Director Taika Waititi attends the Love and Thunder World Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Thursday, June 23, 2022.

A new rumor claims that Lucasfilm is permanently scrapping Taika Waititi’s Star Wars film and that Leslye Headland is permanently out at Lucasfilm.

Taika Waititi on the set of THE MANDALORIAN

This rumor comes from Matt McGloin at Cosmic Book News, who reports, “Conversations I have had with insiders at the recent Comic-Con have informed me that Taika Waititi is definitely not doing his Star Wars movie at Lucasfilm.”

He adds, “I was also actually told by this insider that Leslye Headland is done at Lucasfilm.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: (L-R) Leslye Headland, Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm attend the launch event for Lucasfilm’s new Star Wars series The Acolyte at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

As for why Waititi is out, McGloin’s insider informed him it was due to Thor: Love and Thunder and specifically that Waititi did not actually finish the movie. McGloin detailed that his insider informed him that the film “was a complete disaster, and that Marvel gave him the boot from the movie.”

Furthermore, McGloin explained, “I was also told Waititi didn’t finish the reshoots and the final cut of the movie.” He speculates that Marvel finished the film themselves rather than bringing in a new director.

McGloin then declared, “My insiders have said as a result, that Taika Waititi is out at Lucasfilm and not doing his Star Wars movie.”

 

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 23: (L-R) Taika Waititi and Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios attend the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in [Hollywood], California on June 23, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Waititi did admit during an appearance on the Smartless podcast in November 2023 that the only reason he made the Thor movies was for the paycheck.

 

He said, “I had no interest in doing one of those films, It wasn’t on my plan for my career as an auteur. But I was poor and I’d just had a second child, and I thought, ‘You know what, this would be a great opportunity to feed these children.’”

Director Taika Waititi on the set of Marvel Studios’ THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

“So they call, and they said ‘Do you want to do this? And Thor, let’s face it, it was probably the least popular franchise. I never read Thor comics as a kid. That was the comic I’d pick up and be like ‘Ugh.’ And then I did some research on it, and I read one full comic or 18 pages, or however long they are. I was still baffled by this character.”

“I thought that, if there was anything I could bring, it was ‘character.’ Just like looking at Thor as a character, he’s a billionaire who lives in space and he looks ridiculous, and that was sort of the end of that. So I was like ‘Lets’ highlight that’. He’s a rich kid. I pitched that he’s a bit like you and me, Jason, that he hates germs.”

 

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 23: Taika Waititi attends the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in [Hollywood], California on June 23, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

He also told Business Insider that he would no longer be involved with the franchise while promoting his film Next Goal Wins in November 2023.

 

Waititi said, “I know that I won’t be involved. I’m going to concentrate on these other films that I’ve signed on for.”

Interestingly, he did indicate he was still working on his Star Wars film at the time, “It’s still marinating. I’ve been writing it.”

(L-R): Director Taika Waititi as Korg and Chris Hemsworth as Thor on the set of Marvel Studios’ THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Waititi’s Star Wars film was originally announced on May 4, 2020 on the official Star Wars website. The company stated, “Academy Award® winner Taika Waititi, who recently won Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit and directed the widely-acclaimed first season finale episode of The Mandalorian on Disney+, will direct and co-write a new Star Wars feature film for theatrical release.”

The site added, “Joining Waititi on the screenplay will be Academy Award® nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns (1917, Last Night in Soho), who received a BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year on the three-time Oscar-winning film, 1917.”

Taika Waititi is IG-11 in the Disney+ series THE MANDALORIAN.

There has seemingly been no movement on this film since it was announced. Back in 2022 Waititi told The New York Times, “I’m trying to write the ‘Star Wars’ idea at the moment. I’ve got to see how that goes, because once I submit it, that might determine when it gets made or if it gets made, even.”

Waititi added, “I am cool as well to take six months off and just go hang out with my kids.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 23: Taika Waititi attends the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in [Hollywood], California on June 23, 2022. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney)

Deadline asked him in March 2023, “Speaking of different environments, Taika, there’s also a lot of talk about what you are working on, now it’s writing and perhaps staring in a Star Wars movie …”

He responded, “eah, that rumor’s about three years old. All I’ll say is God forbid I make a Star Wars film about people sitting on mountains playing flutes…”

Deadline’s Dominic Patten then informed him, “Well, they kind of went there with the last few Stars Wars movies with Luke Skywalker,” Waititi responded, “Okay, then I won’t do that, for sure.”

 

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 23: (L-R) Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt attend the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in [Hollywood], California on June 23, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

In May 2023, Waititi told The Hollywood Reporter, “I’ve got a really good idea for it. It’s just as with all films, it’s this middle part. You’re like, ‘What’s going to happen?’ And then you look at all of those films that are so great, you’re like, ‘Well, I guess they can’t meet some smuggler with an alien sidekick.’”

 

But similar to his comments to The New York Times, he added, “For the most part, I would like to take a few holidays and go and follow Rita around. Just be her little tour toy boy and hang out with her and just watch her perform and get her a cup of tea backstage.”

(L-R) Taika Waititi as Antwan, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Mouser and Joe Keery as Keys in 20th Century Studios’ FREE GUY. Photo by Alan Markfield. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

In September 2023, Waititi admitted he had been unable to finish a script for the film. While presenting an award to Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy, Waititi said, “After [Levy] has had his way with that franchise like a cruel, indiscriminate virus he’ll move onto another, and another, and another, and then eventually probably Star Wars.”

Waititi then admitted, “Unlike me I hope he manages to finish a script for that.”

 

What do you make of this rumor?