There are popular movie franchises, and then there’s Star Wars. With generations brought upon the galaxy far far away, it has remained part of the pop culture landscape for years. Following The Rise of Skywalker, Lucasfilm has been largely focusing on TV projects like Obi-Wan Kenobi, luckily there are a few upcoming Star Wars movies on the way. The first of which is expected to be directed by Taika Waititi, although he was recently honest about his movie, and feeling like he’s “never’ going to please all the fans.
Given just how much Star Wars means to people, the fandom is known for making its voices heard– especially in disapproval of certain narrative choices. We’ve seen plenty of backlash aimed at the filmmakers and actors of the franchise throughout the sequel trilogy. While moviegoers are excited to see what Taika Waititi will bring to the beloved space opera, he seems to be feeling the pressure a bit. As the Oscar winning filmmaker recently explained to Rolling Stone in a feature:
I saw on Twitter, someone's like: I'd actually really love to see a movie about Chewbacca's grandmother. And I was like, I shouldn't have said that because this is awesome. But I just feel like for me, I'm never gonna please the fans. You know, I don't want to mess with something that's so treasured. Also, you feel like you've got to do a lot of research…and I don't have any time. [Laughs] I mean, there's thousands of books that have been written, these volumes of books about Star Wars with all those characters. I just don't have time to get through them. So I can't say like, you know, confidently, I'd be able to do something that's like very close to what everyone knows. I'm not promising that I'm not going to do anything like that. I'm just saying: It'd be easier for me to not do that.
He’s got a point. Stepping into the Star Wars franchise is a pressure cooker situation for any filmmaker, even if it's outside of the main nine-film Skywalker Saga. And since the fictional world is such a complex and dense place, Taika Waititi admits he’s got to do more research before nailing down what he’s going to bring to the table with his first Star Wars flick. Hopefully he’ll have some time to crystalize his vision sooner rather than later.
Taika Waititi’s comments to Rolling Stone as he’s gearing up for the release of his latest blockbuster, Thor: Love and Thunder. The accomplished filmmaker was able to breathe new life into the Thor franchise with his 2017 movie Ragnarok, so now the question is: can he do the same with his developing Star Wars movie? Only time will tell, but he’s seemingly feeling the pressure.
While Taika Waititi joked about a movie about Chewbacca’s grandmother, it does truly feel like his movie could go anywhere. For the first time the main franchise is officially in the rear view, which should give some newfound narrative freedom. Although there are no doubt going to be plenty of naysayers, given the fandom’s reputation for being somewhat toxic.
Thor: Love and Thunder is in theaters July 8th, and hopefully Taika Waititi will turn his attention to Star Wars after. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
