Director Taika Waititi has confirmed that his long-in-development Star Wars movie is officially on hold, delivering a blunt and candid update regarding the status of the project after years of intermittent announcements and shifting timelines.
The filmmaker, widely known for his distinct directorial style in blockbusters like Thor: Ragnarok and critically acclaimed features such as Jojo Rabbit, provided the definitive update during a press junket for his latest cinematic venture, Klara and the Sun. When asked directly about the current state of progress on his and co-writer Tony McNamara’s contribution to the galaxy far, far away, Waititi did not mince words.
"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," the director revealed, signaling a major pause for a project that has lingered in development hell for nearly half a decade.
Rumors that Disney and Lucasfilm had approached the What We Do in the Shadows creator to helm a standalone Star Wars feature first surfaced in January 2020. This initial outreach came just a few years after Waititi cemented his blockbuster credentials with Marvel Studios by directing Thor: Ragnarok, a film that revitalized the God of Thunder’s standalone franchise with vibrant color, humor, and a distinct stylistic flair. An official announcement confirming his attachment to an upcoming Star Wars theatrical release arrived just a few months after the initial rumors began circulating, generating considerable excitement among fans and industry watchers alike.
In the early stages of development, updates regarding the project were largely positive and pointed toward steady progress. In 2021, Waititi shared that he had successfully completed the story for his Star Wars film. Momentum seemed to build further in 2022 when then-Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stated that the studio’s ambitious goal was to bring Waititi’s vision to theaters by late 2023. At the time, Kennedy also offered a pragmatic caveat, admitting that Disney and Lucasfilm had not yet "locked anything in" regarding a definitive release date—a reality that would become increasingly apparent as the months and years rolled on without concrete production milestones.
By April 2023, marking the third anniversary of the project’s initial announcement, reports indicated that Waititi was still actively working away on the screenplay. However, later that same year, the filmmaker noted that he planned to prioritize other professional commitments, leading to a prolonged period of quiet regarding the state of the movie. Waititi finally broke that silence earlier this year, promising in interviews that his Star Wars script aimed to "harness a little bit more of the fun from the original trilogy," capturing the swashbuckling adventure and spirit of the 1977 classic and its immediate sequels.
Now, however, that momentum has entirely halted. Elaborating further during his recent conversation with Inverse, Waititi left no room for misinterpretation regarding the project’s current standing.
"Well, there’s your answer," he said. "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 announcement comes after years of stop-and-start updates that, while frequently accompanied by optimistic remarks from both the director and studio executives, ultimately pointed toward an uncertain future. For observant fans who tracked the project’s six-year trajectory of minor promises and shifting schedules, the news may not come as a total shock. Apprehension among the fanbase had steadily grown, particularly after former Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy remarked that she believed the project was "still somewhat alive" around the time of her departure from the studio following a turbulent fourteen-year tenure.
None of this delay indicates that Waititi has been inactive in the interim. Following the critical and commercial release of Thor: Ragnarok, the director maintained a packed production schedule. In 2022, he launched the Marvel sequel Thor: Love and Thunder, which was swiftly followed 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, and Steve Buscemi—to theaters on October 23, 2026.
Even so, early critical reception for Klara and the Sun has been notably difficult, opening with a challenging 23% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes derived from its first twelve reviews.
As for whether Waititi’s envisioned journey into the Star Wars universe will ever materialize on the big screen, the director himself remains cautiously noncommittal, leaving the door slightly ajar for a potential revival down the line. Reflecting on the unpredictable nature of Hollywood development cycles, Waititi offered a final thought on the matter: "Ice ages do come to an end. Who knows?"
