Taika Waititi still needs to finish ‘Star Wars’ script
Having made two Thor films for Marvel Studios, New Zealand director Taika Waititi is certainly no stranger to blockbuster franchises. Ragnarok (2017) introduced audiences to a whole new version of Thor and a new brand of comedy that rejuvenated the character and pulled in a huge profit at the box office, whilst Love and Thunder (2022) continued in this vein with moderate success.
Having proved to the industry that he was more than capable of handling beloved brands and huge budgets, it only made sense that Waititi might be handed the keys to the biggest franchise in media entertainment history: Star Wars. The announcement came last year and saw many fans of the director excited to see him bring his distinct tone and sense of humour to the epic science fiction series.
Unfortunately, it seems like fans may want to strap in for the long haul, as Waititi isn’t any closer to making the movie — in fact, he hasn’t even finished the Star Wars script. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the director confirmed what stage the project was at and gave some indication of how quickly (or slowly) things were moving.
“At the moment it’s just very early because I still haven’t even finished the script. I’m still trying to come up with ideas and I’m mostly kind of in that part of the process where it’s still very kind of open.” Waititi continued, touching on his writing process and how he approaches a new idea: “When I write, I kind of write every idea I’ve ever had and then start to kind of chisel it down into something.”
And as for the untitled Star Wars project specifically? “I’m still throwing everything at the wall right now,” the Ragnarok director admitted. Approaching any hugely established IP must be daunting for even the most experienced director, and for Waititi, it is no different. The director explained the difficulties of thinking of something original for the franchise, considering the amount of content that has come before.
“It’s this middle part. You’re like, ‘What’s going to happen?’ And then you look at all of those films that are so great, you’re like, ‘Well, I guess they can’t meet some smuggler with an alien sidekick.’” The project initially had screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns on board, but Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that this was now no longer the case.
“Taika is still working away. He’s writing the script himself,” Kennedy told Variety. “He doesn’t really want to bring others into that process and I don’t blame him. He has a very, very unique voice.” For any fans worried about the future of the project, however, she has reassuring words: “We’re going to make that one day.”
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