Star Wars’ past was in movies. Its present is very much on television, with shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Andor. Its future, seemingly, is both.
A few weeks after a report that Lucasfilm was developing a new Star Wars movie with Lost and Watchmen producer Damon Lindelof comes word (via Deadline) that the company is in talks with director Shawn Levy to “to develop to direct a Star Wars film.” Levy is currently working on the upcoming Deadpool sequel that will feature both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
Levy also previously worked for Disney on their pandemic-era blockbuster Free Guy, also starring Reynolds. Their report has no details on a premise or a writer, but claims Levy would make this Star Wars movie after he finishes Deadpool 3. That movie is currently scheduled release on November 8, 2024, so this movie wouldn’t be seen probably until 2026 at the absolute earliest.
This would also be a different Star Wars movie from the one Lindelof is supposedly working on. Other Star Wars movies supposedly in various states of development at Lucasfilm include a project from Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi and one from Marvel Cinematic Universe architect Kevin Feige.
The last Star Wars movie to open in theaters was 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, which did decent business but was not well-received by many fans. Since then, Lucasfilm has devoted almost all of its creative energy to building a Star Wars galaxy on Disney+ and streaming television, much of which has proven to be quite popular and successful. Whenever Star Wars returns to theaters, the question will be: Now that Disney has conditioned its audience to watch these things on streaming, will they once again line up to pay $15 to see it on the big screen? So far, it’s worked for Marvel, but Marvel hasn’t really stopped releasing movies, except during the worst of the pandemic. We’ll have to see what Star Wars’ hiatus from multiplexes for at least five years does to demand when it finally returns.
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