Two years ago, Taika Waititi told Variety that his “Star Wars” movie, which is apparently still happening, “will be a Taika Waititi film.” He added, “It’s gonna piss people off.” This set off the fanbase.
Last we checked, “Poor Things” screenwriter Tony McNamara was hired to pen the screenplay. Now, don’t automatically connect McNamara with quality writing, as, yes, he did pen two acclaimed Lanthimos films (“The Favourite,” “Poor Things”), but also wrote “Cruella” and “The Roses.”
Regardless, the delays surrounding Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie haven’t shelved it from happening. Waititi is now telling Variety to expect something “fun.”
If I were Waititi, I’d move forward quickly on this project while Kennedy’s still around—I wouldn’t risk her replacement shelving it.
So what does Waititi have in store for “Star Wars” fans? “I’m just trying to go back and harness a little bit more of the fun from the original films, which is what I remember [from] them,” he now tells Variety.
“The stakes are very high, and there’s serious things going on, but there’s also a lot of fun to be had in those films. That’s what I was trying to bring back,” Waititi continued. “I was trying to work in a world that was a little bit separate to that because they’ve got so many things going on within that space. For me to do something there, it would need to be a little different and a little bit more its own thing.”
Earlier this month, Kathleen Kennedy, no longer Lucasfilm boss, mentioned that Waititi’s film remains “somewhat alive”—at least creatively. Kennedy revealed that Waititi had already turned in a completed script, calling it “hilarious and great.”
However, she emphasized that with her exit looming, its fate will ultimately be decided by the incoming leadership team, which includes Dave Filoni. The project is still in play, but not guaranteed.