New Star Wars movie to be written and directed by Taika Waititi

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Well, it’s official: a new Star Wars movie is on the way – and it’s set to be directed and co-written by none other than Taika Waititi.

The announcement came on, when else, May the Fourth (AKA Star Wars Day). StarWars.com carried the reveal, which stated that Waititi will be joining forces with Academy Award-nominated screenplay writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who penned 1917.

As of writing, that’s all that is known about the project. No title, no release date, not even a general synopsis or tease to glean info from. Still, it’s nice to have confirmation that the scary post-Rise of Skywalker world that the franchise has to navigate now looks slightly clearer.

Waititi, of course, already has experience in a galaxy far, far away. He not only starred in The Mandalorian as droid IG-11, but also directed the season 1 finale.

Earlier this year, Waititi moved to deny any rumours that he was attached to direct a Star Wars project.

“I wish there was a better story,” Waititi told Variety about those whispers. “Are there discussions about the Star Wars film? Like, yeah, I discussed with my friends in 1996 how cool Star Wars was. That’s what they’re going off.” He later said he would "love to" but only “if it was right. I would want to do any kind of movie if it made sense. And if it felt not like career suicide.

Taika Waititi’s next dated project for Disney, Thor: Love and Thunder, is set for February 11, 2022. Meanwhile, here's more of our Star Wars guides and lists to tide you over...

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.