Star Wars fans seriously divided over new prequel

I recently touched upon my concern over the current state of the Star Wars franchise.

You see, Lucasfilm’s output is arguably better than it’s been in years and yet, the fandom is paying it a pittance.

The Acolyte was a breath of fresh air, leaving behind fan-service and rehashed storylines in favour of something engaging and new.

That’s since been usurped by the brilliant Skeleton Crew which is right up there as one of, in my opinion, the very best Star Wars releases.

And yet the series is failing to even place in the streaming charts. It’s generating no chatter - and we all know the unfortunate fate that befell the preceding The Acolyte.

I can’t understand why so many are looking the other way when the franchise is finally delivering something this good.

I’m concerned that it sends a message; a message that suggests that the familiar, fan-service heavy projects are what we want.

It’s certainly not what I want, but my faith in the franchise’s future isn’t quite lost just yet.

This year, filming will commence on a brand new film in the series and it’s yet another project that’s set to tread new ground.

ICYMI: We sat down with the cast and creatives of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

You may recall that at Star Wars Celebration in April of 2023, it was revealed that James Mangold would be directing a film centring around the origins of the Jedi.

The Hollywood Reporter stated that the film would be called Dawn of the Jedi (although the name remains unspecified by Disney), exploring how the very first Jedi came to be discovered.

The origin of The Force is also believed to feature. Hello midichlorians.

Well, that film is reportedly set to commence filming this year as revealed by Mangold during the press tour for his current project Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.

When the press tour concludes, Mangold revealed to Empire (via ScreenRant), shooting will begin on the next Star Wars film.

The script has been co-written by Mangold and Beau Willimon, the latter known for his work on Andor and House of Cards.

Mangold has an interesting filmography. The aforementioned A Complete Unknown is generating plenty of critical acclaim, as did prior projects Ford v Ferrari and Walk The Line.

The director was also responsible, however, for Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, a film which left many feeling a tad underwhelmed.

Even if filming is to commence this year, the so-called Dawn of the Jedi film won’t likely be ready for release until 2026 or 2027.

Fans are doubtful it’ll even hit that window, with some unbothered either way.

“I’ll believe when there is a trailer or actual day one of shooting,” wrote Reddit user Tekashi-The-Envoy.

“It’s quite wild how little I care, compared to how much I liked Star Wars once,” added TheMoogster.

Well I hope it delivers and that Star Wars fans actually pay attention if it does.