After Taika Waititi Admitted He Had Not Finished His Star Wars Script, New Rumor Surfaces That He’s Submitted Multiple Scripts

John F. Trent |

Sep 25, 2023

Taika Waititi on the set of THE MANDALORIAN

Shortly after Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi admitted that he had not finished his Star Wars script a new rumor surfaced claiming that he’d submitted multiple scripts.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 23: Taika Waititi attends the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in [Hollywood], California on June 23, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

During an appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Waititi presented an award to his fellow director Shawn Levy saying, “After [Levy] has had his way with that franchise like a cruel, indiscriminate virus he’ll move onto another, and another, and another, and then eventually probably Star Wars.”

Waititi then admitted, “Unlike me I hope he manages to finish a script for that.”

Taika Waititi honors Shawn Levy at the TIFF Tribute Awards: “Shawn has resisted the comfort of sameness in career, resulting in work that is audacious in its range of genres.” https://t.co/XkWfqBFsIz pic.twitter.com/kKBOz9In2W

— Variety (@Variety) September 11, 2023

Shortly after these comments began making the rounds a new rumor surfaced over at The Hoc Mic from Jeff Sneider.

Sneider stated, “The Taika Waititi Star Wars movie is dead rumor that’s going around. Listen, I’ll grant you that is it more likely than not that this movie does not happen, probably. I’ll go 51% it doesn’t happen, 49% it does.”

He then added, “But it’s not dead. Taika has turned in, I think, multiple drafts at this point. And other writers as well have you know touched it. And Taika owes them another draft after the strike is over.”

“So, I don’t think it’s dead yet. Is it not in great shape? Maybe,” he shared.

Waititi’s Star Wars film was announced back on May 4, 2020 by the official Star Wars website. They stated, “Academy Award® winner Taika Waititi, who recently won Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit and directed the widely-acclaimed first season finale episode of The Mandalorian on Disney+, will direct and co-write a new Star Wars feature film for theatrical release.”

The site added, “Joining Waititi on the screenplay will be Academy Award® nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns (1917, Last Night in Soho), who received a BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year on the three-time Oscar-winning film, 1917.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 23: (L-R) Taika Waititi and Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios attend the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in [Hollywood], California on June 23, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Since then there has not been a lot of movement on the film. Aside from his recent comments he told The New York Times in 2022, “I’m trying to write the ‘Star Wars’ idea at the moment. I’ve got to see how that goes, because once I submit it, that might determine when it gets made or if it gets made, even.”

Waititi added, “I am cool as well to take six months off and just go hang out with my kids.”

(L-R) Taika Waititi as Antwan, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Mouser and Joe Keery as Keys in 20th Century Studios’ FREE GUY. Photo by Alan Markfield. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

More recently he indicated the whole film was a rumor despite it being officially announced. He was asked by Deadline, “Speaking of different environments, Taika, there’s also a lot of talk about what you are working on, now it’s writing and perhaps staring in a Star Wars movie …”

Waititi responded, “Yeah, that rumor’s about three years old. All I’ll say is God forbid I make a Star Wars film about people sitting on mountains playing flutes…”

When Deadline’s Dominic Patten informed him, “Well, they kind of went there with the last few Stars Wars movies with Luke Skywalker,” Waititi replied, “Okay, then I won’t do that, for sure.”

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy previously told Empire Magazine that the film is still happening, but Kennedy indicated the issue was the third act.

She said, “Taika is working away. He’s just, and he won’t get mad at me for saying this, slow. We’ve got a couple of acts, we need a third.”

Kathleen Kennedy attends the U.S Premiere of Lucasfilms’ Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, sponsored in part by Dolby, Swaine and Hamilton at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, June 14, 2023
(photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the end of May this year, Waititi did provide an update on the film and revealed he was struggling with the middle part of the film, not the third act.

He said, “I’ve got a really good idea for it. It’s just as with all films, it’s this middle part. You’re like, ‘What’s going to happen?’ And then you look at all of those films that are so great, you’re like, ‘Well, I guess they can’t meet some smuggler with an alien sidekick.’”

However, he also similarly noted it’s not a top priority, “For the most part, I would like to take a few holidays and go and follow Rita around. Just be her little tour toy boy and hang out with her and just watch her perform and get her a cup of tea backstage.”

What do you make of this latest rumor regarding Waititi actually submitting multiple script drafts for the film shortly after declaring he had not finished a script for the film?

NEXT: Taika Waititi Says Next ‘Thor’ Film Should Aim At “Carrying On With The Evolution Of The Character, But Still In A Very Fun Way”

By John F. Trent

John was the Editor-in-Chief at Bounding Into Comics. He is a massive Washington Capitals fan, lover of history, and ... More about John F. Trent

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