The Star Wars Celebration in Japan is now over but news continues to emerge from the annual event. ScreenRant caught up with Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy at the event, where she revealed that the studio is keen on making Taika Waititi’s Star Wars film but its his schedule that has delayed the start of production.
Said Kennedy, "Taika is on Taika time… I’ve just continually said to him, look, when you feel that you’re ready and you can really devote the time, we’re going to do it. We’ll be waiting… I’m just hoping we get there. That will be a great Star Wars movie."
She also revealed to the site that Tony McNamara (Poor Things, The Favourite) is co-writing the script for the film alongside Waititi.
Currently on Waititi's docket is an adaptation of Klara and the Sun and an adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. On the latter, a producer recently teased that news about the project would soon be forthcoming, a possible indication that this could be Taika's next project.
| In Active Development/Pre-Production |
Early Development |
| STAR WARS: The Mandalorian & Grogu- currently scheduled to be released on May 22, 2026; directed by Jon Favreau and starring Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver |
James Mangold Dawn of the Jedi movie- said to explore the origins of the Force and the Jedi order, taking place 25,000 years before any known Star Wars events |
| STAR WARS: Starfighter - currently scheduled to be released on May 28, 2027; directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling |
Rian Johnson Star Wars trilogy |
| Rey-focused The Rise of Skywalker sequel - no release date, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and starring Daisy Ridley |
Taika Waititi's Star Wars film |
|
Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron film |
|
Donald Glover's Lando film |
|
Simon Kinberg's Star Wars trilogy |
As for the next Star Wars film set to hit theaters, a trailer for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu was released at the Star Wars Celebration event in Japan, although it has yet to be formally released online.
Star Pedro Pascal was in attendance and stated, "an unbelievable thing to have to be a part of something that had such incredible influence on me as a kid...it was a secret wish of mine from the beginning because of how cinematically sophisticated it was."
"I can tell you that what they are going to deliver [The Mandalorian And Grogu], they'll be topping themselves as filmmakers, and it is a ride, a gorgeous, exciting ride."
Next up, will be Star Wars: Starfighter, which director Shawn Levy teased as exploring a brand new timeline.
"This is a standalone. It’s not a prequel, not sequel. It’s a new adventure. It’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored yet,” Levy told attendees.