Star Wars: Taika Waititi Details His Favorite Moment From The Empire Strikes Back

Lucasfilm announced earlier this year that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi would be directing a new Star Wars film, yet the studio held back on revealing details about what the adventure would tackle, with the filmmaker recently detailing that his favorite moment in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back features Luke “failing” his Jedi training when Yoda lifted his X-wing out of the Dagobah swamp. While this surely doesn’t give us substantial clues about what Waititi’s film could possibly explore, it does give us interesting insight into what it is about the saga that fascinates the ambitious director about the series.

“My favorite moment is on Dagobah when Luke is trying to bring his X-wing out of the swamp,” Waititi shared with The Star Wars Show. “Then Yoda, with his three little fingers, brings the thing out of the swamp. Not only just brings it up to the surface, out of the water, and what does Luke say? ‘I don’t believe it.’ That, for me, is the best moment in the film. That’s a message I can take with me throughout my life.”

In a film jam-packed with iconic and memorable sequences, it’s hard to deny the power of the moment the filmmaker chose.

With the filmmaker often incorporating plenty of humor into any story he tells, fans didn’t entirely know what to expect with Ragnarok, only for the film to go on to become one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest successes. Despite the excitement surrounding Waititi’s Star Wars film, audiences likely shouldn’t expect any major updates in the foreseeable future.

Last week, Lucasfilm announced that the next film to hit theaters would be Patty Jenkins’ Star Wars: Rogue Squadron on December 22, 2023. The next secured release date is in December of 2025, which might potentially be Waititi’s film. The filmmaker is currently working on Thor: Love and Thunder, with the timeline of production, post-production, and the film’s release implying that the director might not start work on pre-production for his Star Wars film until 2022.

Luckily, Waititi isn’t the only filmmaker working on the project, as he’s working with 1917 writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns to develop the script.

It’s also worth noting that, while Lucasfilm currently has three released dates secured for Star Wars films, it’s surely possible that more release dates can be announced in the coming year.

Stay tuned for details on Taika Waititi’s Star Wars film.

What’s your favorite moment in The Empire Strikes Back? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!