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Draft:Untitled Taika Waititi Star Wars film

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Untitled Taika Waititi Star Wars film
Directed byTaika Waititi
Written by
Based onCharacters
by George Lucas
Produced byKathleen Kennedy
Production
company
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

An upcoming American space opera film is being directed by Taika Waititi from a screenplay he wrote with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Produced by Lucasfilm and set to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the film will be part of the Star Wars franchise.

Lucasfilm approached Waititi about making a new Star Wars film by January 2020, and confirmed his hiring alongside Wilson-Cairns that May. Waititi worked on the screenplay over the following years as the project was delayed by his other commitments and the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

Production

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Development

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By mid-January 2020, Taika Waititi had been approached by Lucasfilm to develop a new Star Wars film. This came as the company was set to take a break from Star Wars feature films following the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) due to the mixed reactions to recent films in the franchise. It also came after Waititi received acclaim for directing the first-season finale of the franchise's Disney+ television series The Mandalorian.[1] When asked about this a month later, Waititi denied being approached about making a Star Wars film but said he would be interested making one "if it was right" and if he did not think it would be career suicide.[2] On May 4, 2020, which is Star Wars Day, Lucasfilm announced that Waititi would direct a new Star Wars film and that he was writing the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns.[3] That July, Waititi revealed that he had started writing the script during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy discussed the film during the Walt Disney Company's Investor Day event on December 10, saying it would be "fresh, unexpected, and... unique".[5]

Waititi said in June 2021 that he hoped the film would be his next project after he completed Thor: Love and Thunder in February 2022, but he acknowledged that he was also attached to write, direct, and star in numerous film and television projects at that point.[6] In May 2022, it was expected to be the next Star Wars film ahead of the previously announced Rogue Squadron.[7] Kennedy said they were aiming for a late 2023 release date for Waititi's film, though it had not been officially scheduled for release.[8] The next month, Waititi said filming would not begin until after 2022 because he was still working out the story and had other commitments. He would continue writing the script during the second half of 2022 while he was filming the second season of Our Flag Means Death and the pilot episode of Time Bandits in New Zealand.[9] After Kennedy expressed interest in creating a "whole new saga" beyond the main "Skywalker Saga" films,[8] Waititi said he wanted to expand Star Wars to new characters and stories rather than make a spin-off film based on existing characters.[10] While promoting Love and Thunder in July, Waititi said he asked Natalie Portman—who portrayed Jane Foster / Mighty Thor in Love and Thunder—if she was interested in joining his film, forgetting that she starred in the Star Wars prequel trilogy as Padmé Amidala.[11] He also joked that he would "ruin" the franchise in a similar way to how he brought his own style to the Thor franchise,[12] and later added that the film would "piss people off" if they did not want it to be like his other films.[13]

In March 2023, Variety reported on the state of the in-development Star Wars films. Though some were no longer expected to happen, Waititi was believed to still be working on his film and was likely to also star in a role of similar prominence to his portrayal of Adolf Hitler in the film Jojo Rabbit (2019).[14] The next month, Kennedy confirmed that Lucasfilm still planned to make Waititi's film and said the studio was giving him the space to work on the script himself.[15] After considering several options for his next film after Love and Thunder, Waititi settled on directing Klara and the Sun at the start of May.[16] He felt that he had a "really good idea" for the Star Wars film and was reportedly committed to filming it in 2024, but he still had work to do on the script and this was put on hold by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike which began that month.[16][17] Waititi had turned in several drafts of the script by then, and he owed Lucasfilm a new draft after the strike ended in September.[18] In November, Waititi said he did not want to rush the film and Lucasfilm was willing to delay it until he was happy with the script, which he was working on at the same time as several other projects.[19] He wanted to capture the feeling of watching the early Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983).[20] In the same month, Dave Filoni revealed that he was now chief creative officer at Lucasfilm, after serving as executive producer on various Star Wars television series, and would be directly involved in the planning of future films and series.[21]

References

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  1. ^ Kit, Borys; Masters, Kim (January 16, 2020). "Taika Waititi Courted for 'Star Wars' Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 17, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  2. ^ Aurthur, Kate (February 12, 2020). "Taika Waititi on Oscars, His 'Jojo Rabbit' Journey and Those 'Star Wars' Rumors". Variety. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "Academy Award Winner Taika Waitit to Direct and Co-Write New Star Wars Feature Film for Theatrical Release; Oscar Nominee Krysty Wilson-Carins to Co-Write Screenplay with Waititi". StarWars.com. May 4, 2020. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  4. ^ Taika Waititi on charity, homeschooling, racism and Star Wars. BBC News. July 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Future Lucasfilm Projects Revealed". StarWars.com. December 10, 2020. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  6. ^ Maddox, Garry (June 8, 2021). "'In the world of the internet, everything goes away pretty quick': Taika Waititi". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  7. ^ Breznican, Anthony (May 17, 2022). "Star Wars: The Rebellion Will Be Televised". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Shepherd, Jack (May 26, 2022). "Kathleen Kennedy on the future of Star Wars movies: "We need to create a whole new saga"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  9. ^ Taylor, Drew (June 27, 2022). "Taika Waititi's Star Wars Movie Won't Film This Year". TheWrap. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  10. ^ Edwards, Molly (June 14, 2022). "Taika Waititi talks his Star Wars movie: "I would like to take something new and create some new characters"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Hiatt, Brian (July 5, 2022). ""I Wish 'Ragnarok' Wasn't So Good": Taika Waititi on 'Thor: Love and Thunder,' 'Star Wars'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Jones, William (July 2, 2022). "How Taika Waititi Plans to 'Ruin' Star Wars". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  13. ^ Bell, BreAnna (November 15, 2023). "Taika Waititi Jokes His 'Star Wars' Film Will 'Piss People Off'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  14. ^ Vary, Adam B. (March 7, 2023). "'Star Wars' Shakeup: Kevin Feige and Patty Jenkins Movies Shelved, Taika Waititi Looking to Star in His Own Film (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  15. ^ Warmann, Amon; Earl, William (April 8, 2023). "Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy on Daisy Ridley's New Rey Film, 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Season 2 and Rian Johnson's 'Star Wars' Future". Variety. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (May 1, 2023). "Taika Waititi In Talks To Direct Adaptation Of 'Klara And The Sun' For 3000 Pictures; Garrett Basch Boards As Producer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  17. ^ Keegan, Rebecca (May 31, 2023). "Taika Waititi: "Am I Allowed to Laugh at This?"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  18. ^ Freitag, Lee (September 20, 2023). "Report: Taika Waititi Has Turned in Multiple Drafts of His Star Wars Movie Script to Lucasfilm". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  19. ^ Gawley, Paige (November 13, 2023). "Taika Waititi Gives Update on His 'Star Wars' Movie (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Nwaenie, Chike (November 27, 2023). "Taika Waititi Provides Answer to Big Star Wars Question: "Will Return to the Early Films"". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  21. ^ Moreau, Jordan (November 21, 2023). "Dave Filoni Is Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm, Will Be 'Planning the Future' of 'Star Wars' Films and Shows". Variety. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
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