Summary
Disney's pressure on Lucasfilm led to the announcement of Star Wars projects before they were ready, resulting in instability and cancellations.
A few projects have been successfully completed, while others have been scrapped or postponed owing to development challenges. The impetus to announce these projects was driven by higher-ups at Disney, resulting in Lucasfilm encountering difficulties and a phase of uncertainty within the Star Wars franchise.
Disney's largest franchises, including Star Wars, were allegedly pressured to make premature project announcements by the conglomerate. During Disney's Investor Day 2020, Kathleen Kennedy revealed a lineup of upcoming Star Wars TV shows and movies which included Rangers of the New Republic, Ahsoka, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Visions, Lando, The Acolyte, Star Wars: A Droid Story, and Rogue Squadron.
According to the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, & Gavin Edwards, these announcements were made despite the projects not being ready or even in development, as claimed by the publication.
Disney's demand for Lucasfilm and Kennedy to unveil numerous projects has caused instability in the recent Star Wars franchise. The frequent alterations to the movie release schedule and the significant changes to various Disney+ shows demonstrate this instability. The pressure exerted by Disney on Lucasfilm adequately explains the situation.
Lucasfilm Has Delivered Most Of The 2020 Announcements... But Not All
Despite the pressure exerted by Disney, Lucasfilm has managed to deliver some of the projects that were announced in 2020. Ahsoka, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Star Wars: Visions have all been released on Disney+ with minimal issues. The Acolyte is also expected to follow suit with a release date set for 2024. However, there are still several projects on the list that have not been released yet and, in certain cases, they have either been canceled or put on hold indefinitely. The Lando series is one such project that has faced various development challenges.
Although the show is reportedly still in progress, Donald Glover and his brother Stephen have taken over as the writers, replacing Justin Simien in July 2023. On the other hand, Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron has been completely canceled, and there has been no further mention of Star Wars: A Droid Story since its initial announcement. Rangers of the New Republic has also been canceled, but some elements of its story have been incorporated into The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. These instances demonstrate that Lucasfilm may not have been fully prepared to announce some of these projects, with pressure from the top of the Disney hierarchy leading to a period of uncertainty for Star Wars.
Source: MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios
