There's No Way This Star Wars Film Isn't Going To Move

Star Wars’ upcoming movie, rumored to be titled Star Wars: New Jedi Order, may have a serious release date conflict, almost guaranteeing the movie’s date will need to move. Star Wars is well-known for keeping its secrets heavily under wraps, and the current lineup of upcoming Star Wars movies is no exception. While The Mandalorian & Grogu movie has a confirmed release date of May 22, 2026, Lucasfilm has yet to announce when New Jedi Order will premiere.

However, Lucasfilm has also booked December 18, 2026, and December 17, 2027, for movie release dates. Considering recent updates on New Jedi Order, it’s likely Rey’s new movie will claim the first spot. Unfortunately, Star Wars may need to bump this date further back, as New Jedi Order might have some very tough competition.

Star Wars’ December 2026 Movie Now Has Some Serious Competition

Warner Bros. has officially announced that Denis Villeneuve’s next movie will be released on December 18, 2026, the very day Star Wars’ upcoming movie is slated to debut. Villeneuve is a Canadian filmmaker arguably best known for Dune and its sequel Dune: Part Two, both of which were very successful. Like Star Wars, neither Warner Bros. nor Denis Villeneuve has confirmed what the project is. However, many believe this yet unnamed project will be Dune: Part Three.

If that is the case, Star Wars will have a tough hill to climb to win out at the box office. While New Jedi Order and other upcoming Star Wars projects are highly anticipated, the Dune franchise has become massively popular, and it isn’t suffering from the same intense backlash, controversy, and review bombing Star Wars has experienced for years. This is especially true if Star Wars’ December 18, 2026, movie is indeed New Jedi Order.

Star Wars Would Be Wise To Move Their Film

If Star Wars’ December 18, 2026, release date is truly meant for New Jedi Order, which is only speculative at this point, then pushing the release date back would likely be the wisest choice for the franchise. Yes, New Jedi Order is a highly-anticipated upcoming release, but it will also struggle with residual negativity from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which faced significant criticism. In fact, Star Wars continues to experience harsh backlash, and New Jedi Order, set 15 years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, will undoubtedly be an even bigger target.

Even if this movie isn’t New Jedi Order, a move would be wise. In fact, pushing this release date back by even one month would mean the movie premiering in 2027, the 50th anniversary of the original Star Wars movie. While the franchise is unlikely to entirely escape the negativity it has experienced in recent years, this would make for a more celebratory release date. Indeed, based on the announcement of Denis Villeneuve’s next movie, it might be best for Star Wars to move Star Wars: New Jedi Order—or any other upcoming movie—away from December 18, 2026.

Star Wars: New Jedi Order

The tenth mainline installment in the Star Wars franchise is the first movie to follow the sequel trilogy, where Mark Hamill’s Luke, Carrie Fisher’s Leia, and Harrison Ford’s Han Solo gave their final farewell. After the release of The Rise of Skywalker, development on a direct sequel had become dormant as Disney shifted focus on other parts of the galaxy, namely, Disney+ shows such as The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka. However, a movie starring Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023.

Director

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

Writers

Steven Knight

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