After Kathleen Kennedy's Exit, New Live Action Star Wars Movie Gets First Positive Update in 6 Years

1 week ago 15

Image via Lucasfilm

Published Jan 26, 2026, 10:13 AM EST

Adam Blevins began working in the entertainment industry in 2022 as a Staff Writer for Agents of Fandom, where he progressed to Senior Editor and interviewed talent from Marvel Studios, House of the Dragon, and Planet of the Apes. He joined Collider as a News Author in April 2024, was promoted to a Senior position in December 2024, and has written over 3,000 articles for the site, including exclusives relating to Avengers: Doomsday, The Penguin, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and more. He primarily writes about the latest box office numbers and the hottest movies and TV shows on streaming, while also covering superhero and sci-fi news. He has completed a set visit for The Chosen and even has several months of experience writing Gaming Features at ScreenRant. You can find him on X, LinkedIn, and Muckrack.

It’s been over five years since Disney announced that Taika Waititi was developing a Star Wars movie, and while most fans assumed development had stalled, the director is here to confirm that it’s still very much in the works. Waititi was recently at the Sundance Film Festival, and he sat down for an interview to promote his new family comedy, Fingi, and he was asked if he had anything new to share about his Star Wars movie.

There has been a spark of interest in Waititi’s Star Wars movie after former Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy praised Waititi’s script during her exit interview. Kennedy is leaving the company, and Dave Filoni is replacing her. Waititi confirmed during his interview that he’s “trying to go back and harness a little bit of the fun from the original films,” in which he recalls that “the stakes were very high, and it was very serious, but there was a lot of fun to be had in those films, which is what I’m trying to bring back.” Waititi has delivered plenty of fun before with movies like Thor: Ragnarok, so it stands to reason that his Star Wars film could be an action-packed adventure.

Star Wars has a few movies on the big screen to get through before Waititi’s film arrives in theaters. Next up on the slate is The Mandalorian & Grogu, the continuation of The Mandalorian starring Pedro Pascal. The film hits screens on May 22. Next year, Lucasfilm will bring Starfighter to the big screen. The film hails from director Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine), and it stars Ryan Gosling and Amy Adams. Jonathan Tropper (Your Friends & Neighbors) wrote the script for Starfighter.

Is Taika Waititi Making Another Thor Movie?

Taika Waititi has confirmed that he will not direct another Thor movie. Waititi previously directed Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder, but the former was met with a much more positive reception than the latter. Waititi revived the character out of a Shakespearean slumber in Ragnarok, but many felt he killed the character with too much silliness in Love and Thunder. Thor is confirmed to return in Avengers: Doomsday later this year, and the second teaser for the film alluded to a much more serious God of Thunder. If another Thor movie is even going to happen, it will almost certainly be someone else behind the camera.

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie.