Two years ago, director Taika Waititi bragged that his upcoming Star Wars movie “will be a Taika Waititi film.” He also promised it would “piss people off.” Well, mission accomplished, because fans haven’t forgotten. The man known for turning Thor into a punchline and stuffing every serious story with awkward comedy now wants to take his sense of humor to a galaxy far, far away. Should anyone really be surprised?
Apparently, the project is not dead yet. Poor Things screenwriter Tony McNamara was brought in to write the script. Sure, McNamara has worked on hits like The Favourite and Poor Things, but also on the forgettable Cruella and The Roses. That’s hardly the record you want for a franchise gasping for creative direction. If Disney thinks this duo will restore audience trust, they might not have been paying attention to box office trends.
Waititi now says the film will be “fun.” Really? After a decade of Disney’s missteps under Kathleen Kennedy, fans don’t exactly show up to Star Wars for “fun.” They came for adventure, myth, and meaning, all the things the modern Lucasfilm team traded for quips, inclusion, and chaos. The last time “fun” was promised, audiences got The Last Jedi and Solo. Both left scars that never healed.
To his credit, Waititi claims he wants to “harness a little bit more of the fun from the original films.” He told Variety that the old movies balanced tension and humor in a way that today’s films have lost. That’s a fair point, but can the man who made Thor: Love and Thunder—a film mocked even by die-hard Marvel fans—really deliver that balance? Or will he just turn Luke Skywalker’s legacy into another playground of cheap jokes and awkward gags?
Earlier this month, outgoing Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said Waititi’s Star Wars film is still “somewhat alive.” She called his completed script “hilarious and great.” The same Kennedy who presided over the destruction of the Star Wars brand thinks that “hilarious” is what fans want. Has anyone at Disney actually talked to the people who buy the tickets?
Kennedy’s exit opens a small window for change. With Dave Filoni stepping into a leadership role, the future of the galaxy hangs in the balance. Will Filoni save Star Wars from becoming another playground for self-indulgent directors? Or will Disney’s executives keep repeating the same mistakes until the only thing left of George Lucas’s creation is nostalgia and worn-out branding?
Maybe Waititi gets his chance. Maybe he doesn’t. But either way, it’s clear the once-great Star Wars legacy deserves better than another risky experiment from a filmmaker who thinks “pissing people off” is the same thing as storytelling. In the meantime, I guess we should brace ourselves for his upcoming ill-advised, grave-robbing remake of Young Frankenstein.
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