A Star Wars movie, being penned and helmed by Taika Waititi, is currently under development at Lucasfilm Ltd.. The official announcement of this endeavor was made on May 4, 2020.
The Hollywood Reporter reported in January 2020 that Taika Waititi had been approached about working on a Star Wars film. On May 4, the project was formally revealed on StarWars.com, confirming Waititi's participation and the addition of Krysty Wilson-Cairns as a co-writer.
During a Disney investor's presentation in December 2020, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy verified that Waititi was actively working on the film's screenplay. During the film's segment of the announcement, a Star Wars logo in Waititi's distinctive style was displayed, along with artwork depicting a diamond-shaped object suspended in space. In a Wired UK interview on November 8, 2021, Waititi disclosed that the film's script was still in its infancy but that "we've got a story. I'm really excited by it because it feels very me."
In May 2022, Kennedy indicated in a Vanity Fair article that Waititi's film was the next project slated for release, and in a conversation with GamesRadar+, she stated that it was targeted for release in late 2023. However, it was absent from the 2023 Disney release schedule. In an interview with Screen Rant on June 10, Waititi noted that he was still in the writing process for the film and that he was carefully ensuring that the story felt like a Star Wars film. Several days later, on June 14, Waititi expressed his desire to "take something new and create some new characters and just expand the [Star Wars] world" in his film. On June 27, after rumors surfaced that his movie would commence filming soon, Taika Waititi clarified that his project would not begin production in 2022 and that he would continue writing throughout the year. On June 29, Waititi mentioned in an interview that the final script he submits to Lucasfilm will determine its production timeline, or even if it will be produced at all.
On March 7, 2023, Variety reported that Waititi's film remained in development, and that he might also have an acting role in the project. On April 7, during an interview at Celebration Europe, Kathleen Kennedy verified that Waititi was now writing the script independently, suggesting Krysty Wilson-Cairns' departure from the project. Furthermore, she expressed her desire to safeguard Waititi's unique artistic vision for the project. On May 10, Waititi mentioned in an interview that he had completed several acts but was struggling to finalize the middle act of the film, as he wanted to avoid it feeling overly derivative of other Star Wars content.
In November 2024, Waititi was questioned on The Playlist's Bingeworthy podcast regarding the development status of his Star Wars film, his proposed Flash Gordon reboot, and a live-action adaptation of Akira. He stated vaguely that they are still in the works but not currently actively being developed.
- Academy Award Winner Taika Waititi to Direct and Co-Write new Star Wars Feature Film For Theatrical Release; Oscar Nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns to Co-Write Screenplay with Waititi on StarWars.com (backup link)
- This Week! in Star Wars New Star Wars Filmmakers, Star Wars Day Fun, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Future Lucasfilm Projects Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Disney Investor Day 2020 on The Walt Disney Company official website (backup link)
- This Week! in Star Wars Exciting Lucasfilm Announcements, A New Story From The High Republic, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)