Simon Farnaby and image of The Mandalorian and Grogu
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Wonka writer reveals brutal reason Lucasfilm pulled the plug on his Star Wars movie

The franchise is going through a major shakeup

Daisy Phillipson
10th August 2026, 14:25
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Lucasfilm has quietly scrapped a planned Star Wars movie, as the franchise continues to reconsider its future following The Mandalorian and Grogu’s disappointing box office run.

Much like the MCU and DCU, Star Wars can no longer guarantee huge turnouts for its big screen releases. Despite success with standalone shows like Andor, The Mandalorian and Grogu was the franchise’s first movie since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. 

When it finally landed this May, it made $345 million throughout its entire theatrical run. Against a $165 million budget, this means it failed to turn in a profit for Disney. 

Grogu and The Mandalorian
Credit: Disney

Earlier this year, Kathleen Kennedy announced she’d be stepping down from the role of Lucasfilm president, with Dave Filoni taking over. 

The plan is to move away from a streaming-heavy model and return to blockbuster theatrical releases, with a stronger focus on one big interconnected story.

Amid that shake-up, it was inevitable that not every project in the pipeline would survive, and this may have been true for a film from Simon Farnaby.

The actor and writer, who penned titles such as Paddington 2 and Wonka, spoke with Variety last week about how he received an offer from Disney and Lucasfilm for a movie concept. 

Farnaby was on writing duties while his collaborator Paul King was set to direct the film, which was a standalone story based on a robot. “We got distracted by that for a while,” he told the outlet. 

The cast of The Rise of Skywalker
Credit: Disney

The problem is that none of the key Star Wars characters are involved in the story. “They were like, ‘We really need it to be a Star Wars movie,’ which is probably why it didn’t get turned into a Star Wars movie! But we never really nailed it,” Farnaby said. 

As such, the pair moved on to developing Wonka. Although it might not be going ahead in a galaxy far, far away, the writer did say that they’re planning on reworking the concept as a standalone sci-fi flick. 

For now, Star Wars is focusing on its trusted IP, with Star Wars: Starfighter featuring Ryan Gosling due to release in cinemas in May 2027. The film is set five years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, sitting comfortably in the organisation’s new long-term strategy. 

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Featured image credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock/Disney