Star Wars' Upcoming Slate Takes Another Massive Blow As New Movie Hits Major Roadblock

Published Oct 18, 2026, 12:48 PM EDT Jennifer is a TV and Movie News Editor at ScreenRant. She started her journey in entertainment media in 2022 when she first joined Valnet at CBR before coming to ScreenRant. Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available. Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are two of her favorite late-night hosts, and Conan O'Brien before he left his show. Her Alien: Earth coverage for ScreenRant is by far the work that she is most proud of so far. She was initially a finance and political editor, but her passion for pop culture convinced her to transition into entertainment journalism. During her off time, she loves to binge-watch cooking shows such as Kitchen Nightmares. Jennifer also loves spending time with her daughter and cherishes every moment of it. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Star Wars' upcoming lineup of projects faces another setback, putting the franchise's future in an unpleasant position. The future of another planned Star Wars movie has become very uncertain following a disappointing update from director Taika Waititi. Although Lucasfilm has several projects in development, one of its most highly anticipated movies is no longer an immediate priority, as the director's untitled movie gets put on hiatus. Waititi, best known for directing Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit, and Thor: Love and Thunder, has been attached to a Star Wars movie since 2020. However, despite years of development, the project has made little to no progress. While a new screenwriter being added to the creative team of the untitled project made viewers believe that things are finally moving forward, the latest update unfortunately confirms that the movie isn't coming out anytime soon. During an interview with Inverse, Waititi confirmed that his Star Wars movie has been placed on hold. The director explained that as a result, he and writer Tony McNamara have moved on to a different project. Although their new film currently remains unknown, it appears to have taken precedence over their plans for the galaxy far, far away. Image via MovieStillsDB Waititi's Star Wars movie was originally announced in May 2020. He was attached to direct and co-write the screenplay. Lucasfilm also promoted the project during its December 2020 presentation of upcoming productions. The studio praised the unique creative approach Waititi could bring to the franchise and expressed its enthusiasm to work with him. However, the movie has spent more than six years in development without so much as an official title. The release date and production schedule were also shrouded in mystery. Details about its story have also remained under wraps, leaving audiences with no information about where it would fit within the Star Wars universe or if a script was even written at all. I hate to break this to you, but we're going to actually put it on ice, and we're working on a different thing together. It's very iced. I've got about four other movies I'm trying to do. Unfortunately, years of nothing to work with led to this disappointing update. However, Waititi also reassured fans that not all hope is lost as the film is postponed and not canceled like several other Star Wars projects. According to the director, he believes that there is still a chance that he will be able to return to the movie and that the delay might not be permanent. He teased, "Ice ages do come to an end." Waititi's Star Wars movie is far from the first project in the franchise to face an uncertain future, as Lucasfilm has a long history of announcing productions that ultimately never came to be. Several planned theatrical releases have been canceled or delayed, including Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron, Kevin Feige's standalone movie, the trilogy from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, as well as Josh Trank's Boba Fett film. Colin Trevorrow was also originally supposed to direct Star Wars: Episode IX, but his version was scrapped after he left and J.J. Abrams took over. The franchise has had similar setbacks on TV, with Rangers of the New Republic, the animated series Star Wars Detours, and George Lucas' live-action show Star Wars: Underworld all being abandoned. These projects prove how even officially announced Star Wars productions can struggle to reach audiences, raising further concerns about whether Waititi's movie will ever make it to theaters. TV Show(s) The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions Video Game(s) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords, Star Wars Battlefront (2015), Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005), Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor First Film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Cast Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal Created by George Lucas Movie(s) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order