Remember recently, when we talked about how the “Star Wars” film franchise (putting aside the TV world, for now) is in a bit of a confusing flux? There’s a release date scheduled in 2025, but what film would occupy that space? Could it be the upcoming project from Taika Waititi? Maybe the just-announced film from writer Damon Lindelof and director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Or perhaps Kevin Feige’s rumored project could sneak in and take the spot? All this just showcases just how confusing it is to keep track of the various “Star Wars” films currently in development. Well, to add to that confusion, Lucasfilm is apparently bringing in filmmaker Shawn Levy to work on yet another “Star Wars” mystery film.
According to Deadline, Shawn Levy is in talks to develop and direct a new “Star Wars” film for Lucasfilm. While there is no real details regarding the plot of the film or who might be writing it, at least we do know that this likely won’t be the 2025 “Star Wars” feature. You see, Levy is really busy right now and won’t be able to direct the new “Star Wars” film until he is done with “Deadpool 3” and “Stranger Things” Season 5 duties.
More recently, Levy scored big with his action-comedy “Free Guy” and his Netflix film, “The Adam Project.” Those collaborations with Ryan Reynolds put him in line to direct the upcoming “Deadpool 3,” which currently has a 2024 release date. In addition, Levy is one of the producers of “Stranger Things” and has directed multiple episodes of the series. He’s reportedly in line to direct at least two of the final season installments. All that to say, he’s probably incredibly busy working on all of these other projects through most of 2024, which makes it very difficult to believe he’d be able to get a “Star Wars” film in front of cameras fast enough to meet a December 2025 date.
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Again, we also don’t have any idea what this film might look like. That’s just part of the general confusion about the current state of the “Star Wars” franchise when it comes to films. Over on TV, the franchise is seemingly going strong with prequels utilizing well-known characters from previous films. But it would appear that the mandate for the next “Star Wars” film is to focus on something new. I know what you’re thinking— “A ‘Star Wars’ film featuring a new story and new characters not related to previous installments of the Skywalker Saga?! Unlikely!” But hey, Lucasfilm could still surprise us, right?