MOVIE NEWS – There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Star Wars films at the moment, but Kathleen Kennedy has now revealed a few things about when the iconic franchise will return to the big screen.

Studio president Kathleen Kennedy revealed the “roadmap” for the franchise’s return to cinemas at the Star Wars Celebration event, which includes a project from Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi. Although Waititi’s film was first announced back in December 2020, not much is known about the story, who the main characters will be, and when filming will begin. However, Kennedy did reveal when the mysterious film is expected to hit cinemas, and the date seems surprisingly close.

In an interview with Total Film at the Star Wars Celebration, Kennedy confirmed that Waititi’s project is the next Star Wars film in the queue.

Although the Lucasfilm president said that an exact release date has not yet been set, the film is scheduled for release in late 2023.

The Star Wars sequel trilogy (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and Age of Skywalker) all came out in December, so while Kennedy hasn’t officially said it, a December 2023 release for Waititi’s film would be in line with what Lucasfilm has done in recent years. Production will have to begin soon if the film is to be released in that timeframe. Star Wars films require a significant amount of background work in special effects, and several big-budget films have been delayed recently due to VFX pipeline blockages. Lucasfilm will have to pay close attention to the post-production process if it wants Waititi’s film to hit the mark.

As for the content of Waititi’s film, it seems Lucasfilm is still very much in the planning stages of what kind of cinematic future they have in mind for Star Wars. Kennedy told Total Film that they have no hesitation in continuing the story of the Skywalker saga, but building an entirely new narrative will require a lot of effort. While Lucasfilm’s primary focus is on the various streaming series in the pipeline for Disney+, Kennedy assured that there are also plenty of discussions underway about a return of Star Wars to the big screen:

“As we leave the [Skywalker] saga, we have all this great, exciting work happening on the television side that informs so much about where we’re going.”

“We want to be very intentional about that. And we have great talent that we’re working with – people who care so deeply about what the next iteration of Star Wars is and about getting people back into movie theatres, so we can really come out with a bang. That’s important to us.”

In addition to Waititi’s secret film, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron is also in development but will more than likely see the light of day sometime in 2024 at the earliest. Kennedy also revealed earlier this month that Lucasfilm still plans to work with The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson again when his schedule clears. MCU mastermind Kevin Feige is also reportedly working on a Star Wars project with Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron, but that story is still being put together. For now, Waititi is the only one on board to give the Star Wars film franchise a new lease of life.

Source: Total Film