Star Wars had a somewhat difficult year in 2024 for a multitude of reasons, and these 10 news – good and bad – represent the most significant for the franchise that year. Star Wars movies and TV shows are in a holding pattern at the moment, it seems. There are a number of upcoming Star Wars films that have been announced, but whether they actually come to fruition seems to be another question.
Star Wars The upcoming TV shows are perhaps even more worrying, as there are currently only two confirmed: Andor 2nd season and Ahsoka season 2. Certainly, with Star Wars Celebration taking place in April 2025 (and after no Star Wars Celebration in 2024), big announcements will come after this relatively quiet year. However, these 10 Star Wars 2024 news represents the franchise's biggest updates of the year.
The Mandalorian & Grogu has been announced (and now production is complete)
The next Star Wars film is scheduled for 2026
Probably the biggest news of the year came in January, when Star Wars announced the next film in the franchise: The Mandalorian and Grogu. This was a truly shocking announcement, both because Star Wars hasn't released a film since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019 and why that meant fan favorite Star Wars show The Mandalorian was making the jump to the big screen - the first Star Wars show to do this. Given The Mandalorian is widely considered one of the Star Wars best TV shows, certainly deserves the honor.
Even more surprising, at the end of the year, Star Wars had also announced that the film production already wrapped. The Mandalorian and Grogu is therefore presumably on schedule for its May 22, 2026 release date. Details about The Mandalorian and Grogu They're still few and far between, but that's par for the course in a franchise that's known for secrets and big twists.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is therefore presumably on schedule for its May 22, 2026 release date.
Ahsoka season 2 has been confirmed to be underway
Ahsoka Season 2 Is One of Only Two Upcoming Star Wars Shows Confirmed
As mentioned, Star Wars currently there are only 2 announced shows, one of which is Ahsoka season 2. This news came at the same time Star Wars announced The Mandalorian and Groguand although there is always fanfare around a new Star Wars film, the announcement that Ahsoka the second season is coming was also very exciting. Not only did Ahsoka season 1 features some of the Star Wars best characters, including Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, but also, the Ahsoka the ending left a number of exciting story possibilities on the table.
At the end of Ahsoka season 1, Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn were returning to the main Star Wars galaxy while Shin Hati, Baylan Skoll, Sabine Wren, and Ahsoka herself were still on Peridea. Excitingly, Anakin Skywalker was also on Peridea as a Force ghost, suggesting he could return in Season 2 as well. Ahsoka Season 2 is expected to begin filming in the summer of 2025, so hopefully more updates will come soon.
Carl Weathers has sadly passed away
Star Wars and the rest of cinema lost a star
Star Wars had several devastating losses in 2024, the first of which was the death of Carl Weathers, who played Greef Karga in The Mandalorian. Weathers was a wonderful part of the show, with Karga and Din Djarin proving to have a very interesting dynamic that (heartbreakingly) resulted in Karga giving Din Djarin and Grogu their own little house after Din adopted Grogu. It was also clear that Weathers had a deep adoration for this character and for Star Warswhich had long been a bright spot in the franchise.
Of course, Carl Weathers is probably best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky filmswhich have become cult classics. Even outside of their roles in Rocky and Star WarsCarl Weathers was a true star. His loss was felt throughout the film industry and far beyond.
Hayden Christensen helped Darth Vader take control of the Empire State Building
New York celebrated Star Wars in the best way
In March of this year, Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen participated in Darth Vader's takeover of the Empire State Building. The event saw Christensen alongside Darth Vader and several stormtroopers to flip a switch and turn the Empire State Building's lights red. The 'acquisition' also included a showcase, a LEGO Star Wars exhibit and an absolutely massive Darth Vader Funko Pop.
This acquisition also made it clear once again that if Hayden Christensen has a next Star Wars project or not, he has the pleasure of participating in various events related to the franchise and representing Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Christensen's continued willingness to do so and his clear love for the franchise certainly contribute to how beloved he has become in the franchise. Hopefully, though, he'll return soon in a new project, whether that's Ahsoka Season 2 or something else.
Tales of the Jedi became tales of the Empire
This program announcement shocked everyone
Star Wars was full of surprises this year, including the revelation that instead of Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi 2nd season, Star Wars was launching Star Wars: Tales of the Empire. The news came a few months before the show's debut and was very reminiscent of the surprise that The Mandalorian and Grogu was being announced when The Mandalorian season 4 was expected. But this turned out to be a brilliant change, as Tales of the Empire provided some fascinating new stories.
