Lucasfilm has announced that Taika Waititi has been hired to direct and co-write a new Star Wars movie.
While no title, plot details, tentative release date, or even what era of the chronology the movie will be set within, a co-writer has been announced. Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who was nominated for an Oscar for last year’s 1917, will be co-writing the screenplay.
Waititi is no stranger to the Star Wars universe. Not only did he play assassin-turned-nurse-droid IG-11 in the first season of The Mandalorian, he also directed the season finale. The jaw-dropping episode included a thrilling flashback to the Clone Wars, an incredible monologue by Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), and a sublime peek at the chatter that passes between on-duty Stormtroopers.
Waititi’s big screen directorial resume includes What We Do in the Shadows in 2014, Hunt for the Wilderpeople in 2016, and Jojo Rabbit in 2019. He’s got experience making big-budget blockbusters, as well, having written and directed 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok for Marvel Studios, with an upcoming sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder, currently in pre-production.
While it’s not currently clear when the Waititi-helmed Star Wars movie will be released, the announcement specifically states that the film will be released in theaters.
In the meantime, you can see Waititi on the episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian that was released for streaming on Disney+ today for May the Fourth, which features the directors of the first season of The Mandalorian in conversation with Jon Favreau. Plus, the Star Wars section of Disney+ has been updated with banners featuring original production arts for Star Wars Day (including some featuring the titular Baby Yoda).
In addition to the upcoming movie, Lucasfilm also announced another forthcoming Star Wars series for Disney+. The series is being developed by Leslye Headland, the Emmy-nominated writer who co-created Russian Doll with Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler.
Yes, the guy who f***led up THOR should definitely get the chance to do the same to the SW universe. Now, whether he can work on a fantasy-film w/o depending on the MCU style of lumpish humor– that remains to be seen.
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