Taika Waititi will direct and co-write a new Star Wars movie for theatrical release, Disney announced today. It won’t be Waititi’s first brush with the Star Wars universe; he directed the season finale of The Mandalorian. He also earned an Academy Award for his screenplay for Jojo Rabbit and directed Thor: Ragnarok. Rumors of a Waititi-helmed Star Wars movie first surfaced in January, though it’s unclear if this movie is the one that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is reportedly developing.
Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who co-wrote the screenplay for 1917, which won the British Academy Film Award for Outstanding British Film earlier this year, will join Waititi in co-writing the new Star Wars film. She will be the second woman to co-write a Star Wars movie; Leigh Brackett was the first, co-writing The Empire Strikes Back with Lawrence Kasdan.
Disney also announced that a new Star Wars series for Disney Plus headed up by Leslye Headland, co-creator and showrunner for Netflix’s Russian Doll. The company didn’t announce any plot details about Headland’s new series, but it’s rumored to be a “female-centric” show that takes place in a different part of the Star Wars timeline than other projects. Headland will write, executive produce, and serve as the showrunner for the new series, according to Disney.
Disney has not announced a release date for Waititi’s film or Headland’s Disney Plus series.