As “Star Wars” moves beyond the Skywalker Saga, Taika Waititi is reportedly being pursued to direct one of the upcoming movies in the franchise…
Is Taika Waititi ready to travel to a galaxy far, far away (again)?
The director responsible for the Oscar nominated film “Jojo Rabbit” is reportedly being pursued by Lucasfilm to take on the task of a new “Star Wars” film. What is unknown at this time is whether or not Waititi is being targeted to direct his own “Star Wars” film or potentially reuniting with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on a joint effort for a new “Star Wars” project.
Feige previously confirmed that he was crossing over to develop his own “Star Wars” film and he worked closely with Waititi on the film “Thor: Ragnarok,” which was a breakout hit for the studio.
Waititi has been in high demand lately and this wouldn’t be his first time venturing into the “Star Wars” universe if a deal is locked down to secure his services. Waititi recently directed the season finale of “The Mandalorian,” which has been a massive hit on Disney+, and he also voiced the droid IG-11 on the series.
Even if he did decide to take on a “Star Wars” film it’s not likely he would get to that project any time soon.
Waititi is already tied up for the upcoming sequel “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which will see him team up with Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson again after previously working together on “Thor: Ragnarok.” The next film in the “Thor” franchise is expected to go into production later this year with a November 5, 2021 release date.
Considering Marvel and Lucasfilm are all part of the Disney empire, it’s not likely the studio will slow down “Thor: Love and Thunder” in favor of a new “Star Wars” film.
The fact that Lucasfilm is potentially interested in teaming up with Waititi will probably be good news for many fans, who have been lukewarm to some of the latest “Star Wars” films. The most recent installment — “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” — crossed $1 billion at the global box office but the overall returns have been the lowest for the new trilogy that launched in 2015.
Add to that, Lucasfilm recently split with “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who has previously been hired to develop a new “Star Wars” trilogy. Rian Johnson, who directed the divisive 2017 film “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is also supposed to be developing another trilogy of his own but he’s been more focused on his original work after receiving an Oscar nomination for “Knives Out.”
Johnson is reportedly working on a potential sequel to that film, which means he would probably have to put any “Star Wars” related projects on the backburner for at least another year or two.
For now, let the speculation begin regarding Lucasfilm going after Waititi and his interest in doing his own take on a “Star Wars” film in the future.
