This week it was revealed that Lucasfilm had lost writers screenwriters Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson, as the pair left last month after working on the script for the latest “Star Wars” film, with two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel“) attached to direct. Disney had previously slated the next big theatrical release for December 19, 2015, and after Patty Jenkins‘ “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron” getting shelved there were questions about what would take its place. And all signs pointed to the untitled film that Lindelof was working on to take the vacant spot.
Obaid-Chinoy will continue on, replacing Jenkins as the first female director to tackle a “Star Wars” movie, but someone else other than Lindelof will pen her film. A report from Variety names veteran screenwriter and television showrunner Steven Knight (“See,” “Rogue Heroes“) as who will take a crack on the film. It’ll be the first “Star Wars” feature film from Lucasfilm since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” And Knight will need to complete his work on the script soon, as there’s an assumed production window between 2023-2024 to get cameras rolling and meet that aforementioned release date in late 2025.
Knight’s extensive credits include “Peaky Blinders,” the David Cronenberg mobster pic “Eastern Promises,” the Brad Pitt spy pic “Allied,” the acclaimed Princess Diana drama “Spencer,” “The Girl In The Spider’s Web,” and the Tom Hardy-led domestic thriller “Locke.” A benefit of having Knight attached to the film is potentially having him on set (filming for “Star Wars” films mostly takes place at Pinewood Studios in England) and his abilities to punch-up scenes during production as needed. Knight’s involvement also gives off similar vibes to “Andor” mastermind Tony Gilroy, who mostly has serious projects geared towards adults under his belt.
But despite Knight on board, there’s still no concrete plot details about this upcoming “Star Wars” movie, like where the film takes place within the franchise’s extensive timeline or its connection to previous material. There’s hints that the studio will dish out info about the film at Star Wars Celebration 2023, which kicks off on April 7 in London. Could “Star Wars” be finally heading to The Old Republic era set in the distant past or looking towards future events beyond the sequel trilogy? That all remains to be seen.