The big show, D23, is on the horizon. And while fan events like this and Comic-Con are the primary stages for studios to announce massive projects that are in development, unfortunately for Star Wars fans, there might not be any news on the film front. It is believed that the head of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, is holding off on giving the greenlight to any upcoming Star Wars film.
Comic Book Resources reports that a trusted source, Puck columnist Matt Belloni, has recently posted a newsletter where he reveals that Kennedy will not be announcing anything more than Disney+ content related to the Star Wars franchise. This news comes off the heels of Rian Johnson’s recent claims that his planned trilogy is not completely dead, in which he stated, “I’ve stayed close to Kathleen [Kennedy], and we get together often and talk about it. It’s just, at this point, a matter of schedule and when it can happen. It would break my heart if I were finished if I couldn’t get back in that sandbox at some point.”
There were rumors that Lost’s Damon Lindelof would’ve been helming a movie in the Star Wars universe. And although it was recently announced, Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi’s Star Wars project is still in its brainstorming stages. “I’m still writing. I’m still coming up with the ideas and storylining it and just wanted to make sure that it feels like a Star Wars film,” Taika explains.
The alleged reasoning behind Kennedy’s decision is to prevent the missteps she feels she has taken in the past. When it was announced that there would be a Han Solo spin-off headed up by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Kennedy would eventually relieve them from the film and bring in Ron Howard after she was dissatisfied with what she had seen. In addition, it was announced that Patty Jenkins would direct a Rogue Squadron movie that failed to materialize. And it was once planned that Colin Trevorrow was to put a cap on the Skywalker Saga, which was jettisoned in favor of J.J. Abrams returning.
Belloni posts that, for now, Kennedy is just not comfortable with announcing a project until she knows it will move forward.
What do you think? Would you rather just see Disney+ shows?