Taika Waititi's Star Wars Movie Will Be Something We've Never Seen Before
Taika Waititi's filmography is full of films that inspire fascination as well as unabashed delight. The independent director started with such gems as 2014's "What We Do in the Shadows" and 2016's "Hunt For the Wilderpeople," but in recent years has become one of the most highly sought-after directors in Hollywood. Not only did Waititi's work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe result in the revitalization of the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) via 2017's "Thor: Ragnarok," but Waititi is also the man responsible for 2020's "Jojo Rabbit," the film that earned the writer-director his first Oscar win.
To many fans, it would appear that there is seemingly nothing he can't accomplish. In 2020, Waititi found himself tapped once again for another major franchise (via StarWars). Having already directed one episode of the hit Disney+ series "The Mandalorian," Waititi's involvement in a big-screen project set in the same universe probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise to fans. However, the long drought in news since the project's first announcement has likely surprised at least a few people.
Fortunately, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy recently provided an exclusive interview to Total Film, in which she provided a few morsels of detail on the upcoming Waititi film. Most notably, Kennedy confirmed that plans are to see the film released in theaters in 2023. For those wondering just exactly what to expect from the unique director, Waititi gave a very on-brand follow-up interview.
Taika Waititi isn't interested in Chewbacca's grandmother
In news that will surprise absolutely no one, Taika Waititi has no intention of creating your typical "Star Wars" film. After 40 years of watching the franchise tread familiar territory, the director insists that he has something else in mind for a galaxy far, far away. Total Film followed up with Waititi, curious about what he is bringing to the project.
"Look, I think for the 'Star Wars' universe to expand, it has to expand," he confessed to the publication. "I don't think that I'm any use in the 'Star Wars' universe making a film where everyone's like, 'Oh great, well that's the blueprints to the Millennium Falcon, ah that's Chewbacca's grandmother.' That all stands alone, that's great, though I would like to take something new and create some new characters and just expand the world, otherwise it feels like it's a very small story."
This quote from the director appears very much aligned with the stated goals of Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, who also told the outlet that the company is focused on "[creating] a whole new saga." Interestingly, Kennedy also zeroed in on how Disney+ content will impact the "next iteration of Star Wars," telling Total Film, "As we leave the [Skywalker] saga, we have all this great, exciting work happening on the television side that informs so much about where we're going."
Of course, Kennedy surely knows that when you get Waititi, you definitely don't want the same old, same old.