Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie was first announced back in 2020, but progress hasn’t exactly been quick. Speaking at last year’s Star Wars Celebration, then-Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy quipped that “Taika is on Taika time,” openly acknowledging it was taking a while for the script to be written. Kennedy has now stepped down from the position, replaced by co-presidents Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, and she offered an exciting update on several upcoming Star Wars films – even revealing Waititi has actually finished his script.

Waititi is currently doing the rounds promoting his new family comedy Fing!, and Variety took the opportunity to ask about his script. According to Waititi, he’s attempting to find the same sense of fun in the original trilogy. “The stakes are very high,” he explained, “and there are serious things going on, but there’s also a lot of fun to be had.”

Taika Waititi says his #StarWars movie in development at Lucasfilm will “harness a little more of the fun from the original films.”

“The stakes are very high, and there are serious things going on, but there’s also a lot of fun to be had.”

Waititi is promoting his new family… pic.twitter.com/Akli1pSo2t

— Variety (@Variety) January 24, 2026

We’ll Have To Wait & See Whether Waititi’s Film Is a Priority for Lucasfilm

Waititi is used to operating in established franchises like Star Wars and the MCU; Thor: Ragnarok was generally seen as a successful reinvention of the Thor franchise, while Thor: Love & Thunder didn’t fare as well. The comments suggest Waititi’s Star Wars script has a similar tone and style to those two MCU movies, given the emphasis on humor and the sheer sense of fun. Waititi’s star has waned a little since he first began working on this script in 2020, but he’s still a much-admired writer and director who brings a lot to the table.

Kathleen Kennedy has left Lucasfilm and Star Wars now, although she’s still serving as a producer on The Mandalorian and Grogu and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter. That means the decision will now be made by Filoni and Brennan, who will choose whether to go ahead with this film based on whether it aligns with the new creative direction they’re taking. There’s evidence the studio’s plans changed somewhat when succession planning for Kennedy began, and it’s certainly promising that Waititi was still commissioned to continue working on his script.

The future of Star Wars remains a little unclear at the moment. The first priority after Starfighter appears to be a new Star Wars trilogy written by Simon Kinberg, which many expect to bring back Daisy Ridley as Rey. If that is indeed the case, then – assuming Waititi’s film fits with the creative direction of Luncasfilm under Filoni and Brennan – it’s safe to assume it won’t be coming out until 2029 at the earliest. We’re unlikely to get much more news anytime soon.

Which upcoming Star Wars theatrical project do you think Dave Filoni should make his top priority? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!