Now that the Star Wars sequel trilogy has been completed with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker this past December, and with the recent departure of Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss from their Lucasfilm development deal, it was anyone’s guess what exactly the next project would be in A Galaxy Far, Far Away.
This afternoon, in an exclusive story from The Hollywood Reporter, it was revealed that filmmaker J.D. Dillard (director of the acclaimed 2016 sci-fi drama Sleight) and scribe Matt Owens (writer for the Marvel television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Luke Cage, and The Defenders) have teamed up to develop a Star Wars project of their own, though the industry trade publication admits it is not clear whether this output is planned for the Disney+ streaming service or a more traditional theatrical release.
Filmmaker J.D. Dillard
What’s happening:
- Filmmaker J.D. Dillard (Sleight) and writer Matt Owens (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) have been tapped to develop a new Star Wars project for Lucasfilm.
- It is not clear whether this project is intended for Disney+ or a theatrical release.
- This project is unrelated to the Star Wars content already announced to be in development from The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
- A slot for the next theatrical Star Wars movie has already been staked out by Walt Disney Studios for December 16, 2022.
- Upcoming Star Wars Disney+ live-action series based on the Cassian Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi characters from the movies are also in various stages of development.
What they’re saying:
- The Hollywood Reporter: “Dillard made waves with 2016's Sleight, a genre thriller that was well-received when it debuted at Sundance and subsequently picked up by Focus. His last movie was Sweetheart, a horror thriller that starred Kiersey Clemons, and he recently helmed an episode of Utopia, the Gillian Flynn-created series set up at Amazon. Dillard already has some Star Wars experience as he worked in a production capacity on 2015's The Force Awakens and played a stormtrooper in Rise of Skywalker.”