There are few movie franchises quite as popular as Star Wars. Entire generations were brought up on the galaxy far, far away, which has been expanding thanks to shows on Disney+. But the franchise’s future on the big screen is more unclear, as a number of projects are in the early stage of development. Both Patty Jenkins and Taika Waititi seemingly have Star Wars movies in the works, but now rumors are swirling about another.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ended the nine-film Skywalker Saga, leading Lucasfilm into a break from movie production. While there are a few projects expected to come down the line, there’s been some reports that a third movie might be in the early stage of development. Specifically the rumor claims that Watchmen and Lost’s Damon Lindelof would be the one working on this new Star Wars project. And my mind is blown.
This story about Damon Lindelof and Star Wars comes to us from Twitter of journalist Jeff Sneider who reportedly has sources close to Lucasfilm. So far the claim has been unconfirmed by the studio or anyone from Lindelof’s team. Still, his pedigree on projects like The Leftovers have proven that the celebrated screenwriter has a way of telling larger than life stories that still feel real and emotional. And that’s exactly what the Star Wars franchise needs at this time.
Following The Rise of Skywalker, a variety of Star Wars movie projects were announced to be in development. Unfortunately, there’s been some bumps in the road, and it’s unclear when the science fiction staple will return to theaters. Game of Thrones writers David Benioff and DB Weiss were attached to develop their own trilogy, but those plans were scrapped as they signed a development deal with Netflix. And that’s not the only setback that’s come to the galaxy far, far away.
As previously mentioned, Wonder Woman filmmaker Patty Jenkins was going to direct her own Star Wars flick, titled Rogue Squadron. But production was put on indefinite hold, seemingly as a result of creative differences. It’s currently nuclear if that project is still happening. Then there’s Taika Waititi’s movie, but that won’t happen until after he’s finished his work on Thor: Love and Thunder. Clearly things are up in the air, which is why news about Damon Lindelof’s possible movie is so dizzying.
Damon Lindelof was able to put his own spin on the comic book genre with HBO’s Watchmen, which also told an emotional story about racism and generational trauma. It’s fascinating to think about what he might do with the Star Wars IP, especially now that future movies don’t have to be connected to the main Skywalker Saga. Hopefully this rumor is confirmed or denied sometime soon, before fans like myself get our hopes up.
In the meantime, new Star Wars content is coming out in quick succession over on Disney+. The Mandalorian became a sensation when it was released, and The Book of Boba Fett quickly followed. Fans are eager to see Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which will help fill in the character’s mysterious years on Tatooine. Hopefully plans for a movie come together, especially the rumored project with Damon Lindelof.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere on Disney+ May 25th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
