Although Disney+ subscribers have been treated to numerous Star Wars TV shows over the last several years and have plenty more to look forward to, the film side of this franchise set in a galaxy far, far away has stagnated since The Rise of Skywalker’s release in late 2019. The latest setback on this front was yesterday’s news that Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson are no longer writing the Star Wars movie that Ms. Marvel’s Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is set to direct. However, word’s come in that their replacement has already been found.
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has reportedly been hired to write this particular Star Wars movie, per Variety. It’s unclear if Knight’s screenplay will borrow any elements from Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson’s work or if he’s starting with a completely clean slate, but either way, it didn’t take long for this particular project to get back on track. It’s also possible that more information about this movie, including potentially its title, could be revealed at Star Wars Celebration next month.
Along with Peaky Blinders, which ended last year after six seasons and can be streamed with a Netflix subscription, Steve Knight’s other notable credits include shows like See and the Guy Pearce-led A Christmas Carol miniseries, as well as movies like Dirty Pretty Things, Easter Promises, Allied, The Girl in the Spider’s Web and Serenity (the Matthew McConaughey one, not the Firefly continuation). Knight also reportedly wrote a treatment for Man of Steel 2, but “it “didn’t thrill Warner executives,” and now James Gunn is writing and directing a reboot called Superman: Legacy.
This changeover from Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson to Steven Knight on the writing side of things follows just a few weeks after it was reported that Patty Jenkins and Kevin Feige’s Star Wars movies are dead. Additionally, Devotion director J.D. Dillard said in November that he was no longer developing his own Star Wars movie. Along with what Knight and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy are working on, other movies that are still believed to be in the works for this franchise include one from Taika Waititi (who has previous Star Wars directing experience from The Mandalorian) and another from Free Guy and Deadpool 3’s Shawn Levy.
There was a time when Rogue Squadron, the movie Patty Jenkins was attached to direct, was supposed to come out in December 2023, but that’s obviously not happening anymore. As such, while shows like Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew and The Acolyte have loose released periods penciled in, it remains to be seen when the next cinematic Star Wars adventure will reach audiences, let alone which one. Again, with Star Wars Celebration happening in April, hopefully that will bring some much-needed updates on where the Star Wars film slate stands, and in the case of Steven Knight and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s movie, it’d be nice to learn some plot details.
While we wait for more Star Wars news to break, don’t forget you can easily watch the Star Wars movies in order on Disney+. TV-wise, catch new episodes of The Mandalorian on Wednesdays.
