The list of Star Wars movies that have been teased but don’t appear to ever be happening is growing so long it’s tough to keep track. There were the planned trilogies by DB Weiss and David Benioff, along with the one from Rian Johnson. Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron film was ultimately scrapped, as well as a movie from Marvel head Kevin Feige. And firmly established in that group is a movie by Taika Waititi that he has bene mulling over for a long time with very little actual movement, while keeping fans on the hook with lots of public statements.
And now there’s another that has some convinced the film will indeed become a reality, even though nothing Waititi says suggests that to be true. While speaking with Variety at the premiere of his soccer comedy Next Goal Wins, Waititi was asked about his Star Wars movie and said…
“It will be…dramatic pause…a Taika Waititi film.”
Waititi would then add, jokingly, “It’s gonna p*ss people off.”
Whatever that means from a story standpoint, who knows? But Waititi knows, after the polarizing reaction to his Marvel films Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love & Thunder, that his style can rub some fans the wrong way. It’s a given that he’d anger Star Wars fans, too, and all he needs to do is look at their reaction to the most recent Skywaker Trilogy. They are a fickle, often angry bunch if you don’t give them the meat and potatoes they’re used to, and Waititi doesn’t do meat and potatoes. That’s one of the cool things about him as a filmmaker, even if it doesn’t always work out as planned.
Basically, Waititi is saying something without saying much of anything. It was just days ago that Waititi confirmed he won’t be directing a fifth Thor movie, while at the same time admitting that he’s still “marinating” on whatever his Star Wars project will be. Nothing has progressed far enough for Lucasfilm to give it a green light, much less to set a release date.
Here’s hoping that changes soon, because after stints in The Mandalorian we know Waititi can find ways to have fun with the galaxy far far away. What’s the worst thing he could do to anger people, though? Cast himself in the lead role as the greatest, most powerful Jedi Knight ever? He wouldn’t do that…right?