New Star Wars movie, set on the Sith planet Exegol, reportedly in the works

(Image credit: LucasFilms)

A new Star Wars movie, set on the Sith planet of Exegol, is reportedly in the works. The Hollywood Reporter first announced the news, with Deadline adding some detail regarding the plot. Neither publications has confirmed whether the movie will debut in cinemas or on Disney Plus.

J.D. Dillard — best known for the film Sleight — is apparently working on the feature-length project with Luke Cage and Agents of SHIELD scribe Matt Owens. There’s no link between this project and the already-announced trilogy from Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson or the movie that was pitched by Marvel head Kevin Feige.

So, where does this leave the Star Wars universe? Frankly, no-one outside of LucasFilm knows for sure where the series is definitely heading. Star Wars bosses recently said that their focus will be on television rather than film. And, considering the success of The Mandalorian and the divisiveness of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, that seems like the obvious business move. 

If, as Deadline reports, the new Star Wars movie takes place on Exegol, then it could fill in many of the questions we had after that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ending, such as: how did the Emperor raise an army able to command all those Star Destroyers? Who were those cultists at the end of Episode IX? How did Palpatine come back from the dead?

Whatever the case, any official new Star Wars movie announcement would be at least quell our anxious hearts as we await another adventure in that galaxy far, far away. Here's more on every upcoming Star Wars movie.

Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.