025.
