New ‘Star Wars’ Project Planned Helmed By J.D. Dillard And ‘Luke Cage’ Writer

While we still try to get over “The Rise of Skywalker” and wait for news on Rian Johnson’s movie trilogy, there seems to be a disturbance in the Force, which heralds the arrival of a new and exciting voice helming a new movie in the franchise far, far away. Turns out, “Sweetheart” and “Sleight” director, J.D. Dillard is set to develop a new “Star Wars” project, whatever that means.

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The news comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which confirms that Dillard and “Luke Cage” writer Matt Owens have been tapped to develop some kind of project in the “Star Wars” universe, but it is unclear at the moment whether the project will be for the big screen, or for Disney+. After all, one of the most anticipated features of the streaming platform was the possibility of film and TV projects related to “Star Wars” and the MCU dropping on the platform but still being big-budget and with the scope of a theatrical feature film. After the success of “The Mandalorian,” we don’t really have any details regarding future “Star Wars” movies (we do know there are films supposed to be released on 2022, 2024 and 2026), but we do know that Lucasfilm and Disney are going to release a series based on the Cassian Andor character from “Rogue One” and eventually that promised Obi-Wan series. So it would be interesting to see a big-budget “Star Wars” movie available on Disney+ all over the world simultaneously.

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We don’t know yet if Dillard will direct or simply produce, but it is still important to note that this would make him the first person of color to develop a “Star Wars” project from the ground up (depending on Taika Waititi’s rumored project). Dillard, of course, is no stranger to Lucasfilm and the “Star Wars” universe, as he worked as one of J.J. Abrams’ assistants during the production of “The Force Awakens” and appeared as a Stormtrooper in “The Rise of Skywalker.”