Taika Waititi Reveals New Details About His Upcoming Star Wars Movie

Taika Waititi’s long-gestating Star Wars movie has been in development since 2020, when Disney and Lucasfilm announced the Jojo Rabbit Oscar winner would helm a new film in the franchise written by 1917 scribe Krysty Wilson-Cairns.

There had been no major updates in the six years following that announcement, but interest in the project was recently revived after exiting Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy stated that Waititi’s film was still somewhat alive.

So what exactly does Waititi have in store for the galaxy far, far away? I’m just trying to go back and harness a little bit more of the fun from the original films, which is what I remember [from] them, he told Variety at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival during the premiere of his new film, Fing!.

The director emphasized that while the stakes remain high in his script, he wants to move away from the heavy, overly serious tone that has dominated recent entries. The stakes are very high, and there’s serious things going on, but there’s also a lot of fun to be had in those films. That’s what I was trying to bring back, Waititi continued.

He also expressed a desire to carve out a unique space within the franchise rather than getting tangled in existing continuity. I was trying to work in a world that was a little bit separate to that because they’ve got so many things going on within that space. For me to do something there, it would need to be a little different and a little bit more its own thing, he added.

Kennedy, who recently announced her retirement after 14 years at the helm of Lucasfilm, gave the project a final vote of confidence. She confirmed that Waititi has turned in a script that I think is hilarious and great. However, she noted that the ultimate fate of the film now rests with her successors, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, as she has a foot out the door.

Waititi attended Sundance this year to promote the family adventure Fing!, based on the popular children’s book by David Walliams. Directed by Jeffrey Walker and co-starring Iona Bell, Mia Wasikowska, and Blake Harrison, the film follows two librarians, the Meeks, who must protect a rare, one-eyed creature from a greedy aristocrat. Waititi steps into the role of the movie’s villain, the eccentric Viscount.

Aside from his villainous turn in Fing!, Taika Waititi has remained one of the busiest figures in Hollywood. He recently completed work on Klara and the Sun, an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel starring Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, which is slated for a 2026 release. He is also set to voice a character in the upcoming animated feature The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender.

As Lucasfilm enters a new era under Dave Filoni’s creative leadership, the future of Waititi’s “hilarious” script remains a major point of curiosity for the fandom. Whether it becomes a priority for the 2029 slate or remains a relic of the previous administration is yet to be seen.

Do you think a “hilarious” and “fun” standalone story is exactly what the Star Wars franchise needs right now, or should Lucasfilm focus on the core Skywalker-related sagas? Share your thoughts in the comments.