Star Wars and The Rocketeer Projects No Longer Being Developed by J.D. Dillard

Back in 2020, reports emerged that Sleight director J.D. Dillard was in talks to develop a film for the Star Wars franchise, and after more than two years of silence about such an endeavor, the filmmaker has confirmed that the project is no longer a "go" at the studio. Additionally, the filmmaker also confirmed that while he had previously been attached to a new take on The Rocketeer, he is no longer involved in that project either. Whether either of these two projects will still be moving forward but without Dillard attached or if they were abandoned by the studio entirely is yet to be revealed.

While speaking with TheWrap, Dillard recently noted that whatever the Star Wars project would have been is "unfortunately no longer a thing" though "it was not for lack of trying." While fans would understandably be curious about what that project would have explored, the filmmaker avoided offering any specifics, though he did reveal that the video game Star Wars: TIE Fighter left a major impact on him as a kid.

"My dad being an aviator, we had a bunch of flight simulators," Dillard explained to the outlet. "I'm playing this game for months. And my dad's flying it with me. And I'm like, 'Man, this game is just so cool.' And he's like, 'Well, you know, this game comes from a series of movies.' And I was like, 'You're kidding me.' That is where I watched Star Wars for the first time and realized the full scope of what it meant to world build because I'd been playing this pseudo-16-bit game."

Back in 2021, reports emerged about The Return of the Rocketeer being developed as a film for Disney+, with Dillard having been rumored to be connected to that project since back before those reports grew more concrete. Regardless of the status of that project, Dillard revealed he is no longer connected to that version of the revival.

"I am not on that movie," the filmmaker confirmed. "But, you know, it's tricky. I love, love, love The Rocketeer. What I have a slightly hard time wrapping my head around now is going back to pre-1970 aviation. You know, I'm not saying never. But I think I need a breather from period aviation."

With his new film Devotion focusing on fighter pilots in the Korean War, it clearly would have covered similar territory to what we would see in a Rocketeer movie, and he admitted he has "no idea what version of that story they're putting together" looks like and that his take on the concept "would have a lot of common DNA with Devotion."

Stay tuned for updates on the Star Wars and The Rocketeer franchises.

Are you disappointed Dillard is no longer attached to these projects? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!