Filmmaker J.D. Dillard experienced a Disney double whammy, having lost not one, but two prominent projects, Star Wars and The Rocketeer, to which he was attached.

In an interview with The Wrap, the director, who was promoting his latest film, the Jonathan Majors-starring Korean War aviator drama Devotion, dropped news about his formerly promising backlog. Indeed, the Mouse House not only lined him up to direct the long-belated sequel to the 1991 adventure classic, titled The Return of the Rocketeer, but tapped him to direct a mysterious Star Wars feature. However, when asked for an update on those projects, Dillard delivered bad news, stating that his Star Wars movie is "unfortunately no longer a thing. It was not for lack of trying." He further lamented his nixed endeavor for the iconic space franchise, describing it as "an original idea." Compounding that, Dillard also revealed his exit from the Rocketeer sequel.

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J.D. Dillard's Rocketeer Plans Fizzle

The exit seemed especially bittersweet for Dillard since the film, akin to Devotion, fortuitously lined up with his own personal interest in post-World War II aviation. Moreover, he is a big fan of the original release. "I am not on that movie," Dillard revealed. "But, you know, it’s tricky. I love, love, love The Rocketeer. What I have a slightly hard time wrapping my head around now is going back to pre-1970 aviation. You know, I’m not saying never. But I think I need a breather from period aviation."

Coincidentally (or not), news of the cancellation of Dillard's Star Wars film project arrives just after a report that Shawn Levy, director of the upcoming Deadpool 3, has been hired by Disney to tackle an unspecified film project set in a familiar franchise taking place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." While there's no confirmed correlation between the two events, the timing is worth noting. However, Dillard is not the only director to have experienced a Star Wars setback. Such an event happened to Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, whose promising feature, Rogue Squadron, ended up getting delayed indefinitely last year, with no notable change ever since.

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Star Wars' Small Screen Reinvention

Disney, however, has significantly repurposed the Star Wars franchise to accommodate the small screen with live-action TV shows such as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor and the upcoming Ahsoka. Consequently, the nixing of Dillard's Star Wars feature is not exactly surprising, given that shift. Yet, there is a Star Wars feature that still shows signs of movement, that being the mystery movie to be directed by Thor: Love and Thunder helmer Taika Waititi. In fact, the most recent update on the hush-hush project -- for what it's worth -- implied that it could be released as soon as 2023. Additionally, famed Lost and Watchmen writer Damon Lindelof is attached to pen the screenplay for a franchise feature.

For now, the Star Wars franchise is represented by the Disney+ series Andor, which releases new episodes on Wednesdays.

Source: The Wrap