There are popular movie franchises, and then there’s Star Wars. Generations were brought up on the galaxy far, far away, which wrapped up the nine-film main narrative with The Rise of Skywalker. Since then the epic space opera has been noticeably missing from theaters, with the franchise expanding thanks to live-action shows on Disney. But when is Taika Waititi’s upcoming Star Wars movie coming to the movies? Here’s the latest from Kathleen Kennedy.
While the galaxy far, far away continues to expand thanks to content on the small screen, fans are eager to see the sci-fi property back on the silver screen. Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron was originally expected to be the first post-Skywalker Saga installment, but that project was put on hold. Now it seems that Taika Waititi’s mysterious Star Wars flick will have that honor, and franchise boss Kathleen Kennedy recently asked by Total Film about when we should expect that developing project to hit theaters. She offered her best estimation, saying:
Yeah. Well, not 2023, but late 2023… We haven't locked anything in.
There you have it. While there’s currently no release date for Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie, Kathleen Kennedy is hoping that it ends up hitting theaters at the end of 2023. Although the Lucasflim boss was careful to clarify that nothing has been locked down as of yet. After all, Oscar winning filmmaker Waititi will first focus on the release of Thor: Love and Thunder.
Kathleen Kennedy’s comments come from Lucasfilm's annual Star Wars Celebration event. This convention provides thrilling updates about upcoming projects in the beloved space opera, although much of the focus has been on small screen content like Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Mandalorian Season 3. But fans are definitely eager to see George Lucas’ beloved franchise return to theaters sooner rather than later.
Later in her same interview, Kathleen Kennedy was asked about whether or not the Star Wars franchise was still focusing on movie projects, while also balancing the Disney+ shows. She responded positively, saying:
Of course, they've been in movement all along. As we leave the saga, we have all this great, exciting work happening on the television side that informs so much about where we're going. We want to be very intentional about that. And we have great talent that we're working with – people who care so deeply about what the next iteration of Star Wars is and about getting people back into movie theaters, so we can really come out with a bang. That's important to us.
Do you hear that sound? It’s hardcore Star Wars fans letting out a collective sigh of release. Because while a few movie projects have been announced and promptly scrapped, it looks like Lucasfilm is still going to bring Star Wars back to the big screen.
Aside from Taika Waititi's movie, Marvel boss Kevin Feige is also attached to bring a Star Wars movie to life. The Last Jedi filmmaker Rian Johnson was also expected to bring a new project to life, although there’s been no real updates on that front. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
