Dave Filoni’s Star Wars Epic Delayed: Skeleton Crew Heroes Were Set to Return
Dave Filoni’s much-anticipated Star Wars film has been put on ice, but it promised a bold crossover with characters from Skeleton Crew, The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and more. Find out what’s next for the galaxy.
Plans for Dave Filoni’s next foray into the Star Wars universe have hit the brakes, with the project now relegated to the studio’s back pocket. The film, which first made waves at the 2023 Star Wars Celebration, was shaping up to be a grand ensemble piece, uniting not only the familiar faces from The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka, but also the newer adventurers introduced in 2024’s Skeleton Crew. The prospect of these disparate heroes joining forces against the formidable Grand Admiral Thrawn had fans speculating wildly, but for now, the wait continues.
Filoni, who has recently stepped up as co-president of Lucasfilm alongside Lynwen Brennan, had been quietly developing the script while also penning the second series of Ahsoka. The timeline for the untitled film was set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, a period ripe for intrigue and shifting allegiances.
“Because I’ve been writing Ahsoka season 2, things have clicked, and I have a much better idea about where things are going to go,”
he remarked in 2024, hinting at a clearer creative vision.
“I will say, I have an opening I really like quite a bit, I’m very excited about it for that picture. I’m excited about the potential of just doing it.”
Changing of the Guard at Lucasfilm
The leadership shuffle at Lucasfilm has been notable, with Filoni and Brennan taking the reins from Kathleen Kennedy, who had steered the ship since Disney’s acquisition in 2012. This transition marks a new chapter for the studio, though the immediate focus appears to be elsewhere. The Mandalorian and Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau, is next up for a cinematic release, followed by Star Wars: Starfighter, a fresh story featuring a cast led by Ryan Gosling, Matt Smith, and Mia Goth. The former continues the saga of the beloved Disney Plus series, while the latter promises an entirely new adventure in the galaxy far, far away.
What Could Have Been: A Star Wars Crossover Event
Had Filoni’s film moved forward as planned, audiences would have witnessed a rare convergence of storylines. The inclusion of Skeleton Crew’s cast alongside established icons from the Mando-verse was set to deliver a spectacle of alliances and rivalries, all pitted against Thrawn’s calculated menace. The anticipation for such a crossover had been building steadily, with fans eager to see how these threads might intertwine on the big screen.
For now, the spotlight shifts to the upcoming releases, with The Mandalorian and Grogu arriving in cinemas on 22 May, and Star Wars: Starfighter following on 28 May 2027. As for Filoni’s ambitious crossover, it remains in the wings, its fate uncertain but its potential undiminished.