From the moment Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy made it known that the focus of the Star Wars franchise is once again going to be moving to the big screen, there seems to have been more talk of who won’t be making any of those new films than who will. Now it seems that following news that both Patty Jenkins and Kevin Feige’s proposed movies will not be happening, and Rian Johnson seems to be moving further and further from the franchise, Damon Lindelof is the latest to suggest that he also won’t be stepping up to the plate to bat for the team either.
Lindelof has been on the radar to take the helm of a Star Wars movie for some time, but in a recent interview with SlashFilm, he seemed to suggest that the complex and very constraining franchise may not be one he has an interest in being part of anymore. He said:
"I will just say, that for reasons that I can't get into on this Sunday morning, on this day, the degree of difficulty is extremely, extremely, extremely high. If it can't be great, it shouldn't exist. That's all I'll say, because I have the same association with it as you do, which is, it's the first movie I saw sitting in my dad's lap, four years old, May of '77. I think it's possible that sometimes when you hold something in such high reverence and esteem, you start to get in the kitchen and you just go, 'Maybe I shouldn't be cooking. Maybe I should just be eating.' We'll just leave it at that point."
Who Will Take Control of the New Star Wars Movie?
There are several rumors that this year’s Star Wars Celebration will reveal the next phase of Star Wars, particularly the arrival of the long-awaited announcement about exactly where the movie side of the franchise will be heading and who will be taking it there. Currently, the front-runner seems to be Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi, who has been working on a script for his take on the sci-fi saga for some time now.
Waititi has previously hinted that he has been trying to nail down his story, but it seems he was still doing that just a few months ago. Although this is not the most encouraging sign, whatever the new Star Wars film turns out to be, it is currently scheduled to hit cinemas in December 2025. Ideally, the movie would be looking to start production no later than the beginning of 2024.
Currently, the Star Wars franchise is being kept alive by its Disney+ series, including The Mandalorian, which returned this month after more than two years to a so-so reception. Although there is very little that could stop any Star Wars project from being a hit, the next few years will be pivotal for the Star Wars franchise, and we may find out where some of its future projects will be coming from this April.