Kathleen Kennedy told Shawn Levy to “be yourself” for his Star Wars movie

It’s been a good few years now since the Star Wars franchise last released a movie, although it’s been having success on TV thanks to shows like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. The movie side of things is very much struggling to get off the ground at the moment, with axed projects like Patty Jenkins’ shelved Rogue Squadron movie and Rian Johnson’s proposed Star Wars trilogy. That said, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy still has lots of exciting things in the works, including a movie helmed by Hollywood superstar Shawn Levy.

Thanks to projects like Free Guy, Night At The Museum, and directing episodes of Netflix’s Stranger Things, Levy has gained a lot of attention and respect from throughout the industry. Now Lucasfilm has signed him up to create a movie set in the galaxy far, far away. Hopefully this one gets off the ground.

Speaking to Variety, Levy recently weighed in on his upcoming movie, revealing that Kennedy’s “central mandate” was for him to keep his signature style. “I want a story and a tone that reflects you and your taste and what you bring to your movies—with a Star Wars story,” she told him.

As for what his Star Wars movie could entail, he stays silent. Given that he’s good friends with Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), people think a Kylo Ren movie would be a perfect project. Alas, Levy is too smart to say anything further. “No comment,” he said.

Deadpool 3 has helped prepare Shawn Levy for his Star Wars movie

Right now, Levy is hard at work on Deadpool 3, which is about halfway complete. He reveals that working on a big franchise project in the MCU has prepared him for moving onto Star Wars.

“The experience that I’m currently having with Marvel on ‘Deadpool’ is showing me firsthand that it is indeed really possible to feel empowered and personal about making a movie within a universe that is bigger than any one film,” Levy said. “So I’m going into the development of my ‘Star Wars’ movie with a similar optimism, and faith that my instincts will be allowed to lead the way.”

Progress of the movie is starting to ramp back up again following the resolution of the WGA writer’s strike, although we are still some ways away from seeing it become a reality. “We are in early days, unfortunately, because the development process was abruptly paused [due to the WGA strike], but I feel very empowered to trust my instincts in the development of this story and movie,” Levy said.

We can’t wait to see how Shawn Levy’s Star Wars movie turns out. He’s got an excellent track record, and will no doubt bring something fresh to a franchise where the movies have stalled recently.

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