Taika Waititi Star Wars Movie Stalling Out?
Taika Waititi’s Star Wars film is in danger of stalling out and never being finished. According to a write-up in IGN, the Thor: Love & Thunder filmmaker has openly expressed the need to take his time working on the film, perhaps even pushing it to the back burner while he completes other projects. The Star Wars franchise has seen a major shakeup in recent years, as Disney execs plan to restrict projects within the universe down to only one or two outings per year.
The Quality Over Quantity Approach
Disney CEO Bob Iger has expressed a desire to enter a ‘quality over quantity’ phase with massive franchises such as Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, resulting in stripping back a number of announced projects which haven’t already begun active production. Kevin Feige’s Star Wars film has been definitively scrapped, along with Game Of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss’ planned trilogy, as Marvel heads have started scaling back new announcements. With Taika Waititi’s Star Wars film still in the early stages of production, it certainly wouldn’t be wise to hold out hope for the untitled project.
Taking Too Long
Taika Waititi seems to be taking a laissez-faire attitude towards his planned Star Wars film as well. The filmmaker previously praised the timing of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes for sparing him the obligation to work through an impending burnout, with the JoJo Rabbit director explaining to the public that he was more than happy to take a few months off from his many active projects and follow his spouse Rita Ora around on tour.
Taika Waititi’s Priorities Shift
Now that the strikes have concluded, Taika Waititi seems to be easing his way back into the film industry, and trying to prioritize active productions over long-term projects such as his Star Wars contribution. Waititi has stated that Disney executives have planned to push his Star Wars project as far as he needs them to while they prioritize their massive schedules as well, though the growing graveyard of unfinished projects within the cinematic universe paints a different picture.
Don’t Expect The Movie Anytime Soon, If Ever
Regardless, Taika Waititi doesn’t seem to be overly concerned with rushing his Star Wars script, explaining to members of the press that his primary concern is getting it done right, not fast. With Waititi helming so many other film and television projects at this time, experts are estimating that his Star Wars film may not be completed and in theaters for many years, perhaps even beyond 2030. Waititi currently serves as a producer on over half a dozen upcoming IMDb titles, with seven upcoming projects listed under his directorial umbrella.
Taika Waititi’s Upcoming Projects
In addition to helming a Tower of Terror film, an episode of Time Bandits, and a live-action adaptation of Akira, Taika Waititi also produces and stars in the Max original series Our Flag Means Death, along with a number of other television projects such as Reservation Dogs, What We Do In The Shadows, and Wellington Paranormal. With Waititi expected to work on all these projects and more before even getting started on a new draft of his Star Wars script, it seems unlikely that the final product will arrive in theaters any time soon, and maybe ever.
