As filmmaker Taika Waititi prepares for the theatrical release of his latest project, Klara and the Sun, the director has confirmed that another high-profile endeavor from his slate—his long-gestating Star Wars feature film—is effectively on indefinite hiatus.
Speaking in a recent interview, Waititi provided a frank update on the status of his journey to a galaxy far, far away, telling reporters that the project has been placed firmly "on ice." The update arrives as Klara and the Sun opens to a challenging initial critical response, compounding what has become a difficult stretch for the director following mixed receptions for some of his previous creative outings.
Waititi’s Star Wars project was first announced back in May 2020 during the annual unofficial franchise celebration, generating considerable excitement among fans of his distinct comedic and stylistic sensibilities. However, public details regarding the film’s plot, setting, or characters remained scarce in the years that followed. While a brief update surfaced in 2023 indicating that the movie was still formally active within Lucasfilm’s development pipeline, the latest comments from the director suggest that momentum has ground to a complete halt.
According to the interview, when Waititi sought permission from his publicist to share further details about the state of the movie, he received a definitive warning. "If you have to ask, the answer is no," his publicist reportedly told him.
"Well, there’s your answer. I don’t even know how to dress it up or make it even vague," Waititi remarked. Describing the film as "very iced," the director noted that his immediate focus lies elsewhere, juggling at least four other motion pictures that he is actively trying to bring to the screen.
While describing a project as being "on ice" in Hollywood does not necessarily equate to an outright, permanent cancellation, it strongly indicates that Waititi will not be stepping behind the camera for a Star Wars feature in the near future. Even so, the director offered a subtle glimmer of philosophical optimism regarding the medium-to-long-term prospects of the shelved production. "Ice ages do come to an end," he noted. "Who knows?"
The Current State of Star Wars on the Big Screen
Waititi’s experience with a major studio blockbuster stalling out in development is far from an isolated incident within the broader landscape of Lucasfilm’s cinematic strategy. Over the past several years, numerous high-profile filmmakers and high-ranking industry figures have seen their announced Star Wars motion picture projects quietly fade from active schedules, reflecting the unique challenges of shepherding new stories through the franchise’s extensive development pipeline.
Most notably, Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were initially slated to spearhead a brand-new Star Wars film trilogy following the conclusion of their landmark HBO fantasy series. That partnership ultimately dissolved when the showrunners signed a massive overall creative deal with Netflix, leading them to step away from the Lucasfilm universe entirely.
Similarly, writer and director Rian Johnson was confirmed by Disney to be developing an entirely separate, self-contained Star Wars trilogy following his work on 2017’s The Last Jedi. That planned trilogy never materialized into production schedules, with Johnson instead pivoting successfully to other creative endeavors, most notably his acclaimed mystery film franchise starring Daniel Craig, beginning with Knives Out.
Other prominent cinematic concepts have met similar fates without advancing to principal photography. These unproduced efforts include a planned Star Wars feature developed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, a proposed Ben Solo standalone project pitched by actor Adam Driver and filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, and a distinct creative pitch from acclaimed director David Fincher that never progressed past early conceptual stages.
Despite these frequent behind-the-scenes shifts, Lucasfilm continues to work toward bringing the franchise back to movie theaters. The next major milestone for the theatrical side of the universe arrives next summer with the release of Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, which is scheduled to premiere on May 28, 2027.
Disney currently maintains several other cinematic projects in various stages of development across the wider franchise ecosystem. Whether those upcoming initiatives successfully make it to the big screen or ultimately share the fate of Taika Waititi’s shelved venture remains to be seen as the studio navigates its future theatrical slate.
