Shawn Levy is in talks to develop a new Star Wars movie that he would also direct should it over forward.
Levy is currently prepping Deadpool 3 (or whatever it ends up being called), which will pair Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, and he’ll turn his attention to a galaxy far, far away after that.
Levy currently serves as an executive producer on Netflix’s flagship series Stranger Things, and he’s slated to direct two episodes for the show’s upcoming fifth and final season.
Elsewhere in the Star Wars universe, Taika Waititi is working on a new movie, while Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is attached to direct a separate feature that Damon Lindelof is co-writing with Justin Britt-Gibson. I am forced to wonder, however, if hiring Levy to make a Star Wars movie suggests that Waititi’s project may not be coming together as hoped.
Of course, Patty Jenkins‘ Rogue Squadron also remains in development, though she’s currently focused on the third Wonder Woman movie, and who could forget the top-secret Star Wars movie that Michael Waldron is writing for producer Kevin Feige. Regardless of which Star Wars movie makes it to theaters first, Disney is unlikely to release a new live-action film in the franchise until 2025 — six years after Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
Disney is also slated to release Deadpool 3 on Nov. 8, 2024 — exactly two years from today — so Levy’s Star Wars movie would probably arrive at least two years after that, so 2026, at the earliest, I’d reckon. At least it won’t have to compete for a slot with J.D. Dillard‘s planned Star Wars movie, as the Devotion director recently told TheWrap that Lucasfilm isn’t moving forward with the project, though “it was not for a lack of trying.” Oh, well…
Meanwhile, on the TV side of things, The Acolyte just announced its cast, while the third season of The Mandalorian is coming in February, and the horizon also includes Ahsoka starring Rosario Dawson and Skeleton Crew starring Jude Law.
Levy most recently directed a pair of Ryan Reynolds movies — Free Guy and The Adam Project — and it wouldn’t shock me if those movies led to sequels down the line. Levy previously directed the Night at the Museum trilogy, and he’s currently in post-production on Netflix’s four-part limited series All the Light You Cannot See, which he directed in its entirety. He’s represented by WME, and Deadline broke the news of his secret Star Wars project.
