Taika Waititi has confirmed that his long-in-development Star Wars movie is officially on hold. The director revealed the status of the project while promoting his latest film, Klara and the Sun.
Waititi told Inverse that he and his collaborators are putting the Star Wars film on ice. He stated that the team is currently working on a different project together. The director did not provide further details about the new venture or the specific reasons for the pause.
Waititi Discusses Project Status
During the interview, Waititi’s publicist reportedly advised him not to elaborate on the Star Wars project. Waititi acknowledged this instruction, noting that he did not know how to make the situation more vague. He described the status as very “iced” and mentioned that he has about four other movies he is trying to produce.
He added that ice ages do come to an end, suggesting that the pause might not be permanent. However, he did not specify when or if the Star Wars film would resume development.
Previous Comments and Reception
Waititi had previously discussed his approach to the Star Wars franchise. In January, he said he was trying to capture more of the fun from the original films. He noted that while the stakes are high and serious themes are present, there is also a lot of fun to be had in those stories.
The director explained that he wanted to create a world that felt separate from the existing Star Wars space. He felt that the franchise already has many things going on, so his project would need to be different and its own thing.
Previously, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy stated that Waititi’s Star Wars project was still somewhat alive. Waititi’s latest directorial effort, Klara and the Sun, has received mixed responses from critics and fans. Variety’s Guy Lodge wrote in his review that Jenna Ortega tries hard to illuminate the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s work. However, Lodge criticized Waititi’s decision to play the film for strained, whimsical comedy, calling it ruinous.
Source: Variety
