Earlier this year, in January, I reported that Taika Waititi, who’s widely known as the director of Thor: Ragnarok, was in talks to direct a new Star Wars movie, after he’s wrapped Thor: Love and Thunder. Well, strap on your seatbelts and hold on tight because the talks have just turned into a reality. That’s right, Taika Waititi will be directing a new Star Wars movie.
The press release from Walt Disney Studios (per Collider), doesn’t provide that much information. This is of course, to be expected, considering how secretive Disney is with their projects, especially Star Wars. But what we do know is that he will be co-writing the screenplay alongside Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who is known for writing the script of the critically acclaimed 1917. While 1917 will mostly be remembered for its stellar direction and technical achievements, the importance of the Wilson-Cairns’ screenplay cannot be downplayed. The film had a warm beating heart at its core and that’s what made it so engaging.
As far as Waititi as a director goes, two years ago, I would’ve been uncertain with the idea. After all, the Oscar-winning screenwriter (Jojo Rabbit) has a strong and very distinct comedic voice. I would’ve wondered how that voice would’ve been adapted into the Star Wars universe. I would’ve winced at the idea of a Thor: Ragnarok-styled Star Wars movie. But then Waititi directed an episode of The Mandalorian and holy crap is it bloody phenomenal — a perfect blend of drama, dark humour (baby Yoda getting punched, anyone?) and palpable thrills.
It’s currently unclear when this Star Wars movie will be releasing. Disney/Lucasfilm has approximately a bajillion Star Wars films in development right now, including the proposed trilogy by Rian Johnson and also a project by Kevin Feige.
