The future of the Star Wars film franchise hasn't been this uncertain since Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012. While the galaxy far away continues to expand on Disney+, its future on the big screen is still a mystery.
Kevin Feige, Patty Jenkins, and Taika Waititi are all still developing their own cinematic titles, but Disney and Lucasfilm haven't revealed much details about any of those movies and when they will be released in theaters. However, it looks like an exciting new Star Wars movie could bring a fan-favorite (and hugely underrepresented) part of the franchise's timeline into live-action.
Fans of the massively popular Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game have been wondering if Disney and Lucasfilm will develop a movie or TV series set in the same timeline as the incredibly successful RPG that was originally released in 2003.
The game was set thousands of years before the events of the prequel Star Wars trilogy, and now there are rumors claiming that a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic movie and TV show are in the works. Here's everything you need to know:
Is there a Star Wars: Old Republic movie coming?
Disney and Lucasfilm haven't officially confirmed any plans for a Star Wars: Old Republic movie but according to simultaneous rumors from Adam Frazier, Jordan Maison, and BigScreenLeaks, the next Star Wars film will be set in the Old Republic. Just one of these sources sharing the rumor wouldn't be considered much, but all three together give this claim some weight. This movie could start production as early as 2022.
At the Star Wars Celebration Chicago in April 2019, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy was asked by MTV News about KOTOR, and she said, "Yes, we are developing something to look at. Right now, I have no idea where things might fall."
It appeared as if Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff & D.B. Weiss' Star Wars movie trilogy would bring the Old Republic to the multiplex, but that series is now canceled.
In May 2019, BuzzFeed's Kate Aurthur reported that Laeta Kalogridis is penning the script for an adaptation of the KOTOR video game, and BuzzFeed describes the project as a "potential trilogy".
There are currently no updates if these films are in development.
In May 2022, author Mike Chen revealed that his new novel Star Wars: Brotherhood has connections to KOTOR.
When is Star Wars: Old Republic movie coming to theaters?
So, when is the release date for the Star Wars movie based on Knights of the Old Republic?
We already know that Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron movie was just delayed from its December 2023 release, and without an official announcement from Disney and Lucasfilm yet, it's likely that the Star Wars: Old Republic movie could arrive in 2024, at the earliest.
It's likely that D23 Expo 2022 (Sept. 9) will announce future plans for Star Wars movies, so we might find out if a film based on Knights of the Old Republic is in development.
Is Star Wars: Old Republic TV series coming?
The Old Republic is certainly an expansive enough era to support numerous movies and seasons of a TV show. It's not surprising that Lucasfilm is interested in this time period since it's an area of Star Wars canon that hasn't really been addressed in the Disney era. That might explain why the studio is allegedly looking at a TV series (most likely a Disney+ exclusive) to complement the feature film, allowing them to explore the Old Republic in greater detail and fully develop the story.
A remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Republic video game is currently in the works for PlayStation 5, so there might be plans to release both the Old Republic movie and TV show around the time it comes out, but it recently faced development issues.
According to a new rumor from The DisInsder Show (via SFFGazette.com), we might see Darth Bane, Darth Nihilus, Darth Malak, and Darth Revan appear in Leslye Headland's The Acolyte series, which promises to explore The High Republic Era in live-action for the first time.Â
During a Reddit AMA, Drew Karpyshyn, one of the writers of the original Knights of the Old Republic, was asked who he believed would be the best casting choice for a hypothetical KOTOR film adaptation, and he replied: "I don't want them to make a KOTOR film. Or a Mass Effect film," the writer replied. "Not if those films are just going to tell the same story as the games. Branching narrative games tell stories in a different way than a linear medium like film, and we have SO MUCH content that you'd have to cut 80% of the story to fit it into a film."
Related: Here's Why BioWare Didn't Make A Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Sequel
Is there already a trailer for a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic movie or TV show?
Since there's no Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic movie officially confirmed yet, it's likely that we won't see a trailer anytime soon, but for now, you can check out the trailer for the KOTOR remake that PlayStation shared: