In a galaxy far away, the Skywalker family started their saga back in 1977 with Star Wars: A New Hope and the rest we know is history. The original trilogy starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, James Earl Jones and Peter Mayhew was critically acclaimed and broke several box-office records upon its release.
The impact of Star Wars is considered to be a pop-culture phenomenon as it rapidly became popular across the globe, seeping into all popular forms of art known to mankind. Casually name-dropping Star Wars became a foolproof way to remain relevant even for renowned shows and movies like The Big Bang Theory and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
The cultural impact of Star Wars original trilogy was lucrative enough to expand the universe whence came the Prequel trilogy, several anthologies, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Sequel-trilogy, and The Mandalorian.
Also see: Who are the Nightsisters in Star Wars: The Clone Wars?
In 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released marking the first release directly linked to the original trilogy. Returning to the silver screen after 22 long years since the release of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens was a massive commercial success earning a whopping $2.06 billion dollars.
After the release of Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker, it is safe to assume that Disney would lay the Skywalker saga to rest for quite some time. The absence of the Skywalkers leaves the wide galaxy far, far away open to exploring. Interestingly, Disney has picked the right candidate to explore the deep space with lasers, jets, and strangely picturesque planets.
Not a widely popular name before 2017, the release of Thor: Ragnarok paved the way for New Zealand based director Taika Waititi to be the most sought after director in the industry. Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok re-defined the stoic and brooding character of Thor, which fans cannot seem to have enough of. His stylized direction with flamboyant colours, witty humour, and funky soundtracks made fans forget the first two instalments of Thor.
Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit (2019) was critically acclaimed which helped him win the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also starred in Jojo Rabbit as Adolf Hitler which was well received by fans. His earlier works include What We Do in the Shadows (2014), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), and Boy (2010) which have received universal acclaim. Taika Waititi is also confirmed to play a part in James Gunn’s upcoming The Suicide Squad (2021).
His rapid ascension to be a popular director/filmmaker was noticed by Disney soon enough. Thor: Ragnarok‘s massive popularity and universal acclaim made Disney sign a deal with Waititi to direct the next sequel Thor: Love and Thunder without any further delay. But, Taika Waititi’s biggest break is yet to arrive as he was chosen to direct a Star Wars movie which will further expand the universe after the events of Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker.
Being a part of the Star Wars franchise is not Taika Waititi’s maiden opportunity as he was chosen to direct the eighth episode of The Mandalorian, Chapter 8: The Redemption. Starring Pedro Pascal, The Mandalorian is a much darker and mature spin-off based in the Star Wars universe.
The news of Taika Waititi being attached to a future Star Wars film was confirmed earlier this year by LucasFilms. In a recent interview with BBC, Taika Waititi has offered some details regarding the status of the undisclosed Star Wars movie.
In the interview, Waititi confirmed that he has officially started working on the script for the undisclosed Star Wars movie. Partnering up with Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Waititi has begun the first draft of the movie. Krysty Wilson-Cairns was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for her work in the critically acclaimed First-World War film 1917 (2019) alongside Sam Mendes.
Despite his official confirmation, Waititi has not revealed any details regarding the upcoming Star Wars project, which is understandable since it is not his first priority right now. As the production for Thor: Love and Thunder will begin soon, Waititi is focusing to finish his script on the fourth Thor movie before focusing on the upcoming Star Wars movie.
Originally set to release on 5th November 2021 (now delayed to 2022), Thor: Love and Thunder is going to be a romantic-movie at its core, according to director Taika Waititi. As it has also been confirmed that Thor: Love and Thunder will introduce Jane Foster as the new Goddess of Thunder, things are looking bright for the future of Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It is safe to assume that the upcoming Star Wars movie helmed by Taika Waititi won’t be releasing anytime before 2023. In the meantime, several projects related to Star Wars can be developed by LucasFilms before we get to witness a colourful space-opera from the New Zealand filmmaker. Rian Johnson, who directed Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out is working on his trilogy alongside Kevin Feige who is working on an undisclosed Star Wars movie. Only time will tell what lies ahead for the Star Wars franchise in the future, as Disney’s leadership seems rocky so far when it comes to this space opera set in a galaxy far, far away.
