It seems like every few days we’re writing about Taika Waititi’s untitled Star Wars project. Usually it’s comments from the writer and director regarding where it is in the writing process, and just how far away the release of the movie is. However, we’ve finally got some positive news regarding the project today courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.
According to THR’s heatvision blog, Taika Waititi’s untitled Star Wars movie will begin filming sometime in early 2023 according to multiple sources. The outlet does add the caveat that plans could change as is the case with Lucasfilm, but as of this moment, Waititi’s film is looking to begin filming in early 2023.
There’s been a lot of confusion and some frustration surrounding the Thor: Love and Thunder directors movie recently as Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in May claimed the movie would release in “late 2023”, and since then the filmmaker has rebuffed those claims and revealed that he’s still writing the project and only when he turns in his idea will then determine if or when his movie in a galaxy far, far away will get made. If Waititi’s film is currently looking to film in early 2023, then it’s more than likely we’ll see the project sometime in 2024, but the biggest question is when?
Typically Disney’s Star Wars movies have released in December, with Disney also initially slating Patty Jenkins’ (Wonder Woman) Rogue Squadron for a December 2023 release before the film was indefinitely delayed, Waititi’s film getting a December 2025 date, and Kevin Feige’s Star Wars film landing a December 2027 release date. However things have changed since then, as mentioned Rogue Squadron has been indefinitely and Waititi’s film as seemingly moved up. At the time Disney stated that Star Wars and Avatar would bi-annually occupy a December release, with Avatar: The Way of Water slated to release this December and it’s follow up, which has already been filmed, dated for December 2024. If Avatar continues to hold its December 2024 release date then I wonder if that means we could see Star Wars take a May release as was the case with the original trilogy, prequel trilogy and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Currently Disney has no film dated for May of 2024, but with San Diego Comic-Con and D23 coming up that could all change as there’s a growing belief that Marvel Studios could announce their next slate of films at one of these events. Currently the latest MCU film dated is the Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, which releases in July 2023. There’s multiple announced and unannounced Marvel Studios films in active development including Blade, Deadpool 3, Captain America 4, Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts which are undated and Marvel typically release a movie in May, most recently Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness released this May and Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 is slated to release in May of next year, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the release dates of the next slate of MCU films to work out when we should expect Waititi’s project.
Infamously Disney sandwiched Solo: A Star Wars Story between two of their biggest releases of 2018 with The Incredibles 2, and one of the biggest films of all time, Avengers: Infinity War with Fox’s Deadpool 2 releasing just one week ahead of Solo also. Since then Disney have taken responsibility for the release blunder, so you’d assume they’d avoid repeating that mistake again.
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