Judging by the recent reports, it would appear the next “Star Wars” film to arrive in theaters will likely be whatever Taika Waititi comes up with. And while we don’t have any specifics about Waititi’s addition to the galaxy far, far away, the filmmaker is teasing that it’s going to be something brand-new.
Speaking to TotalFilm, Taika Waititi briefly teased what he has up his sleeve for his upcoming “Star Wars” feature. On the heels of Kathleen Kennedy’s recent declaration that the “Star Wars” universe needs to grow and not just be tied to the Skywalker Saga, Waititi confirms that he’s planning on doing just that.
“Look, I think for the ‘Star Wars’ universe to expand, it has to expand,” Waititi explained. “I don’t think that I’m any use in the ‘Star Wars’ universe making a film where everyone’s like, ‘Oh great, well that’s the blueprints to the Millennium Falcon, ah that’s Chewbacca’s grandmother.’ That all stands alone, that’s great, though I would like to take something new and create some new characters and just expand the world, otherwise it feels like it’s a very small story.”
He’s not wrong about being the type of filmmaker that thrives when he’s allowed to expand and evolve a franchise. Look at what he did with the “Thor” franchise at Marvel Studios. After the dreadful, “Thor: The Dark World,” Waititi came aboard and breathed new life into the character with ‘Ragnarok’ and next in ‘Love & Thunder.’ How did that happen? Well, it’s clear Marvel Studios sat back and let Taika Waititi be Taika Waititi.
That leads to the one nagging question surrounding his hiring for a “Star Wars” feature— will Kathleen Kennedy and the executives at Lucasfilm let Waititi do his thing? In the past, specifically when it comes to the debacle surrounding Phil Lord and Chris Miller being fired from ‘Solo,’ the idea of filmmakers taking big swings with “Star Wars” seems like something Kennedy doesn’t necessarily support. Though, that was during a time when “Star Wars” seemed untouchable, and we now know the franchise is in need of some rejuvenation, especially on the big screen.
All that to say, let’s hope Lucasfilm gives Waititi the chance to really do his thing for his “Star Wars” film. A release date for the feature has yet to be announced.