MOVIE NEWS – The future of the Star Wars franchise is becoming increasingly crowded with “in-development” projects, but questions remain about how many will actually come to life. Now, Disney has reportedly removed one of these movies from its planned release date of December 18, 2026, replacing it with the newly announced Ice Age 6.

The release date had several potential contenders from the Star Wars lineup, although none were officially confirmed. The most likely candidates included Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey movie or James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi, especially as The Mandalorian & Grogu has already locked in its May 2026 premiere.

This change doesn’t necessarily mean one of the planned Star Wars films is being canceled, but the timing comes just days after Simon Kinberg was tapped to write a new trilogy set after the sequel trilogy. This has already raised questions about the status of Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey movie, as both projects share a similar spot on the Star Wars timeline.

For now, there’s no official confirmation of any cancellations, but Lucasfilm has gained a reputation for announcing movies that never make it past the concept stage. Nearly a dozen Star Wars films have been announced over the last few years, yet fans are still waiting for the franchise to return to the big screen after 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.

Ice Age 6’s Surprising Reveal at D23 Brazil

Fans were left disappointed by the lack of Star Wars announcements at last month’s D23 Brazil event, but the confirmation of Ice Age 6 was one of the biggest surprises. It’s been almost a decade since a sequel to Ice Age: Collision Course was considered, and while the franchise made a brief return with The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild in 2022, the odds of Ice Age 6 seemed slim.

While promoting the Buck Wild spin-off, producer Lori Forte hinted that fan demand could lead to another Ice Age film. He said:

“We hope that people will respond to this, and that will promote us to be able to do another movie. If the audiences want it, we’ve got plenty of ideas. There’s no end to ideas and adventures and characters, so we’re ready if they’re ready.”

The Disney+ exclusive didn’t receive the warmest welcome, scoring only 17% on Rotten Tomatoes and 32% from audiences, seemingly sealing the fate of further installments. Fast-forward two years, and Ice Age 6 is now back in the spotlight, with Disney confident enough to give it a prime December release date usually reserved for its most high-profile films.

Source: MovieWeb