December 20 is a pivotal day in the world of Lucasfilm and the “Star Wars” franchise. Not only is it the date when ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ arrives in theaters and officially closes out what is being called the Skywalker Saga, but it’s also the date that signals the release of the final, announced “Star Wars” film before what is becoming a more and more unknown future. But according to a new report, the direction of the “Star Wars” franchise is being worked on. We just don’t know the details…yet.
According to THR, the current plan to have a new “Star Wars” film arrive in December 2022 is still in the works, despite the recent news that “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and DB Weiss have departed the franchise. But that doesn’t mean that ‘Last Jedi’ filmmaker Rian Johnson is coming back to pick up the slack. The report claims that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has a director ready to go, but the studio likely won’t announce who it is until January.
Recently, rumors and speculation have swirled surrounding the future of the “Star Wars” franchise, post-‘Rise.’ Would Kevin Feige come in and save the day with his idea? The report says it’s being developed still, but he’s also really busy with his Marvel Studios commitments. In fact, Kennedy recently said that his “Star Wars” project is still “a way’s off.” So, Feige’s project is definitely not the film coming in 2022. Is Johnson going to fast-track his new “Star Wars” trilogy to make up for the ‘Thrones’ team’s departure? Apparently this is still in the works, but not for 2022. Whoever Lucasfilm has up their sleeve is someone that previously isn’t attached to a “Star Wars” film.
So, now the speculation is going to kick into high gear for the next two months. Names like Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, who are both working on “The Mandalorian” and have a strong working relationship with Lucasfilm and Disney, are both strong contenders. Or maybe Kennedy is going in a completely different direction? There are plenty of other filmmakers attached to “The Mandalorian” that could be used (Rick Famuyiwa comes to mind).
Honestly, even with Favreau and Filoni being the obvious choices, there’s also pressure on Lucasfilm to hire a non-white male to helm one of the films, so perhaps Kennedy will surprise fans with someone out of left field? Well, whatever the case, it appears that we’ll have to wait until January to know for sure. Until then, let’s just brace ourselves for ‘The Rise of Skywalker.’