We haven't had a Star Wars movie in theaters since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, although there have been lots of fits, starts and stops since then. But know that the wheel has never stopped turning. The executives at Lucasfilm and Disney are sitting high on their black thrones planning future visits to the galaxy far, far away. We're getting a Mandalorian movie, a movie about Rey from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and a film from Shawn Levy, best known right now as the director behind the hugely successful Deadpool & Wolverine.
Again, I'll say that lots of filmmakers have started to make Star Wars movies in the past few years only for the projects to fall apart, including Taika Waititi, Damon Lindelof, Rian Johnson, Patty Jenkins and Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss. It's a spaceship graveyard over there. But it seems like Disney has been more serious about its big IPs lately, so I'm guessing that some of the Star Wars projects we know about now will actually move forward. Levy's could well be among them.
Levy, who's also directed several episodes of Stranger Things as well as the Night at the Museum movies, talked about what he had in mind for Star Wars on an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "There’s only so many times that Star Wars movies can revisit the same section of the timeline," he said. "Because I don’t wanna do a Star Wars movie that is redundant to others, nor am I interested in doing one that has to serve another movie."
"I really wanted to craft something that felt organic to me in tone and characters. There’s certainly the Force, and a connection to something bigger than our individual selves, and the way that that can make us powerful. Those themes, combined with visual delight and wish fulfillment – that’s Star Wars to me."
So it sounds like Levy is going to direct something that will stand on its own. Disney has experience going off the beaten path with Star Wars, even if doesn't always end well; they recently canceled the TV show The Acolyte, which set set on a new point in the Star Wars timeline with a new cast of characters. But that's no reason to stop trying, right?
Levy was also asked if he had any actors in mind for the movie. “Wow! You’re asking the right questions. Sort of, yes. Please don’t ask a follow-up! (Laughs.)”
All that's worth saying there is that Levy has directed a number of Ryan Reynolds movies, including Free Guy, The Adam Project, and of course Deadpool & Wolverine. Reynolds draws big crowds, so who wouldn't want them in their movie? Put a pin in that one.
Whatever this movie is, it's written by Jonathan Tropper, who wrote The Adam Project in addition to writing on TV shows like See and Warrior. It'll likely be awhile before the new movie surfaces. Until then, the next Star Wars thing on Disney's schedule is Skeleton Crew, which premieres on Disney+ on December 3.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.