The Star Wars franchise is nearly 50 years old and is showing no signs of slowing down. This summer sees the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, which ends an extended hiatus for the IP on the big screen. Lucasfilm also has Star Wars: Starfighter planned for a May 2027 theatrical release, plus they’ve detailed an abundance of other Star Wars movies that are in various stages of development. After the galaxy far, far away spent years living on Disney+ (where new content, like Maul – Shadow Lord, continues to be made), there seems to be a major push to once again make the Star Wars film series the franchise’s main attraction.

Star Wars, of course, was a film first, so it’s great to see this happen. It’s a brand that belongs on the big screen, particularly in the age of premium-large formats like IMAX. However, if Lucasfilm’s plan is to continue making new Star Wars movies for the foreseeable future, the studio is going to have to prove it can learn a valuable lesson by taking a page out of other areas of canon.

Star Wars Films Need to Embrace Other Genres Moving Forward

Earlier this month, the first official Star Wars horror story was announced. This fall sees the release of Hiding from the Dark: A Star Wars Horror Novel, which is described as a “horror-themed middle grade novel.” Plot details are scarce, but the synopsis references a young girl’s attempt to solve a “nightmarish mystery,” confirming that the book is truly going to be an all-out horror story (as opposed to just sprinkling in flourishes in a different kind of narrative). As exciting as it is to see Lucasfilm’s publishing division experiment in this way, it highlights the need for the films to do the same moving forward.

It’s all the more imperative for this to happen sooner than later because of what the future seemingly holds for the Star Wars franchise. After Ahsoka Season 2 premieres later this year, there aren’t any new live-action TV shows in the works. When looking at the evolving output strategies for not just Star Wars, but also Marvel, there appears to be a Disney-wide push to prioritize theatrical releases again. That’s great, but if a franchise that’s been around for decades is to remain viable for years to come, it’s important to find ways to keep things feeling fresh, getting ahead of any concerns about franchise fatigue or the IP getting stale.

Arguably, the best way to accomplish this is to break the mold of what a “Star Wars movie” can be by embracing a diverse range of genres and tones. This would allow each new film to be unique and distinct, highlighting the breadth of storytelling possibilities in this vast sandbox. Traditionally, Star Wars has been a sweeping space opera that captivates audiences with tales of good vs. evil and fulfilling one’s destiny, but there’s unlimited potential to tap into here. There’s no rule that says a Star Wars filmmaker can’t try something different. Horror would be an ideal approach, considering how much of a box office draw that genre has been over the years. When you factor in horror’s cost effectiveness, Lucasfilm could have an extremely profitable Star Wars movie on its hands.

To be fair, Star Wars has tried to play around with genres before — and not just on the small screen (Andor is a mature espionage thriller; Skeleton Crew is a coming-of-age adventure). The spinoff movies of the 2010s attempted to do new things; Rogue One is essentially Star Wars’ riff on a war drama, while Solo is a heist film in space. There were other standalones planned, but Solo bombing forced Lucasfilm to hit the pause button and re-evaluate its slate. An argument can be made that the studio learned the wrong lessons from Solo; its failure had more to do with the tumultuous behind-the-scenes woes than the genre or the recasting of legacy characters. At least on paper, Lucasfilm was on the right track by pursuing a crime movie.

Genre Diversification Has Worked for Other Franchises

If Star Wars took things in a new direction, it wouldn’t exactly be an unprecedented move. There have been other blockbuster franchises that have thrived with this approach. During its heyday, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a lot of success experimenting with well-worn film genres, putting a comic book spin on everything from political thrillers (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) to heist movies (Ant-Man) and cosmic adventures (Guardians of the Galaxy) and everything in between. All of those films are very different in style and tone. This helped the MCU combat any feelings of homogenization, as each outing felt like an exciting breath of fresh air. As fun as it was to see the overarching MCU story come together, the individual films themselves worked on their own merits.

Unsurprisingly, former Marvel director James Gunn is looking to employ that same approach as he builds out the DC Universe. Last summer’s Superman plays as a traditional superhero movie, but the next films are going to play around with different tones and styles, mirroring what’s worked so well in the comics. Clayface, as illustrated by the first trailer, is fully embracing its status as a mid-budget, R-rated body horror movie, leaning into the terror and tragedy of Matt Hagen’s story. Supergirl is positioned as a cosmic summer blockbuster that blends heart and humor a la Guardians of the Galaxy. The DCU projects that come after will feel distinct in their own ways; even on the TV side of things, Lanterns is a True Detective-inspired crime drama.

An R-rated Star Wars movie would likely be a tough sell for Disney. The franchise has mass appeal (with merchandise and toys being an all-important cog), and George Lucas always maintained children were the main target audience. Obviously, Star Wars connects with people from multiple generations, but that’s always been the core ethos. Going all out with gruesome gore a la Clayface probably isn’t in the cards, but Clayface could still pave a way forward for Star Wars. There are plenty of successful PG-13 horror movies (the Quiet Place franchise, for example), proving you don’t need the R rating to pull something like this off. Star Wars’ answer to Clayface could just be a “tamer” horror movie that’s more about serving up thrills than chilling imagery that’ll fuel nightmares.

And horror is just one genre Lucasfilm could experiment. The point isn’t so much that making a horror movie is the way to go, it’s that genre diversification is a playbook that has worked well for other Hollywood properties — including the one Disney wanted Star Wars to emulate when it purchased Lucasfilm. This has proven to be a formula that works well, and it’s something Lucasfilm needs to look into moving forward. There are signs this could be in the cards; James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi (which, unfortunately, is on hold for the time being) has been described as a biblical epic. Kathleen Kennedy said the script is “incredible” and noted “it is definitely breaking the mold.” While it would be great if Dawn of the Jedi was actually in production now, the fact Lucasfilm is even willing to develop something like that is encouraging. Hopefully, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan understand the importance of taking risks.

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