Director Taika Waititi has confirmed that his long-in-development Star Wars movie has officially been put "on ice," bringing a definitive halt to years of speculation regarding the cosmic project.
The filmmaker, best known for his work on Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit, and What We Do in the Shadows, provided the blunt update during a press junket for his upcoming film, Klara and the Sun. When asked directly about the current state of progress for his Lucasfilm venture—which he was developing alongside writer Tony McNamara—Waititi offered no sugarcoated updates or vague hollywood platitudes.
"I hate to break this to you, but we’re going to actually put it on ice and we’re working on a different thing together," Waititi told Inverse.
The update marks a stark reality check for a project that has lingered in developmental limbo for nearly six years. Rumors that Disney and Lucasfilm had approached the distinctively comedic and visually stylized director to helm a galaxy-far, far-away feature first surfaced in January 2020. This came closely on the heels of his massive success guiding the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2017’s critically acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok, an achievement that cemented his status as a major blockbuster auteur. An official announcement confirming his attachment to a Star Wars film arrived just a few months later, sending waves of excitement through the fandom.
Initially, development appeared to be moving forward at a steady, if quiet, pace. In 2021, Waititi revealed that he had finished crafting the core story for his Star Wars feature. Momentum seemed to peak in 2022 when then-Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stated that the studio’s goal was to bring Waititi’s vision to theater screens by late 2023. Even at that time, however, Kennedy noted that Disney had not "locked anything in" quite yet—a cautionary disclaimer that would prove entirely accurate as the calendar turned and production delays mounted.
By April 2023, coinciding with the third anniversary of the film’s initial announcement, reports indicated that Waititi was still quietly working away on the script. Later that same year, the director openly admitted that he planned to prioritize other professional commitments, leading to a prolonged period of silence regarding the project. Waititi finally broke that quiet earlier this year, offering a glimmer of hope when he promised that his Star Wars script was attempting to "harness a little bit more of the fun from the series’ original films."
Now, however, any forward momentum has completely stopped.
"Well, there’s your answer," Waititi continued during his conversation with Inverse. "I don’t even know how to dress it up or make it even vague. It’s very iced. I’ve got about four other movies I’m trying to do."
The director’s candid admission will undoubtedly come as a disappointment to many fans, though few will likely be surprised. Enduring nearly six years of minor status updates, vague promises, and shifting timelines had long since dimmed expectations for a swift release. Even when former Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy suggested the project was "still somewhat alive" during her high-profile departure from the studio following a turbulent 14-year tenure, observers had largely begun to brace themselves for cancellation or indefinite shelving.
That indefinite pause does not mean Waititi has been sitting idle in the interim. The filmmaker has maintained an extraordinarily busy production schedule across film and television. In 2022, he released the Marvel sequel Thor: Love and Thunder, followed swiftly by the sports comedy-drama Next Goal Wins the following year. Furthermore, his latest directorial effort, Klara and the Sun, is scheduled to bring its star-studded cast—featuring Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi, and others—to theaters. Yet, early critical reception for that project has faced significant hurdles, landing it with a challenging 23% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on initial reviews.
As for whether Waititi’s contribution to the Star Wars franchise will ever escape its current deep freeze, the future remains entirely uncertain. Even the director himself sounded philosophical yet non-committal about what lies ahead for the dormant screenplay, leaving fans with a parting thought: "Ice ages do come to an end. Who knows?"
