Star Wars: Taika Waititi set to direct, co-write new theatrical film
On Star Wars Day 2020, Luscasfilm has confirmed some exciting rumors, including Taika Waititi directing a new movie.
Lucasfilm has announced that Taika Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit, is set to direct and co-write a brand new, theatrically released, feature film. Waititi will be penning the project with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, writer of 1917 and the upcoming Last Night in Soho.
This isn’t Waititi’s first foray into the Star Wars universe. The New Zealand native directed ‘Redemption,’ the eight chapter of The Mandalorian’s first season. He also voiced the bounty hunter droid, IG-11, in three episodes.
Incoming news from a galaxy far, far away….
— Star Wars (@starwars) May 4, 2020
Academy Award winner @TaikaWaititi to direct and co-write a new Star Wars feature film for theatrical release; Academy Award nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns (@WeWriteAtDawn) to co-write screenplay with Waititi: https://t.co/o3Exz8ndy9 pic.twitter.com/Yrt0LQbi7B
Both Waititi and Wilson-Cairns are heading into it on the back of two lauded projects. Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit earned Academy Award and BAFTA Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay. What Waititi is most known for, however, is his first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; Thor: Ragnarok. The film is set to see a sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder, in 2022.
For Krysty Wilson-Cairns, 2019’s 1917 saw her awarded a BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film, and an Academy Award nomination for the award of Best Original Screenplay.
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Small Screen
In addition to this announcement, we received confirmation that Emmy Award-nominee Leslye Headland, writer of Netflix’s Russian Doll, will be developing a new Star Wars series for Disney+. Headland will write, executive produce, and act as showrunner for the as-yet untitled series.
While both of these projects have been heavily rumored, it’s welcome to see them both receive a confirmation on “Star Wars DAy”. The pedigree behind the two is undeniable, given the accolades all three names have been nominated for, and the successes all three have enjoyed.
While release dates for both projects have yet to be confirmed, there is plenty to keep Star Wars fans busy before either sees release. The second season of The Mandalorian is currently in post-production, with a third being green-lit, and both the Cassian Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi series’ are in the early stages of production.
dark. Next. Star Wars report: The Mandalorian Season 3 is in pre-production
What do you make of the announcements? Is there anyone you hope will oversee a Star Wars projects in the future? Let us know!