Din Djarin and his little green friend have officially brought Star Wars back to movie theaters. Yes, The Mandalorian and Grogu has arrived on the big screen and in quite the case of irony, it features the two biggest success stories of the franchise's small screen era.
Longtime fans know that Star Wars made itself at home on Disney Plus over the past seven years, largely due to the success of The Mandalorian, which spawned three seasons, multiple spinoffs, and other unrelated Star Wars shows. But with Lucasfilm now pivoting back to the movies - and very few Star Wars shows left - the future of that franchise set in the galaxy so far, far away seems somewhat unclear right now.
The good news is that it isn't completely unclear, as there are multiple projects from the franchise still on the horizon. Better yet, one of them is directly related to Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau's Mando-Verse.
Ahsoka season 2
Release window: Early 2027
The next chapter in Star Wars' Mando-Verse comes from the long-awaited second season of Ahsoka. Rosario Dawson returns as the beloved character after nearly four years to deliver what is sure to be yet another memorable outing from the Jedi Knight who made her first live-action appearance in The Mandalorian. And considering that this is the last live-action Star Wars Disney Plus series in development at the moment, you can rest assured that fans are eager to consume what might be the final chapter in the franchise's Disney Plus era.
Ahsoka Tano was a beloved part of Star Wars lore before Dawson brought her to life but her popularity has only skyrocketed since. We hope that the character has many more appearances on the horizon but as Ahsoka season 2 is the last confirmed one for the moment, we're all ready to see where her story goes next. To say that her return is long overdue at this point would be an understatement.
Star Wars: Starfighter
Release date: May 28, 2027
The next big screen installment for the franchise comes from the heavily-anticipated Star Wars: Starfighter. Unlike The Mandalorian and Grogu, there is no "source material" - if you will - to go on here as this is a brand new standalone story from the legendary film series, exploring a Starfighter pilot who attempts to rescue a young boy sought after by evildoers. It's also uncharted territory as it is set five years after Rise of the Skywalker, meaning that it officially serves as a sequel to the Skywalker Saga - giving us an idea of what the universe looks like after all of that.
Ryan Gosling continues the hot streak of his career after Barbie and Project Hail Mary, starring as the titular pilot, while Flynn Gray plays the boy he must protect. Star Wars: Starfighter also features an incredibly star-studded supporting cast, consisting of Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams.
Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi
Release window: 2026
Although Star Wars: Visions wrapped up in 2025 with its third and final season, the anthology animated series is offering up a gift to fans set in one of its most vivid universes. Yes, the upcoming Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi is a spinoff that seeks to expand the world created in the season 1 episode "The Ninth Jedi" as well as the season 3 sequel "The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope".
Like most Visions stories, Lah Kara's world is set in an alternate universe. That means that some of the Star Wars events are canon and some of them aren't. Her specific story takes place after the Jedi Order has collapsed to such an extent that the Jedi Knights are considered myths. She, an untrained Force warrior, who is also an exceptionally skilled Starfighter and swordfighter. But her legend takes form over the course of her two episodes; needless to say, fans are ready to spend more time with her and this particular world in her upcoming standalone series.
Although an official release date has yet to be confirmed, Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi is coming to Disney Plus in 2026 - making it the third Star Wars release of the year.
Maul – Shadow Lord season 2
Release window: Expected 2027
It's hard to argue with the success of The Mandalorian and Grogu but we might be bold and call Maul – Shadow Lord the biggest success story of the year. A spinoff of The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, the animated series brings back one of the franchise's most fearsome - and yet underrated antagonists - for a starring role we didn't know we needed from him. The result was a critical and commercial marvel.
The show was renewed for a second season ahead of its premiere so Lucasfilm and Disney Plus had high expectations. I think it's safe to say that it managed to exceed even their hopes as it debuted with a stunning 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (making it the "best-reviewed" Star Wars project of all time by that metric - and spent the vast majority of its run at the top of Disney Plus' daily Top 10 charts, fending off formidable competition from even Marvel Studios' Daredevil: Born Again.
Maul is expected to return next year but an official release date has yet to be confirmed.
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