Taika Waititi’s long-gestating Star Wars film is on hold, and the director says so himself. “I hate to break this to you, but we’re going to actually put it on ice and we’re working on a different thing together,” he told Inverse while promoting Klara and the Sun. The “together” is Tony McNamara, the screenwriter of The Favourite and Poor Things, who took over scripting duties so Waititi could concentrate on directing.
How Much Ice?
The project has been in development since 2020. Waititi did not say what the new venture is. When he asked his publicist whether he could say more, he was told, “If you have to ask, the answer is no.” His verdict: “It’s very iced. I’ve got about four other movies I’m trying to do.” He did not close the door. “Ice ages do come to an end… Who knows?”
The news follows earlier comments. In January, Waititi said he wanted to recapture the fun of the original films, in a corner of the franchise separate from its tangle of existing storylines. Outgoing Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy had said his film was still somewhat alive.
The four other films he named: a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory project, We’re Wolves, the sequel to What We Do in the Shadows, an adaptation of the graphic novel The Incal, and a film based on the satirical novel Barn 8. Separately, Netflix announced in April that he will voice Willy Wonka in the animated Charlie vs. The Chocolate Factory, on which he is also executive producer.
A Mixed Moment
The timing is awkward. Klara and the Sun, his adaptation of the Kazuo Ishiguro novel, has had a mixed reception. Variety’s Guy Lodge wrote that Jenna Ortega tries hard to illuminate it, but that Waititi’s decision to play it for strained, whimsical comedy is “ruinous.” His last feature, Next Goal Wins, opened in November 2023 to negative reviews after Will Arnett replaced Armie Hammer in re-shot scenes.
From Wellington to Marvel
Waititi, born Taika David Cohen in Wellington in 1975, built his name at home. His 2003 short Two Cars, One Night earned an Oscar nomination for Best Live Action Short, and his features Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) each became the top-grossing film made and funded entirely in New Zealand. In 2014 he co-wrote, co-directed and starred in What We Do in the Shadows with Jemaine Clement, which became an FX series in 2019 and earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Hollywood followed. He directed Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), the latter to mixed reviews. Jojo Rabbit (2019), which he wrote, directed and starred in as an imaginary Adolf Hitler, drew six Oscar nominations and won Best Adapted Screenplay. He also took a Grammy as a producer of its soundtrack. Time named him one of its 100 most influential people in 2022.
In television he co-created Reservation Dogs, directed and starred in Our Flag Means Death, and directed an episode of The Mandalorian while voicing the droid IG-11, a performance that earned an Emmy nomination. In 2025 he appeared on The Masked Singer as Detective Lucky Duck, much to the surprise of his wife, Rita Ora, a panelist on the show. This February, a Pepsi spot he directed aired during Super Bowl LX.
Sources
- Taika Waititi
- Taika Waititi Confirms His ‘Star Wars’ Movie Has Been Put ‘on Ice’ Indefinitely
- Exclusive: Taika Waititi's Star Wars Movie Is "On Ice" — But There's A Silver Lining
Photo: CaseyJNewell (CC BY-SA 4.0)
