MOVIE NEWS – George Lucas marked Star Wars Day by announcing Star Wars in Motion, a new exhibition opening this September at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. The installation will focus on the vehicles, props, costumes, and illustrations of the first six Star Wars films, drawing directly from the Lucas Archives.

Since its launch on May 25, 1977, the Star Wars franchise has grown from a single surprise hit into a global cultural phenomenon. Nearly 50 years later, it remains one of the most influential and enduring cinematic universes in film history, and the galaxy far, far away is now preparing for a year-long celebration ahead of the golden anniversary of 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Several events are expected to honor the space opera saga and its unmistakable mark on cinema history in 2027. George Lucas has now started the festivities early, timing a new announcement for May the 4th and tying the project to the first six films, meaning the original and prequel trilogies within the Skywalker Saga.

To coincide with Star Wars Day, Lucas shared details of a major new Star Wars installation set to open this September at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. The cinema exhibition is titled Star Wars in Motion, and it will be part of the museum’s inaugural lineup. The showcase will feature vehicle designs, props, costumes, and illustrations drawn directly from the Lucas Archives. The new presentation focuses specifically on the evolution of transport and motion in the saga, giving visitors a closer look at Luke Skywalker’s iconic landspeeder from A New Hope and the build of General Grievous’ wheel bike from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

A video was released alongside the official announcement, serving as a high-energy compilation of the saga’s most iconic high-speed racers, hulking transport vehicles, and flying vessels. The 30-second teaser includes scenes from the first six Star Wars films, including X-wing dogfights, Luke’s landspeeder journeys, the Millennium Falcon jumping to lightspeed, and the Boonta Eve Classic podrace. The on-screen text also declares the exhibition’s opening date: “Inaugural Cinema Exhibition: Star Wars in Motion. On September 22, we ride.”

The cinema exhibition is one of more than thirty installations that will open with the museum itself on September 22, 2026. All inaugural presentations have been curated by Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, drawing from the museum’s founding collection. Star Wars in Motion will celebrate the franchise’s visual legacy in the run-up to its major anniversary milestone, which has already secured a theatrical re-release of A New Hope. This is not a new movie, then, but it is one of the saga’s key legacy projects: an exhibition that uses the physical objects and design history of Star Wars to show how movement, speed, and travel became part of the franchise’s visual language.

The franchise is not only honoring its foundations, however; it is also moving forward with several new projects arriving during its anniversary era. Star Wars is on the brink of a major cinematic relaunch after a seven-year hiatus, with The Mandalorian and Grogu marking the first theatrical release since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Directed by Jon Favreau from a script he co-wrote with newly appointed Lucasfilm President Dave Filoni, the highly anticipated feature will move the beloved Disney+ duo from streaming to theaters alongside several familiar characters and creatures from across the galaxy.

One year after The Mandalorian and Grogu, the Star Wars franchise will usher in an all-new story set after The Rise of Skywalker. Directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling in what has been described as his “bravest” role to date, Star Wars: Starfighter is scheduled to open in theaters on May 28, 2027, just days after the official 50th birthday of A New Hope. It marks a significant new chapter for the franchise, introducing entirely original characters for a self-contained adventure, although it could still lay the groundwork for future stories as the galaxy inevitably expands again.

Source: MovieWeb