A new Star Wars feature film is in the works from Watchmen showrunner and Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof -- and it's already eyeing a director.
According to Variety, Lindelof is currently developing a new Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm. He is attached to co-write the script, though it remains to be seen who his writing partner will be. Furthermore, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy -- who helmed the fourth episode of Marvel Studios' Disney+ original series Ms. Marvel -- is currently in talks to direct the proposed big-screen return to the galaxy far, far away.
It has long been known that Lindelof was interested in taking a crack at the Star Wars universe. In fact, earlier this year, rumors surfaced that he was indeed penning a new big-screen entry in the space opera franchise for Lucasfilm. At the time, however, it was unknown if any director was involved with the prospective film. Should the project get the official green light from Lucasfilm, Lindelof would be the latest Star Trek creative to make the jump to Star Wars, following fellow Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams.
Lindelof has certainly seen his stock rise thanks to his work on HBO's 2019 limited series Watchmen, a live-action sequel to the seminal 1986-1987 DC comic book series of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. In 2020, HBO's Watchmen won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series. Additionally, Lindelof and co-writer Cord Jefferson won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special for their work on the DC show's sixth episode, "This Extraordinary Being."
Obaid-Chinoy, meanwhile, is a two-time Academy Award winner, having taken home the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject for her 2012 film Saving Face. She subsequently won the very same honor in 2016 for her documentary A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness. As previously mentioned, Obaid-Chinoy also directed "Seeing Red," the fourth episode of the critically acclaimed Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, which is set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
When Will Star Wars Return to Theaters?
To date, a total of 11 theatrical, live-action feature films have been released as part of the Star Wars franchise. The Original Trilogy ran from 1977 to 1983, with the Prequel Trilogy running from 1999 to 2005 and the Sequel Trilogy running from 2015 to 2019. Additionally, two anthology films -- Rogue One and Solo -- released in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
Since 2019, however, the Disney+ streaming platform has proven to be Star Wars franchise's new de facto home, with numerous live-action series being released, starting with The Mandalorian. A number of additional shows have premiered since, including The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi and, most recently, Andor. Forthcoming projects of this nature include Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, The Acolyte and Lando.
That said, Lucasfilm has been planning Star Wars' big-screen future amidst all of this. In addition to the mysterious film co-written by Lindelof and potentially directed by Obaid-Chinoy, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins was announced to be directing the film Rogue Squadron. However, Jenkins' Star Wars film -- originally scheduled for a December 2023 release -- has since been delayed indefinitely. Meanwhile, Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi is currently developing a Star Wars feature of his own, with Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson's planned trilogy of new films set in the galaxy far, far away still in development as well.
Source: Variety