New Star Wars Novel Will Explore the Post-Rise of Skywalker Universe For The First Time

We’re finally getting a taste of what lies beyond The Rise of Skywalker — but not from Shawn Levy. Yet, at least. While the Deadpool and Wolverine filmmaker’s upcoming Star Wars film Star Wars: Starfighter is still highly anticipated, fans will now get to explore the Star Wars universe in the aftermath of the 2019 film a little sooner, through a new young adult novel titled Star Wars: The Last Order.

The book, which was revealed via publisher Penguin Random House’s website, will take a deeper dive into John Boyega’s beloved hero Finn and Naomi Ackie’s resistance ally Jannah, who fans met in Rise of Skywalker. The publisher's official synopsis for the novel, which was written by Kwame Mbalia, reads:

“Following the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the Resistance rescues a ship full of young passengers who had been kidnapped by the First Order. As Finn and Jannah set out to find the First Order officer responsible before he can endanger any more children, the two former stormtroopers must wrestle with their own complicated pasts as soldiers of the oppressive regime.”

This marks the first Star Wars project that explores the universe after the events of Rise of Skywalker, despite not being the first planned project to do so — and as for Levy’s post-Rise of Skywalker output, it’s definitely still firmly on the horizon.

Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy spoke on the project in an interview with Deadline back in February, where she explained how the Star Wars timeline will shift with this new entry. “It’s all post-[the first] nine,” she said. “Shawn’s is a standalone Star Wars story that'll take place post-nine, maybe five or six years out.” Last month, the writer on the project, Jonathan Tropper, reconfirmed his enthusiasm for the film, telling Screen Rant, "I hope it's on the way sooner than you think." Days later, the release date for the film was announced — with Ryan Gosling confirmed to star — at Star Wars Celebration Japan.

According to the Penguin Random House, Star Wars: The Last Order will be released on October 21, 2025… and we still have some waiting to do when it comes to Levy’s film, which will be released on May 28, 2027.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.