It looks like Taika Waititi will be spending even more time in space as he has now been named as the director of an untitled “Star Wars” movie.
As Wired reports, the announcement was made on the Star Wars website and revealed that Waititi would not only be directing the still-unnamed film but would also be co-writing it with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Wilson-Cairns’s previous project before this new “Star Wars” film was the script for “1917,” which she co-wrote with Sam Mendes.
SFGate notes that this would be the latest big-budget film for Waititi, especially after he helmed Marvel’s “Thor Ragnarok.” The publication also made a shortlist of noteworthy films Waititi has directed, such as his debut film “Eagle v. Shark” and “Boy.” SFGate also gave particular praise to “What We Do in the Shadows,” a hilarious film about vampires filmed in the style of “The Office.”
Another “Star Wars” film will also hopefully uplift the fortunes of the Walt Disney Co., which recently revealed that the global coronavirus pandemic would impact the business to the tune of $1.4 billion. The moviehouse closures implemented to stem the spread of the coronavirus has resulted in an eight percent drop for Disney’s studio group and a successful “Star Wars” film would help recoup that.
Taika Waititi coming out with a successful “Star Wars” film would also be good news for the North American film industry and for the global film industry as well. The moviehouse closures that started in March resulted in a $600 million deficit for the North American box office. The global film industry, on the other hand, is expected to lose $5 billion due to the closing of cinemas in huge markets like South Korea and Japan.
When production will start on the new “Star Wars” film is another matter, as the still increasing cases of COVID-19 around the world makes it impossible to predict when the film industry can start filming again.
According to the May 7 situation report from the World Health Organization, there are 3,672,238 confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world. Of that total, 83,465 are new cases. Deaths caused by COVID-19 are at 254,045 people, with 6,539 of those being new deaths.
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update from May 7 pegs the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at 1,219,066, with 25,253 of that total being new cases. Deaths in the United States caused by COVID-19 are at 73,297 people, with new deaths making up 2,495 of that total.