Dave Filoni Lays Out His Vision for Star Wars’ Future

Dave Filoni has been telling Star Wars stories for two decades. Now he’s in charge of them. And with The Mandalorian and Grogu arriving in theaters on May 22 — the franchise’s first big-screen outing since The Rise of Skywalker landed to mixed reviews back in 2019 — the newly minted Lucasfilm president is finally starting to sketch out what the galaxy far, far away looks like under his watch.

In a new interview with Collider, Filoni was asked directly about how many films and shows he envisions putting out each year. His answer was characteristically measured — but there was real substance underneath it.

“For me right now, rather than dealing with hard numbers like that, I’m just looking at the stories and the potential and planning what I’d like to do,” Filoni said. “I believe in having an overarching idea and then saying, ‘Okay, it’s this many of that, and then we can have that.’ There are certain things that have been in motion already that, obviously, I want to continue. Jon [Favreau] and I have had a great partnership for many years now, telling stories. So, I look at the stories that I’m kind of planning and architecting, and I look at other creative talents that bring us, also, great stories, and I just try to find a way to make them all work.”

It’s a pointed contrast to how things operated during the Disney era’s most chaotic stretch, when Star Wars films were hitting theaters annually from 2015 through 2019 — a pace that ultimately burned out audiences and left a trail of cancelled projects in its wake. For every film that made it to screens, several more quietly died in development. Filoni’s philosophy seems to be: fewer promises, better stories.

What’s Actually Coming — and When

The Mandalorian and Grogu, which Filoni co-wrote and produced alongside director Jon Favreau, is the first piece of that puzzle. After that, Ahsoka Season 2 is set for early 2027 on Disney+, followed in May 2027 by Star Wars: Starfighter — a standalone film directed by Shawn Levy with a stacked ensemble that includes Ryan Gosling, Aaron Pierre, Amy Adams, Mia Goth, and Matt Smith. Filoni was effusive about that one: “Shawn Levy did a great job with Starfighter. So there’s a lot.”

On the animation side, Maul – Shadow Lord — which Filoni wrote and created — just wrapped its first season on Disney+ and has already been renewed for Season 2. Voice actor Sam Witwer has confirmed the team had been working on that second season for some time. “There’s a lot on my plate which is exciting, not just in live-action but animation, like Maul, which has been very fun, and they’re driving forward,” Filoni said.

He also teased a re-release of Episode IV: A New Hope as part of the broader celebration ahead. “And the re-release of Episode IV. There’s so much exciting stuff coming for Star Wars fans.”

The Bigger Picture: Sequels, Trilogies, and Loose Threads

When Filoni says “there are certain things that have been in motion already that I want to continue,” the fan community has plenty of material to read into. A trilogy conceived by Simon Kinberg is widely rumored to become Episodes X, XI, and XII, and may incorporate the Rey Skywalker sequel that director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy had been developing. James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” origin film, Taika Waititi’s long-gestating project, and a Lando Calrissian spin-off from Donald Glover are all still technically on the table — though their statuses remain genuinely unclear.

What reads loudest in Filoni’s quote, though, is the Favreau partnership. The two have built the modern era of Star Wars storytelling together — from The Mandalorian‘s breakout debut through The Book of Boba Fett and beyond. The suggestion that their collaborative work will continue strongly implies the Mando and Grogu story isn’t ending with this film.

Filoni himself was previously announced as the director of an untitled film that would tie together the events of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett — essentially a theatrical culmination of the interconnected Mandalorian-verse saga he’s been building for years. With Ahsoka Season 2 still in production, the timeline for that project remains open.

Filoni Isn’t Going Anywhere Creatively

One thing he was unambiguous about: taking the president title doesn’t mean stepping back from the actual work. Between Maul – Shadow Lord, Ahsoka Season 2, and overseeing productions like Starfighter, Filoni is still very much in the trenches as a creator.

“Fans have known me now for 20 years and that I’ve worked with and told Star Wars stories, so I think they have a good idea of what to expect,” he said. “I’ve so far really enjoyed collaborating with everybody, and we are well on our way. The future’s in motion now, so it’s exciting.”

The man who gave the world Ahsoka Tano — now one of the most beloved characters in the entire franchise — is now the one holding the keys to all of it. The clearest next signal of where things are headed will likely come at D23 Expo in August, or at Star Wars Celebration in April 2027. But for now, the galaxy has a new architect. And he sounds like he knows exactly what he wants to build.