Taika Waititi is set to co-write and direct a new film for the beloved franchise.
Waititi was recently awarded Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on Jojo Rabbit and has been praised with Marvel’s Thor Ragnarok, and now he is turning his attention to a feature-length film for the Star Wars universe.
The highly praised filmmaker initially won over Star Wars fans by directing the first season finale episode of The Mandalorian on Disney+, which scored a rare rating of 100% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, and now he is back for more.
Waititi will co-write the Star Wars film with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who received a BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year on the stunning three-time Oscar-winning film, 1917.
The news was announced on the official Star Wars Twitter page on May 4, also known as Star Wars Day.
The tweet reads:
Incoming news from a galaxy far, far away….
Academy Award winner @TaikaWaititi to direct and co-write a new Star Wars feature film for theatrical release; Academy Award nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns (@WeWriteAtDawn) to co-write screenplay with Waititi.
The news will no doubt be welcomed by Star Wars fans, many of who were begging for Waititi to direct a film in the franchise following his work on The Mandalorian.
A fan wrote:
5 minutes into the last episode of @themandalorian and I’ve decided @TaikaWaititi must write and direct his own @starwars series. I hope this ages well.
Disney has not released any details with regards to the film’s title, plot, characters, or setting within the Star Wars universe, or about when fans can expect to see the project on the big screen, but if Waititi’s previous work is anything to go by it’s sure to be worth the wait!
As well as announcing the film, Disney revealed that Emmy-nominated writer Leslye Headland is currently developing a new untitled Star Wars series.
Headland is set to write, executive produce, and serve as showrunner for the new series, which will be available to stream on Disney+ alongside a growing list of Star Wars stories, including The Mandalorian and two other previously announced series.