If I were to choose what I consider to be the best thing to come out of the Star Wars universe in the last five years, the answer would unquestionably be Andor. While working within the complicated framework as a prequel to Rogue One, it gets into the gritty Rebels vs. Empire dynamic in a way fans have never seen before, and it’s emotional in its reflection of our world in the 21st century. It stands as one of the great dramas in the history of the franchise – and in the wake of that accomplishment, I am very ready for Taika Waititi to try and hit that same high bar with “fun” in his upcoming Star Wars movie.
It was all the way back in May 2020 that we first learned that the director of Jojo Rabbit was going to be tackling a movie in the Star Wars universe, and the project is still very much alive amid major changes behind the scenes at LucasFilm. The status of the developing blockbuster has been earning some new attention in recent days thanks to the news that Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from her leadership position, and when Variety asked Waititi about the project recently during an interview at the Sundance Film Festival, he explained that he’s not planning to necessary break the Star Wars mold with his contribution:
I think you’ve seen it before, but I’m just trying to sort of go back and harness a little more of the fun from the original films, which is what I remember. The stakes were very high and there are serious things going on, but, also, there’s a lot of fun to be had in those films. And so that’s what I was trying to bring back.
Taika Waititi has said in the past that he knows it’s impossible to please every aspect of the Star Wars fanbase, and that idea has very much been reflected in the response to recent output from the franchise: reactions tend to be very binary in the “love it or hate it” sense, as it seems at times that different factions are looking for very different things in the lore from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
That being said, I also feel that audiences everywhere can get behind a smart blockbuster with intentions to just be fun through and through, and I’m keeping fingers tightly crossed that the Thor: Ragnarok writer/director can thread that needle.
Of course, the big question that takes priority over “will it be good?” right now is “When will it actually get made?” and that’s not a question to which we have an answer. The Waititi solo project is one of several that is currently in the works from the franchise – the list also including a post-Rise Of Skywalker Rey movie, a Simon Kinberg-produced trilogy, and a Dave Filoni feature set in the New Republic era (none of which currently have release dates).
The good news: if you’re foaming at the mouth to see a new Star Wars film on the big screen, The Mandalorian & Grogu will be arriving on May 22, and Star Wars: Starfighter starring Ryan Gosling is being prepped for one year later on May 28, 2027.
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