New ‘Star Wars’ Movie Coming From ‘Sleight’ Director And ‘Luke Cage’ Writer
According to a new report, Lucasfilm has hiredSleightandSweetheartdirectorJ.D. DillardandLuke CageandAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.writerMatt Owensto develop a newStar Warsmovie. Here’s what we know so far.
The Hollywood Reporterbrings word that a newStar Warsmovie is in the works from Dillard and Owens. THR says it’s still unclear if Dillard will direct should the project move forward. It’s also currently undecided whether this movie will be released theatrically, or made specifically for the newly-launched streaming platform Disney+.
As expected, details about the new film are scarce at the moment – we don’t know anything about the plot, characters, or settings that may be featured. But one thing the report does tell us is that the new film “is understood to be unrelated to aStar Warsfilm pitch by Marvel Studios chiefKevin Feigeand potential work fromLast JedidirectorRian Johnson.”
Dillard is a massiveStar Warsfan. He has a Boba Fett tattoo on his arm, and has been a Stormtrooper inThe Force AwakensandThe Rise of Skywalker. (you’re able to see him in costumehere.) He started out working as a receptionist at J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot productions before directingSleight, his indie thriller about a young magician trying to protect and provide for his sister. He followed that up withSweetheart, a survival thriller starring Kiersey Clemons that was essentially buried but can currently be seen on Netflix. He strikes me as the type of filmmaker that Marvel might hire: an up-and-coming indie storyteller who can bring some vitality into theStar Warsworld. And if this project ends up moving forward, this would also be a big step forward in terms of representation for Lucasfilm: Dillard would be the first black person to either write or direct a live-actionStar Warsmovie.
Earlier this month, Walt Disney Company CEOBob Igerspoke a bit about the future ofStar Warsunder the Disney umbrella: “The priority in the next few years is television,” Igersaid, “withThe Mandalorianseason 2 coming in October, and then more coming fromThe Mandalorianthereafter, including the possibility of – infusing it with more characters and the possibility of taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series.”
He’spreviously indicatedthat Disney+ originalStar Warsshows could become movies, saying, “I love the ability to really be agnostic in terms of what platform it’s being made for. And so it could be, down the road, that a TV show becomes a movie and a movie becomes a TV series.” So it sounds like there’s a chance this new movie from Dillard and Owens might be connected toThe Mandalorian, although it’s still too early to know for sure.
Last summer, Disneyset release datesfor three futureStar Warsmovies forDecember 23, 2022,June 07, 2025, andDecember 18, 2026. THR says those release dates are still on the calendar. We previously thought that one of them would be earmarked for at least one movie fromGame of ThronesshowrunnersDavid BenioffandD.B. Weiss, but that duo has sinceleft Lucasfilmto focus on their Netflix deal. We also assumed one of the three would come fromStar Wars: The Last Jediwriter/directorRian Johnson, who was hiredto develop an all-new trilogyset in a galaxy far, far away. As far as we know, Johnson is still working on writing the script for the first installment in that trilogy. And don’t forget about theproposedStar Warsfilmfrom Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who wants to make a moviethat explores new people and places. Now there’s the chance that this new untitled project might fill one of these slots. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we learn anything definitive.
