New Star Wars film trilogy in the works at Disney

Daisey Ridley and John Boyega in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The new Star Wars trilogy will begin with a fresh story and is not related to the Skywalker saga. -AP

A new Star Wars film trilogy written by X-Men producer Simon Kinberg is in the early stages of development at Walt Disney Co, a source familiar with the matter says.

Kinberg, who co-created animated series Star Wars Rebels, also will produce the movies alongside Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy.

Disney has not released a Star Wars film in cinemas since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker.

The new trilogy will begin with a fresh story and is not related to the Skywalker saga, the source said on Thursday.

No other details on the plot or the timeline were provided.

Star Wars, created by George Lucas, is one of the most successful film franchises ever.

The movies have collected more than $US5 billion ($A7.5 billion) in global ticket sales since the release of the first instalment in 1977.

Disney has several Star Wars projects in the works.

The Mandalorian and Grogu, based on the Disney+ series about a helmeted warrior and his companion, is scheduled to reach theatres in May 2026.