Star Wars fans are jubilant right now thanks to the return of Luke Skywalker in the new Last Jedi trailer, but is this the beginning of the end for Luke?
Talk of the end to Star Wars legacy characters has run rampant ever since Rogue One screenwriter Gary Whitta hinted that Lucasfilm wouldn't focus as much on the Skywalker family in the future.
The likelihood of a future Skywalker-less trilogy was put directly to Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy on Friday (April 14) at the Star Wars Celebration, and here's what she had to say.
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"I certainly foresee movies past nine," she told Fandango. "Whether or not we carry on the Skywalker saga… you know, George always intended nine movies, and whether we continue that or not is something we're talking about right now.
"If the story warrants it, we'll absolutely do it. If it actually inspires new ideas, then we'll probably head in that direction. We just don't know yet."
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As for when we can expect an announcement about the future of Star Wars, Kathleen Kennedy teased: "I wouldn't say this year, but certainly by next year."
Sadly, Kennedy has also confirmed that the late Carrie Fisher will not be seen in Episode IX in spite of comments claiming otherwise from Fisher's brother earlier this month.
Related: 7 things we learned at Star Wars Celebration's The Last Jedi panel
Kennedy seemed a bit more cautious than Disney CEO Bob Iger, who recently revealed that development on "what could happen after Episode IX" is already in the works.
"We've got a creative team actually thinking about what could be another decade and a half of Star Wars stories," Iger said last month. "It's kind of mind-blowing spending an afternoon with a creative team thinking about that."
Regardless of whether the future involves the Skywalkers, it's clear that we'll be seeing new Star Wars movies for a long time to come.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in US and UK cinemas on December 15. Watch the first trailer below:
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
