A project frozen after years of development
Taika Waititi has acknowledged that the Star Wars film he has been attached to since 2020 is no longer moving forward for now. Speaking with Inverse while promoting his newest release, Klara and the Sun, the director described the project as suspended and said he and his collaborators are instead developing something else. He indicated that a publicist had urged him to keep the details vague, then conceded he could not soften the news.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6]
Waititi characterized the film as thoroughly stalled, noting that he currently has about four other movies he is trying to make. Even so, he left a door open, remarking that frozen periods eventually thaw and that nobody can say for certain what comes next.[S1][S4]
What he wanted the film to feel like
Earlier in January, Waititi explained his creative ambitions for the project, saying he hoped to recapture some of the sense of enjoyment he associates with the franchise's earliest installments. He argued that those films balanced grave stakes with considerable playfulness, and that this combination was what he wanted to revive.[S1]
He also stressed that his story would have needed to stand somewhat apart from the wider Star Wars continuity, given how much material already exists in that universe. In his view, anything he made there had to feel distinctive and carry its own identity.[S1]
Lucasfilm's shifting plans and a mixed reception elsewhere
Kathleen Kennedy, who is departing as Lucasfilm's head, had previously described Waititi's Star Wars project as not entirely dead. The new remarks indicate that whatever life remained has now been paused.[S1]
Meanwhile, Waititi's current release, Klara and the Sun, has drawn divided reactions from reviewers and audiences. Variety critic Guy Lodge judged that Jenna Ortega works hard to carry the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, but that the director's choice to treat the material as strained whimsical comedy undermines the result.[S1]
