The Star Wars franchise these days has been bustling with new projects on the horizon. Since The Mandalorian catapulted into overwhelming success, Disney has been eager to put all its eggs in one basket and milk its space opera franchise for all it’s worth and more. But Taika Waititi comes bearing upsetting news for eager fans and impatient studio execs because even The Force can’t beat creative block.
Taika Waititi is Struggling With His New Star Wars Film
Taika Waititi‘s Star Wars project was announced back in 2020 during the franchise’s annual celebration, but up until now, there have been measly updates at best to hold onto. Even his recent comments about the venture skirt around the same premise – little progress and too much uncertainty.
Talking to THR, Waititi, who is perhaps known best for his work in MCU’s Thor films, claims that though he has a “really good idea” for the project, he’s unable to put it on paper let alone materialize it into a movie. And the 47-year-old filmmaker admitted that his lack of progress is mainly rooted in the pressure of living up to the grand legacy of Star Wars.
“I’ve got a really good idea for it…It’s just as with all films, it’s this middle part. You’re like, ‘What’s going to happen?’ And then you look at all of those films that are so great, you’re like, ‘Well, I guess they can’t meet some smuggler with an alien sidekick.’”
While Waititi is worried about the prospect of not being able to meet the standard that seems to have been set in gold, this isn’t the first time he’s expressed his concern.
The Cloud of Creative Block Loomed Heavy on Him Last Year
Waititi, who is set to helm the new Star Wars movie, also voiced his creative concerns regarding the Lucasfilm project back in June 2022, when he revealed that he didn’t even have a finished script yet.
At that time, the Academy Award winner told Slash Film that he was still in the brainstorming phase, mashing as many ideas as he could and penning them all down. Sadly enough though, he didn’t get too far with that and was “throwing everything at the wall” –
“I’m able to kind of bring my tone. At the moment it’s just very early, because I … still haven’t even finished the script. I’m still trying to come up with ideas and I’m mostly kind of in that part of the process where it’s still very kind of open. And when I write, I kind of write every idea I’ve ever had and then start to kind of chisel it down into something. But I’m still throwing everything at the wall right now.”
Weeks before the New Zealand-born filmmaker and actor came clean about his writer’s block, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told fans to expect a premiere of Waititi’s Star Wars film in 2023. Guess that’s not happening anymore.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
