The Star Wars franchise is in the midst of an exciting year of 2023. After The Bad Batch concluded its second season in late March, The Mandalorian season 3 is now full steam ahead. There are also other Mando-Verse shows, such as Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew, on the horizon and are set to release at some point later this calendar year.
Also exciting are the rumors of a new Star Wars film coming in 2025. Disney had set aside a December 2025 release date for a galaxy far, far away, but enough dates have come and gone for fans of the franchise to understand that a film being given a release window doesn’t necessarily mean that it will get made within that time. These rumors about the 2025 film all come from reliable sources, namely writers and directors working on the project, including Damon Lindelof and Steven Knight. There have even been hints that it could be officially announced at Star Wars Celebration in London this April. It seems that along with a potential movie reveal, Celebration 2023 could be full of news for Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, The Acolyte, and more.
If the 2025 film is to be announced at Celebration next week, it appears likely that details on the story and casting could also come with it. The same outlets that discussed a Star Wars movie in active development also suggested that the project would be set after The Rise of Skywalker and could even feature some sequel trilogy characters. Daisy Ridley’s visit to Lucasfilm earlier this year could also be used as evidence to suggest that Rey Skywalker is one of these heroes that could be announced at Celebration as a part of this new film. If that’s the case, Ridley is sure to receive a rapturous reception.
There is also The Acolyte, a TV series that is currently filming and set in the High Republic era. Leaked set photos have been the only real glimpse at this new show so far, but that is likely to change at Celebration. The crew is far enough into filming to have enough footage to put together a trailer, something that seems likely to release at the convention. Last year, for example, a brief teaser trailer for Ahsoka was shown at Celebration in Anaheim, and that series wasn’t as far along in production at that stage as The Acolyte is. The fact that the new show features an all-new cast of characters could also suggest that a trailer is imminent at Celebration. Disney and Lucasfilm might want to get a head start on the marketing campaign in order to properly attract viewers to the project and the story.
Celebration is also set to include some Mando-Verse reveals and announcements. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s mini universe of sorts, set in between Episodes VI and VII, is ever-expanding as the story continues to grow in size and scale. The addition of spin-off shows confirms this much, and these projects could be featured in the news reveal section of Celebration 2023. Ahsoka will be the next live action show after The Mandalorian, so a full trailer released to the public seems inevitable at this point, especially considering Lucasfilm and Disney’s previous marketing campaigns. Skeleton Crew is in the same boat as The Acolyte, with a new crew of heroes, so the studio could look to promote that show early as well.
The Mandalorian is arguably the center of the franchise right now, and it’s unique that season 3 is airing concurrently with the upcoming Celebration convention. Last year, Lucasfilm lined up the premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi with Celebration in order to host an impromptu premiere event at the convention. When Celebration 2023 begins, there will only be two episodes left of The Mandalorian season 3. Perhaps another red carpet event showing the last two episodes early to attendees could be in the cards.
There are a few other projects that have been announced, but look unlikely to receive any official update at the upcoming event. Rogue Squadron, Taika Waititi's film, and Rian Johnson's trilogy have all been revealed in the past, but updates on these projects have been few and far between ever since. Many speculate that Johnson's trilogy has been all but scrapped at this point, and the state of Patty Jenkins' movie doesn't look that much more promising. Outside of Star Wars, one project that is certain to be touched upon is Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which was featured at last year's event and could get a new trailer in April ahead of its summer 2023 release.
Lucasfilm has always gone out of their way to make Star Wars Celebration an incredibly special occasion for fans of the franchise, and 2023’s event is set to be no different. With possible trailers for Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte, along with a potential official announcement for the 2025 film, April looks set to be a big month of news and reveals for Star Wars.