Taika Waititi Being Recruited for Star Wars Movie

After making the most successful Thor movie for Marvel Studios and helming the series finale for Star Wars: The Mandalorian, it looks like Disney and Lucasfilm are looking forward to working with Taika Waititi much more in the future. According to a new report, Lucasfilm is supposedly courting Waititi for a brand new Star Wars movie in the near future. This comes after Waititi’s latest original film Jojo Rabbit was nominated for multiple Oscars at the Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture prize. It is unclear what project he is being eyed for, as Lucasfilm has multiple projects in the works.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lucasfilm is hard at work in attempting to lure Waititi to the Star Wars galaxy, though it’s unclear just where those talks are at this time.

Waititi has been responsible for the success of multiple franchises in recent years. After turning heads with his original film The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, his other indie project What We Do In The Shadows was turned into an original series on the FX Network. He then made the popular film Thor: Ragnarok, which reinvigorated Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal of the God of Thunder.

Since then he has focused on his own personal films such as the award nominated Jojo Rabbit, as well as his upcoming movie Next Goal Wins. He also was heavily involved with the fan-favorite Disney+ series Star Wars: The Mandalorian, voicing a popular character as well as directing the first season finale.

There’s no word yet on whether or not this film will delay Waititi’s other projects. He is currently in the midst of the process on Next Goal Wins, a soccer-related movie that’s set to star Michael Fassbender. He then has Thor: Love and Thunder on his plate that is set for a release date in November 2021. But he was supposed to direct a live-action adaptation of the anime Akira for Warner Bros. Pictures after the next Marvel movie, though it seems like Disney could complicate those plans with a Star Wars movie.

There’s no question that Disney is focusing on Waititi to continue making movies under their various banners, as he produced a hit with Thor: Ragnarok and proved he makes good Star Wars content with Star Wars: The Mandalorian. Then he can make his own movies under the banner of Fox Searchlight, where he recently earned a ton of praise at the Academy Awards and on the film festival circuit for Jojo Rabbit. Don’t be surprised if Disney locks him down and lures him away from the siren’s song of Akira.

There’s no word if Waititi’s planned Star Wars film will be produced by Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, or if it’s a different project altogether.