Taika Waititi's Star Wars movie will reportedly release before Rogue Squadron. In January 2020 it was first reported that Waititi was being approached by Lucasfilm to direct a Star Wars movie, one which they confirmed on May the Fourth that very same year. Waititi will co-write the film with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (1917). Waititi was no stranger to the world of Star Wars as he directed The Mandalorian season 1 episode 'Chapter 8: The Redemption' as well as voicing the series character IG-11.

No concrete plans for Waititi's film were given as Lucasfilm put its attention on another project, Rogue Squadron. Lucasfilm appeared to be going all-in on Rogue Squadron - in 2020 at Disney's Investor Day, they released a video announcing the project and that Wonder Woman 1984 filmmaker Patty Jenkins would direct with the film set for release on December 22, 2023. However, in November 2021 it was reported that Rogue Squadron was being delayed due to creative differences behind the scenes. There has been no news on the project, and no announcement was made during Lucasfilm's presentation at Star Wars Celebration 2022.

In an interview with Total Film, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that Waititi's Star Wars film would be the next Star Wars movie released. Kennedy confirmed it is planned for a 2023 release date, but later in the year, implying it will take the release date previously saved for Rogue Squadron. She did confirm no date has been locked so it is subject to change.


There are a number of factors that could keep the next Star Wars movie from meeting its December 2023 release date. One is Waititi's busy schedule, as he is still working on Thor: Love and Thunder which is due out in theaters on July 8, 2022, meaning the director would need to start prepping his Star Wars movie now to begin shooting shortly after the release of the latest Marvel film. Also shortly following the news of production issues on Rogue Squadron, Paramount Pictures dated the upcoming Star Trek 4 for a December 22, 2023 release date. That creates a situation where one of the studios would have to move their release date as they most likely would not want to release Star Wars and Star Trek on the same day.

Release dates are also a tricky one, as Disney likely wants to keep the Star Wars franchise in December as the four Star Wars films released at that time grossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The one summer Star Wars release, Solo, was the franchise's first box office bomb. However, Disney also has the Avatar movies and the plan was to alternate each year between a Star Wars and Avatar film during the holiday season. This means Waititi's Star Wars film either has to meet its 2023 release date, Disney bumps Avatar 3 up to 2023 and gives Star Wars the 2024 slot, or delay Star Wars to 2025 if it wants to keep the holiday release window. With no word on any plot details, it is still too early to determine what the next Star Wars movie will be, yet hopefully, the project starts moving along quickly.