‘Star Wars’ Continuing Skywalker Saga With Director Jon Watts
After eight years and countless entries in the expanding onscreen universe, Star Wars is revisiting the Skywalker family with its next project.
Deadline can confirm that Lucasfilm has tapped Skeleton Crew co-creator Jon Watts (director of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home) to helm the first installment in a new trilogy of the Skywalker Saga, which is being penned by Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Prime’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith).
Kinberg, who previously co-created the DisneyXD animated series Star Wars Rebels (2014-’18), has been working on the new trilogy since 2018, with Daisy Ridley reportedly eyed to reprise her role as Rey, as it will serve in the next chapter of the Skywalker Saga.
The project reportedly has not yet received a greenlight from parent company Disney.
Beginning with Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope in 1977 and the sequels Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983), the Skywalker Saga continued with the prequel trilogy Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005).
Most recently, the franchise left off the Skywalker Saga with the latest trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015), Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017) and Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019), which was led by Ridley’s Rey.
Since the last chapter in the Skywalker Saga, the Star Wars franchise has expanded with films and streaming series set throughout the onscreen universe, with the next installment Star Wars: Starfighter set for a May 28, 2027 premiere.
Lucasfilm had no comment. Knight Edge Media was first to report the news.
