John Watts is reportedly stepping behind the camera for the next major “Star Wars” movie.
The filmmaker is expected to collaborate with LucasFilm, the company that made the last installment.
The project is expected to continue the Skywalker saga after 2019″Star wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” with reports labeling it as “Star Wars: Episode X.”
‘Spider-Man’ director Jon Watts says he’s finishing ‘Star Wars: Episode X’
Watts has been tapped to direct the first film in a new “Star Wars” trilogy written by Simon Kinberg. This brings the filmmaker back to another major franchise after directing Tom Holland’s “Spider-Man” trilogy.
The project, which is widely described as “Star Wars: Episode X,” is expected to continue the main story after “The Rise of Skywalker.”
Despite the news of Watts’ situation going viral, LucasFilm has refused to comment. Meanwhile, the project is still in development, with no official title or release date announced.
Jon Watts brings Lucas’ film franchise and connection experience
Watts had already shown he could direct a major studio franchise before taking on the rumored “Star Wars” project.
He directed “Spider-Man: Homecoming” in 2017, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” in 2019, and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in 2021, completing a series of three films based on Peter Parker in the Netherlands.
Before that franchise move, he directed the 2014 horror comedy “Clown” and the 2015 crime thriller “Cop Car.” Watts also directed and co-wrote “Wolfs,” the 2024 crime comedy starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
He had also worked with LucasFilm, directing the first and eighth episodes of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”. That gave him hands-on experience with the franchise’s production environment before taking on the new feature project.
Simon Kinberg returns to ‘Star Wars’ to write a new trilogy
Earlier reports revealed that Simon Kinberg has been hired to write and produce the new trilogy.
The decision has been in the making for a long time, given the writer’s deep history with the “Star Wars” franchise, despite never directing a film himself.
He spent years consulting on “Star Wars” projects, including the trilogy spanning Episodes VII–IX. Kinberg co-created the animated series “Star Wars Rebels” with Dave Filoni and Carrie Beck. He was also an executive producer on the series.
Outside of “Star Wars”, the screenwriter is known for his work on several “X-Men” films. His biggest involvement was “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” which he wrote, directed and produced.
‘Star Wars’ fans question Watts Pick and another Skywalker Chapter
Online, netizens were divided over Watts being chosen to lead the project. Some also criticized the filmmakers for planning another installment based on the Skywalkers.
“There’s a galaxy’s worth of stories out there, and Lucasfilm can’t just leave the Skywalkers alone. It’s so weird,” wrote one.
“It’s always bad news about Star Wars today. How could they think this is the right person to fix things after the Mando flop,” a user said of Watts.
“Out of all the great directors who were rumored to be directing the new trilogy, they chose one of the worst instead,” said another.
“I’m so glad I was never a Star Wars fan. Kidding aside, the guy has my deepest sympathies; fandom can’t catch a break,” an individual said.
‘The Mandalorian And Grogu’ falls short of high expectations
Earlier in the year, another film from the “Star Wars” franchise arrived, marking its first film release since 2019.
Titled “The Mandalorian and Grogu”, the film continued the story of the successful Disney+ television series “The Mandalorian”.
However, unlike the series that inspired it, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” failed to meet expectations, grossing just over $300 million worldwide.
The “Star Wars” filmmakers will now look to redeem themselves with another standalone film, “Star Wars: Starfighter,” due in May 2027.