Taika Waititi's Star Wars Movie: Announcement, Franchise Future, & Will It Happen?

Summary Taika Waititi's Star Wars movie was announced in 2020, but updates have been sparse on its progress.

The film could bring a lighthearted tone and explore new eras in the Star Wars universe.

Disney hasn't canceled the project, indicating that Taika Waititi's movie is still in the works.

Lucasfilm announced in 2020 that Taika Waititi would be directing an untitled Star Wars movie, but is it really happening? Following the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars movies and TV shows have begun to go in myriad different directions, from the non-Jedi stories of Andor and Star Wars: The Bad Batch to the exploration of new eras in The Acolyte. Waititi's Star Wars movie was a thrilling notion for just that reason. Taika Waititi's history as a director suggests what a fun, unique perspective his Star Wars movie could offer.

His more recent projects, including Our Flag Means Death and Thor: Love and Thunder, reveal Waititi's incredible capacity for humor, which would bring something quite new to the franchise. Nothing in the Star Wars timeline thus far could truly be considered a comedy, even if the movies and shows have certainly sprinkled in humor from the beginning. Sadly, though, in the years since the announcement, few updates have been given, raising questions about whether Waititi's Star Wars movie will really happen.

Related New Star Wars Movies: Every Upcoming Movie & Release Date Here's every upcoming Star Wars movie in development - including Rey's New Jedi Order, the Dawn of the Jedi, and The Mandalorian & Grogu!

Taika Waititi's Star Wars Movie Was Announced In 2020, & Hasn't Been Canceled

In May 2020, Lucasfilm announced that Taika Waititi would be directing an upcoming Star Wars movie, but very little else was revealed about the movie at that time. Several months later, during Disney's Investor Day presentation in December 2020, it was confirmed that Waititi was co-writing the movie with Krysty Wilson-Cairns and that they had already begun work on it.

It's unclear to what extent the movie is still in the works.

However, it's unclear to what extent the movie is still in the works. Since the two announcements in 2020, Waititi has spoken about the movie sparingly. In late 2023, Variety reported that Waititi thinks the movie will anger some fans (a safe bet given the present tensions in the fanbase), and around that same time, Waititi confirmed on The Kelly Clarkson Show that the movie was still moving forward but that it was slow-going because he wanted to get it right.

During the same Disney Investor Day in 2020, concept art for the movie was also released, showing a striking image of a vibrantly colored planet and a large, diamond-shaped object, possibly a ship. Again, though, since that initial announcement, Disney and Lucasfilm have been rather quiet about the movie, its progress, and its timeline. Notably, the movie has not been canceled, and Disney would presumably have announced such a change if that was the case.

Little Is Known About Taika Waititi's Star Wars Movie

Although few details have been released, Waititi's brief comments and his film and television history do suggest where this movie could go. Presumably, the movie would take on a much more lighthearted tone than other Star Wars movies and TV shows have. Moreover, because Waititi wants to bring such a unique touch to the franchise, and based on the Skywalker Saga concluding, it's likely this movie would be set in a yet unexplored era of Star Wars.

Waititi's brief comments and his film and television history do suggest where this movie could go.

This would also reflect a recent trend in Star Wars projects, with The Acolyte taking place in the High Republic Era and Rey's upcoming Star Wars movie being set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker. Moreover, Waititi's belief that his movie will anger fans could suggest a few things. For one, it's likely Waititi is referring to the movie being racially diverse and including women in major roles, as those have both been extremely controversial issues in certain corners of the fanbase. However, it could also mean unconventional deviations from Star Wars traditions.

Star Wars Has A History Of Canceling Movies, So This Isn't Guaranteed To Happen

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Of course, Star Wars' history speaks for itself to a certain extent when it comes to cancelations. In recent years, several movies and TV shows have been canceled, including some that were highly anticipated. Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron was one such project, although earlier in 2024 Jenkins indicated she was working on the movie after all. Other canceled projects have included a Jabba the Hutt movie and a Boba Fett movie, although the latter may have simply been replaced with The Book of Boba Fett.

Related 10 Canceled Star Wars Movies & TV Shows We'd Have Loved To See Over the years, Star Wars has seen many different cancelled projects. These movies and shows would have made interesting additions to the franchise.

Even so, Taika Waititi clearly indicated that he was still working on the movie less than a year ago, which bodes well for the movie's future. Moreover, Disney's massive event, D23, is just around the corner and could very well provide a much more substantial update on this movie. That remains to be seen, but for now, it seems Taika Waititi's untitled Star Wars movie is still moving forward.