It has been six years since filmmaker Taika Waititi was linked to a “Star Wars” film. According to the director, it’s going to be a very, very long time before we see it… if we even do.
The New Zealand-born filmmaker was originally slated to helm a film which Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917”) was set to write, and then later screenwriter Tony McNamara (“The Favourite”) came on board. Still, it never seemed to go anywhere until we got an update back in January as Kathleen Kennedy exited Lucasfilm.
At the time, it was said a script had been completed that was “hilarious and great”, with Waititi saying at Sundance this year he hoped to “harness a little bit more of the fun from the original films”.
But since then there’s been little movement, and Waititi has multiple projects in development – any one of which could move forward. Speaking with Inverse during promotion for his upcoming film “Klara and the Sun,” Waititi says his proposed “Star Wars” film is being locked away into cold storage:
“I hate to break this to you, but we [Waititi and McNamara] are going to actually put it on ice, and we’re working on a different thing together… It’s very iced. I’ve got about four other movies I’m trying to do.”
Asked what that different project he mentioned is, he asked his publicist if he could say any more and was told: “If you have to ask, the answer is no.” Waititi added: “Well, there’s your answer. I don’t even know how to dress it up or make it even vague.”
That said, he’s not willing to say he’s shut the door on the film altogether, rather leaving it open just a crack: “Ice ages do come to an end. Who knows?”
Upcoming works on his slate include a “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” movie, “We’re Wolves,” a film adaptation of acclaimed comic “The Incal,” and a film take on the satirical novel “Barn 8”.
After a dream run of acclaim for this work, Waititi’s film directorial efforts have stumbled in recent years, with “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Next Goal Wins” receiving mixed reviews. “Klara and the Sun,” which was panned in its recent festival premiere, opens in theaters on October 23rd.
