The group responsible for Paddington 2 had the opportunity to create a Star Wars droid film.

      Paul King and Simon Farnaby, the directing and writing duo behind Paddington 2, pitched a droid-focused Star Wars film to Lucasfilm after the success of their previous project. This film would not have featured any of the franchise's iconic characters, but Lucasfilm ultimately declined the proposal. Farnaby shared details about the project in an interview with Variety, describing it as a distraction that took up time following Paddington 2's success but never materialized.

      “They wanted it to be a Star Wars movie, which is likely why it didn’t get made,” Farnaby explained to Variety. “But we never fully developed it.” However, the concept is still alive as Farnaby mentioned that it is being revisited and might evolve into a different project outside the Star Wars universe. Instead of this film, King and Farnaby created Wonka, which became successful, and are currently working on a Labubu movie.

      This droid-centric pitch is part of a long list of Star Wars films that were proposed, developed, or rumored but ultimately did not get made. Projects like Rian Johnson’s trilogy, Guillermo del Toro’s Jabba the Hutt film, and a project from the Game of Thrones creators all fell through at different stages. Disney acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in 2012, intending to release a Star Wars film every one to three years, but fourteen years later, the franchise has produced fewer films than anticipated and canceled more than it released.

      This year, The Mandalorian and Grogu underperformed at the box office, earning $342 million against a $165 million budget. Lucasfilm is looking toward its next project, Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and featuring Ryan Gosling, scheduled for May 2027. Future endeavors from Simon Kinberg, James Mangold, and Taika Waititi remain uncertain. A Star Wars film from Paul King, acclaimed for directing what many consider the best-reviewed sequel in recent years, would have been a compelling addition to the lineup. However, Lucasfilm chose not to proceed with it.