The last few years have been quite the rollercoaster ride for Star Wars, which has expanded into Disney+ storytelling while working to get back to the big screen. Most recently, the galaxy far, far away returned to theaters with The Mandalorian & Grogu, which sadly became one of the saga’s biggest flops ever by grossing only $346 million worldwide. Next up in theaters will be Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, which will take the story to a corner of this universe never explored before in past movies or shows.
On top of those additions, reports have teased that a new trilogy of Star Wars movies is on the way, adding to the story most recently seen in 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. First reported in late 2024, this trilogy is set to be written by Simon Kinberg, best known for his work on much of the X-Men saga and as the co-creator of Star Wars Rebels alongside Dave Filoni (Lucasfilm’s new president) and Carrie Beck. While this trilogy is still a way out from moving further into development, Lucasfilm has now brought on one of the biggest directors from the last decade to help lead the cause.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Jon Watts has signed with Lucasfilm to direct the first installment of the new trilogy of movies, written by Simon Kinberg, which is expected to be Episode X. This will be Watts’ second project in the Star Wars universe, after working as an executive producer on 2024’s Skeleton Crew and directing the show’s first and final episodes. Watts is best known for his work on Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man trilogy, which grossed over $3.9 billion from 2017 to 2021. All three movies also have Rotten Tomatoes average positive critics’ scores between 91% and 93%, making it the MCU’s best-rated trilogy ever.
Getting Watts on board for this new trilogy is an exciting update, as he has already proven his value with the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy. Earning excellent reviews and watching the movies gross just under $4 billion certainly gave Lucasfilm faith in his ability to make a successful blockbuster, and he earned excellent reviews for his work on Skeleton Crew as well.
For now, there is no timeline for Episode X moving further into development, nor is there a timeframe for its eventual release in theaters. There are also no details about what could potentially happen in its story, although Watts is sure to have a massive new team of stars and characters to work with when the franchise moves further towards its return to the main timeline of this universe.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
