With Star Wars 9 finally in theaters, the Skywalker saga has reached its conclusion. The story that George Lucas began more than four decades ago when Star Wars was first introduced to the world in 1977 is over. But it's a big galaxy with a great many tales to tell. While we may no longer be dealing with the Skywalkers on the big screen, Disney and Lucasfilm fully intend to keep the franchise going for years to come. So, what movies can we look forward to beyond Episode IX?

For now, that's a question that has loose answers. Lucasfilm has been fully focused on delivering Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. They've also been quite consumed with producing live-action TV shows for Disney+, such as The Mandalorian. In the immediate future, a galaxy far, far away will exist much more prominently on the small screen. But fear not, as the theatrical Star Wars experience isn't going away. Here's what's coming down the pipeline that we know of.

Mystery Star Wars Movie in December 2022

Not long ago, Disney revealed a trio of release dates for the next few Star Wars movies, coming our way. Lucasfilm has flags planted on December 16, 2022, December 20, 2024, and December 18, 2026. As for the 2022 date, it remains a mystery. Originally, the idea was to have that go to the first entry in the trilogy from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. However, Benioff and Weiss departed the trilogy, leaving a big vacancy to be filled. As such, the possibilities for 2022 are seemingly endless.

Mystery Star Wars Movie in December 2024

Presumably, this date would have originally gone to the second entry in the Benioff and Weiss trilogy. But with those plans scrapped, this date is wide open as well. Will it be the second installment of a new trilogy that we don't know about yet? Will Lucasfilm decide to go with more standalone Star Wars stories in the future? More questions than answers for now, but December 20, 2024, is reserved for Star Wars.

Mystery Star Wars Movie in December 2026

Again, the assumption before Benioff and Weiss departed the franchise was that these 2022, 2024 and 2026 dates would be set aside for their trilogy. It was largely expected that the trilogy would have taken things to the Old Republic era, thousands of years before the events that make up the Skywalker saga, possibly dealing with the formation of the Jedi and the Sith. Whether or not that's still on the table remains to be seen. December 18, 2026 rolls around, we should have a better idea of what to expect.

Kevin Feige's Star Wars Movie

Marvel head Kevin Feige was recently tapped to produce a Star Wars movie. Not to overstate things, but Feige is, quite literally, one of the most successful producers in Hollywood history. He has been at the very top of the food chain overseeing the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has ballooned to a $22 billion global box office behemoth. It's also important to note that Feige is a well-known, self-expressed Star Wars fan. Details on his movie remain under wraps, and there is no word currently on how soon it may come to fruition. Though, Kevin Feige's Star Wars movie has pretty much been ruled out for that 2022 date.

Rian Johnson's Star Wars Trilogy

Rian Johnson stepped in for J.J. Abrams to direct Episode IX, which we now know as The Last Jedi. Ahead of the movie's release, Lucasfilm had a great deal of confidence in what they had and announced that Johnson would be developing a new trilogy set apart from the Skywalker saga. Given the divisive nature of The Last Jedi, some have wondered whether or not this will actually come to pass. Johnson has maintained that he's still planning the trilogy, but hasn't firmed things up with Lucasfilm just yet. For now at least, this is still on the books. As for when it will happen, if it truly does happen? That remains to be seen. It seems that right now, no one knows what will happen with the Rian Johnson Star Wars trilogy.

Knights of the Old Republic Movie

While Benioff and Weiss were set to play around in the Old Republic, that's a rather large sandbox that could present many unique opportunities. Case in point, in May 2019 it was revealed in multiple reports that Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island, Alita: Battle Angel) had been tapped by Lucasfilm to pen a Knights of the Old Republic movie. It remains unclear whether this was to be connected to the Benioff and Weiss trilogy, but it's entirely possible this was a different project. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy was willing to confirm that they are developing something set within the Old Republic. KOTOR was originally released as a video game in 2003 and remains a truly beloved Star Wars tale that takes place roughly 4,000 years before the events of A New Hope. With any luck, this project will soldier on and make its way to the screen at some point.

Canceled Star Wars Movies

Just to wrap this up, it's worth going over a few of the projects that wound up on the scrap heap. Solo wound up being something of a commercial disappointment, which forced Lucasfilm to back away from standalone stories a bit. With that, the planned Boba Fett movie, which had James Mangold (Logan) attached to helm, has gone by the wayside. The studio also had plans for an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie, but that has since been repurposed as a series on Disney+, with Ewan McGregor set to return as the legendary Jedi. There were also rumors of a movie set at Mos Eisley, details of which remain scarce. We haven't heard even a whisper about that for some time, so it's fairly safe to assume that has been set aside as well.

One thing we know for sure is that Star Wars will be taking a break from the big screen following the release of Episode IX. This will give fans a chance to regroup and will give the studio a chance to sort out its plans. Who knows where that will take us? Maybe all of these projects will happen. Maybe none of them will. But rest assured, we haven't seen the last Star Wars movie. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now in theaters.