New ‘Star Wars’ film to be helmed by ‘Jojo Rabbit’ maker Taika Waititi

Los Angeles, May 5 (IANS): Taika Waititi will soon be lending his distinctive touch to the “Star Wars” universe. The filmmaker is on board to direct a new movie set in the galaxy far, far away.

The “Jojo Rabbit” filmmaker will direct a new “Star Wars” movie for theatrical release. He is co-writing the film with “1917” writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns.

After months of speculation, Disney and Lucasfilm finally confirmed the news on Monday, reports variety.com.

It’s unclear if Waititi’s film is one of Disney’s three untitled “Star Wars” movies, which are scheduled to open in December in 2022, 2024 and 2026, or if it’s a separate project.

The studio also confirmed that a new untitled “Star Wars” TV series is in the works. The series is being developed by “Russian Doll” creator Leslye Headland for the streaming service Disney+.

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Headland will write, executive produce, and serve as showrunner for the series, which adds to a growing list of “Star Wars” stories for Disney’s streaming platform. It already includes “The Mandalorian” and its season two, and two other previously ordered series — one based on Cassian Andor prior to the events of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and another following the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi between “Revenge Of The Sith” and “A New Hope”.

The release dates for both Waititi’s and Headland’s projects have not yet been announced.

Meanwhile, Waititi is next set to direct “Thor: Love and Thunder”, which is currently scheduled to release on February 18, 2022.