As Tales of the Jedi, Tales of the Empire followed two distinct three-episode character arcs. In Tales of the Jediwhich included Count Dooku and Ahsoka Tano, and Tales of the Empire followed fallen Jedi Barriss Offee and Dathomir Morgan Elsbeth's Nightsister. This was particularly exciting in the case of Barriss Offee, as she had not been seen in Star Wars ever since she tried to frame Ahsoka for a murder she committed (and almost succeeded). It now remains to be seen whether Tales of the Jedi season two is coming, but it certainly doesn't seem out of the question.
Star Wars announced that Darth Jar Jar was coming to screens
This was the news that some Star Wars audiences had been waiting for a long time
Although I was not part Star Wars canon, LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy it was one of the best Star Wars releases of the year. Like many LEGO shows and movies, Rebuild the Galaxy took the opportunity to play with stories and characters in completely unconventional ways. In Rebuild the Galaxythis included bringing Darth Jar Jar into the Star Wars screen for the first time.
In addition to making some Star Wars viewers' dreams come true with Darth Jar Jar - even though it's not canon -Rebuild the Galaxy I had a lot of fun incorporating surfer Luke, Darth Rey and the Ewok bounty hunters into the miniseries. The series also took some well-intentioned jabs at Star Warsespecially the sequel trilogy. Perhaps most notable among them was Luke's joke about using the Force so hard that he died, which was made all the better because in Rebuild the GalaxyLuke was voiced by Mark Hamill himself.
Acolyte's divisive reception led to the show's cancellation
Unfortunately, the Acolyte never really stood a chance
One of the most turbulent periods for Star Wars this year was throughout the launch of The Acolyte. While the show brought a number of entirely new ideas, characters, and stories to the franchise, it also proved to be incredibly controversial. Sometimes controversy and backlash The Acolyte was downright shocking, especially when it came to the online vitriol directed at the show's actors and creators. Unfortunately, what appears to have been a concerted effort to ruin the show worked, as The Acolyte the cancellation was confirmed shortly after the final episode aired.
There remains some hope that the show's fate could change or at least take a different shape. Manny Jacinto, who played Qimir/the Stranger in The Acolyteis among the guests at Star Wars Celebration 2025, leading many to wonder if there are big Acolyte news coming to the event. It's unlikely Star Wars would reverse the cancellation (although that's not impossible), but that doesn't mean there couldn't be a spin-off in the works or some other continuation of The Acolyte history.
Star Wars legend James Earl Jones has died
Star Wars suffered another major loss this year
Another big loss this year was the death of the legendary James Earl Joneswho was the voice of Darth Vader from the beginning in 1977. In that sense, James Earl Jones really helped shape Star Wars in what it is today. Of A New Hope onwards, Darth Vader's booming voice and iconic lines have been some of the most referenced in the entire franchise, both in popular culture and beyond.
Of course, James Earl Jones also had several other iconic roles throughout his life. Mufasa from the 1994 Disney film The Lion King it was yet another legendary role that James Earl Jones played. This, alongside Darth Vader, was heavily referenced in tributes to the late star on social media and in various media outlets. As Star Wars progress, the passing of James Earl Jones will undoubtedly continue to be felt.
Ewan McGregor received his Hollywood star
This momentous occasion brought Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen together again
This year, Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor received his Hollywood star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He certainly deserved this honor, as his many Star Wars appearances are just a few of the many incredible performances McGregor has put on over the years. Among McGregor's other best films are The Impossible, Train locationand Moulin Rouge!
The Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony was also enchanting for Star Wars fans, as the event brought together Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor once again. Christensen even gave a very moving speech about the time he spent working with McGregor on Star Wars and the pair's real-life friendship. Hopefully this won't be the last time the two meet, as there is plenty of evidence that Christensen and McGregor are getting back together. Star Wars. This could even be among the announcements that will be made during Star Wars Celebration 2025.
Rey Skywalker's Future Looks More Confusing Than Ever
The new Star Wars trilogy has thrown Rey's future into question
Until recently, Rey's next film Star Wars film, supposedly titled Star Wars: New Jedi Orderit seemed almost guaranteed to come. Daisy Ridley often talked about how excited she was to get started on the project, even though she hadn't yet seen the script and there was no indication from Lucasfilm that the film had been delayed or canceled. However, this year's announcement that Simon Kinberg was leading a new Star Wars the trilogy has thrown this into question, especially as Rey will evidently have an 'Obi-Wan Kenobi role' in these films.
Lucasfilm has yet to make any sort of statement about the fate of the Rey film, which could mean that the film will somehow connect to the upcoming trilogy rather than be replaced by it. However, Rey Skywalker's future in Star Wars feels very uncertain, although it is clear that she will play some kind of role in the future. Although 2024 was a bit of a difficult year for Star WarsThe franchise has had a number of major announcements and clearly more are coming in 2025.