Screenwriter Simon Farnaby has said that Disney and Lucasfilm cancelled a previously unannounced Star Wars film he was developing with director Paul King. The project reportedly centred on a robot rather than an existing franchise character, and Disney concluded that it did not fit Star Wars closely enough; its cancellation adds to the series’ long record of abandoned film projects since Disney bought Lucasfilm.

Farnaby told Variety that Disney suggested reworking the idea as an original science-fiction film, which he and King are now doing. He did not say when the Star Wars version was cancelled, but said the pair subsequently collaborated on 2023’s Wonka; King is also known for directing the Paddington films.