While everyone's favorite faraway galaxy expands on Disney+, with upcoming shows such as Star Wars: Visions, Ahsoka, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, The Bad Batch Season 2, and The Mandalorian Season 3, it looks like Disney and Lucasfilm aren't neglecting the more cinematic side of that universe either. While we know that Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins will be directing Rogue Squadrons, which is set for release in December 2023, in a recent interview with WIRED, director Taika Waititi discussed his own upcoming Star Wars movie.
Waititi is no stranger to the Star Wars universe, having played hunter droid-turned-nurse droid IG-11 in The Mandalorian Season 1, and also directing the finale episode "Chapter 8: Redemption". Now, the Thor: Ragnarok director is set to leave his own mark on the Star Wars movies. Waititi's lesser-known works include The Hunt for the Wilderpeople (which starred Sam Neill from the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion) and What We Do in the Shadows, in which the director also appeared. It wasn't until 2017's Thor: Ragnarok that Waititi really made himself known on Hollywood's star chart.
The Thor threequel was a complete reinvention of the God of Thunder and proved that Marvel's need to venture more into wacky comedy territory is sometimes necessary. In a recent interview with WIRED, the New Zealand filmmaker discussed the new Ryan Reynolds movie Free Guy and Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth film in MCU's Thor-centric series. However, he also alluded to a new Star Wars movie, which he is set to direct. "It's still in the ‘EXT. SPACE' stage", the director said, before adding, "But we've got a story. I'm really excited by it because it feels very me."
While of course, these few words are little to go on, the prospect of another Star Wars movie fills us with joy. The sequel trilogy might not have gone down well with many fans, but that doesn't mean we don't want more cinematic entries from the faraway galaxy. Since their inception in 1977, Star Wars films have had the tendency to be somewhat hit-and-miss. It's really the overall franchise that is beloved, but more often than not, a new film has the habit of splitting the fanbase down the middle like a clean lightsaber cut.
The original trilogy is still very much adored by fans, but the prequel trilogy that started in 1999 and concluded in 2004 was something of a mixed bag. While it has gone on to become more appreciated in recent years, owing thanks to hit animated show The Clone Wars, the sequel trilogy remains widely hated. Spin-off movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was an instant hit both critically and financially, while Solo: A Star Wars Story remains the center of much debate, despite being mostly harmless (the trouble is that it's also quite pointless).
But fans will always salivate at the mouths when a new movie is mentioned. After all, it's Star Wars, and nothing quite says cinema like the opening text crawl (even if the two spin-off movies didn't feature those iconic blurbs set against a starry backdrop). So, Taika Waititi's script remains in its very early stages, but it sounds like, at the very least, the filmmakers have some direction, which is more than what we can say about the sequel trilogy.
Looking at his previous works, which are extremely comic and somewhat alternative in nature, it's possible that the director will bring some of that flavor to the Star Wars cosmos, which might prove a much-needed ingredient to reinvigorate fans' interest in the film side of things. Either way, it's fair to say that Waititi has a lot on his plate, as he's also set to be directing Thor: Love and Thunder, a live-action version of anime classic Akira, an animated remake of Flash Gordon, and two animated Roald Dahl movies for Netflix.
Nothing is known about the film's premise at this stage, but here's to hoping we get some brand new characters, although we wouldn't complain if we got to see the likes of fan-favorites Ahsoka and Darth Maul on the big screen. We won't hold our breath for the likes of Jar Jar, though, but with Taika Waititi, you just never know...
In the meantime, there's plenty of Star Wars material to enjoy and look forward to, whether it's one of the many upcoming TV shows, the ongoing comic books, or the upcoming open-world game from Ubisoft, in which we hope to be able to explore the faraway galaxy. Who knows - perhaps we'll see Taika Waititi and his film crew there.