Taika Waititi is confirmed to direct and co-write a new Star Wars movie, but when will it be released? As most fans know by now, the Star Wars film series is on hiatus for a couple of years, following The Rise of Skywalker. Lucasfilm is turning their attention to live-action TV shows for the immediate future, but audiences haven’t seen the last of Star Wars on the big screen. In fact, last year Disney set aside release dates for three mystery Star Wars films in December 2022, 2024, and 2026. In typical Lucasfilm fashion, specific details about these projects are being kept under wraps, leaving fans desperate for information.
Star Wars has no shortage of movies said to be in development. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is working on one, and Rian Johnson’s long-gestating trilogy is still on the table for the time being. Back in January, word got out Taika Waititi had been approached to develop a Star Wars movie, which the Oscar-winner humorously denied in interviews. However, to celebrate May the 4th, Lucasfilm officially confirmed Waititi is directing a new Star Wars film, co-writing the script with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. That news is quite exciting for fans, but the big question is when will they be able to see this movie?
Lucasfilm’s announcement mentioned Waititi’s Star Wars movie will receive a theatrical premiere, so unless Disney makes any more changes to their upcoming schedule, that means it will likely debut in 2024 or 2026. December 2022 is simply unrealistic, due to Waititi’s commitment to helm Thor: Love and Thunder for Marvel. That film is slated to come out in February 2022. Production on Thor: Love and Thunder is delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the expectation is it will film at some point in 2021. Even for someone as talented as Waititi, making major Marvel and Star Wars movies in the same year is too much to ask.
Right now, there doesn’t appear to be anywhere else on the calendar Waititi’s Star Wars move could fit. Beginning next year, Disney is alternating between Avatar sequels and Star Wars movies for their holiday tentpole (with Avatar coming in 2021, 2023, 2025, and 2027) and they seem committed to keeping Star Wars in December. At one point, the idea was for Solo: A Star Wars Story to be the first of many new Star Wars movies releasing in May, but that all changed when Solo became a box office bomb. Disney learned the hard way Star Wars belongs in December now. It seems improbable Waititi’s Star Wars movie will come out any other time of year, especially when one considers the sheer number of projects Disney is responsible for. They have so many movies coming out over the next few years, and want to make sure they aren’t self-cannibalizing.
At first glance, it may seem odd to announce a director for a movie that’s at least four years away, but it’s pretty par for the course in Star Wars. Remember, Rian Johnson signed on to helm the film that became 2017’s The Last Jedi back in 2014. As Lucasfilm plans their upcoming Star Wars movie slate, they’re trying to get the pieces in place so hopefully things run smoother than they have in the past. As for when an official announcement about when Waititi’s Star Wars movie will come out, that’s probably a ways away. Disney doesn’t want to commit to anything right now, as they wait and see what lingering effects the pandemic has on the industry. Hopefully, fans will have a better idea about the future of Star Wars soon.
