Taika Waititi Has Perfect Response to Reports of Developing a Star Wars Movie

Following the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the future of the galaxy far, far away [...]

By Jenna Anderson

Following the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the future of the galaxy far, far away feels pretty darn ambiguous. Fans are curious to see what movies, Disney+ TV series, and other media will be released in the years to come, and what creatives will be involved in that journey. On Thursday, reports claimed that Taika Waititi, who has already directed and acted in the franchise in The Mandalorian TV series, was developing a Star Wars movie at Lucasfilm. Hours after the report first surfaced, Waititi took to Twitter to reveal that that might not be the case -- in a way that only he could. Waititi tweeted out a photo of the album cover of Fleetwood Mac's Rumors, seeming to indicate that these reports are nothing more than that.

Waititi directed two episodes of The Mandalorian's first season, while also lending his voice to the polite robot IG-11. This came after years of fans wanting Waititi to be involved with the Star Wars franchise, something that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy echoed.

"I would love for him to direct a Star Wars movie," Kennedy said in 2017. "I think he has exactly the right sensibility. It was very exciting to see him step into the Marvel universe and do such an amazing job with Thor."

"It's one of those experiences that you just know isn't going to happen, so you don't even bother dreaming about it," Waititi said of directing The Mandalorian in an interview last year. "So when you turn up, you're like, oh, this is a dream I didn't even know I had. And it's come true. It was just very surreal and strange. We shot the whole thing in a very similar style to the original films. And so that stuff keeps it grounded in the universe. And then you know, we had like a lot of practical effects and a lot of creature design. And all of that — just to be on set around that stuff — there's nothing like it."

While this doesn't mean that Waititi will never be involved with the film side of the Star Wars franchise, it's safe to say that he has a full roster of projects at the moment. In addition to the recent Oscar nominations surrounding his World War II satire Jojo Rabbit, Waititi is currently working on a soccer drama called Next Goal Wins. After that, he is expected to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Thor: Love and Thunder, which will reportedly begin filming next August. And of course, Waititi already has the long-gestating film adaptation of Akira on the backburner, after being attached to it since last spring.

What do you think of Taika Waititi debunking these Star Wars movie rumors? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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