Disney has shelved Taika Waititi’s long-planned Star Wars film, with the director confirming the project is frozen indefinitely while he pursues other work.
“I hate to break this to you, but we’re going to actually put it on ice, and we’re working on a different thing together,” Waititi said in a recent interview. “Well, there’s your answer,” he added. “I don’t even know how to dress it up or make it even vague.” He continued: “It’s very iced. I’ve got about four other movies I’m trying to do. Ice ages do come to an end… Who knows?”
The film was first announced in 2020, when Waititi was coming off the success of Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Jojo Rabbit (2019). No Star Wars project under his direction ever reached production.
Waititi’s track record since the Star Wars announcement has been mixed at best. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) earned $761 million worldwide but fell short of expectations for a Marvel release. His 2023 film Next Goal Wins brought in just $18.6 million at the box office. His upcoming film Klara and the Sun is set for release later this month and has already drawn poor early reviews.
Disney has not issued a public statement detailing why the Star Wars project was shelved. Waititi’s comments, delivered in an interview, are the only confirmation the film has been put on hold.
