It's official: Taika Waititi is directing a new Star Wars movie. The quirky New Zealand actor-filmmaker (What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) made a bigger name for himself with 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, a film that rejuvenated the ailing Thor series and proved Waititi's unique style is compatible with a big-budget franchise production. He's since gone to helm The Mandalorian season 1 finale, which earned similar acclaim for its distinctly Waititi-esque blend of humor, heart, and polished action. The episode also saw Waititi reprise his role as the assassin droid IG-11 from earlier in the season.
On the heels of his directing stint on The Mandalorian and prior to him winning an Oscar for writing last year's Jojo Rabbit, a report emerged claiming Waititi is being courted to helm a new film set in a galaxy far, far away. However, he was quick to shoot the rumor down (but at the same time, without firmly denying it) in his trademark humorous fashion. As it turns out, though, that older story was correct.
In an announcement timed to coincide with Star Wars Day (aka. May 4) 2020, Lucasfilm has now officially confirmed Waititi is directing a new Star Wars movie for them and will co-write the script with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. The film does not have an official release date, as of yet.
Wilson-Cairns, for those unfamiliar, is coming off her first Oscar nomination for co-writing Sam Mendes' WWI drama 1917, and co-wrote Edgar Wright's upcoming horror-thriller Last Night in Soho (which recently lost its release date due to the coronavirus pandemic). In many ways, the news of her involvement in a Star Wars film is just as exciting as Waititi's. She's the first woman hired to write a Star Wars movie since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 and only the second after Leigh Brackett (who wrote an early version of The Empire Strikes Back). In a related step towards greater inclusion on the franchise, Lucasfilm also confirmed the recent news about Leslye Headland (Russian Doll) developing a Star Wars Disney+ series, as part of their announcement about Waititi's film.
At the moment, Waititi is deep into pre-production on his sequel to Ragnarok, Thor: Love & Thunder. The film was recently delayed to early 2022 after the MCU Phase 4 movie slate was changed in the wake of the ongoing pandemic. With no release date set, it's unclear if Waititi will be directing the next Star Wars film scheduled to arrive in December 2022. It seems highly unlikely, though, seeing as he's going to be busy working on Love & Thunder for much of the next two years. But one thing is certain: don't count on that Taika Waititi-directed live-action Akira happening anytime soon (if ever), what with all the other sci-fi blockbusters on his plate.
Source: Lucasfilm