Three new “Star Wars” movies are set to be directed by Dave Filoni, James Mangold, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Lucasfilm revealed today.
The directors Filoni and Mangold will take on two separate films in the franchise, while a third movie that centers around Daisy Ridley’s Rey, will be directed by Emmy and Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president made the surprising announcement as the studio’s showcase during London’s Star Wars Celebration, and fans were expecting the announcement of a singular film, unbeknownst to them a trifecta of projects would be revealed.
In regard to the movie Mangold will be directing will go back to the origins of the Jedi, while Filoni’s project draws more focus to the New Republic, drawing the curtain on many of the interconnected stories that are told in series including: “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Ahsoka,” and other Disney+ shows.
Mangold told Variety after the announcement: “It’s a chance to tell the entire story of its own, the birth of the force. When I first talked to Kathy Kennedy about it, I just said, ‘I just see this opening to make kind of a ‘Ben-Hur’ or ‘The 10 Commandments’ about the birth of the force. The force has become kind of a religious legend that spans through all these movies. But where did it come from? How is it found? Who found it? Who was the first Jedi? And that’s what I’m writing right now.”
Obaid-Chinoy’s anticipated new film will be set after the events of “Rise of Skywalker,” featuring Rey as she rebuilds a new Jedi order. Writer Steven Knight, having previously penned “Peaky Blinders” and “Spencer” will create the script.
This project, though still entitled, is groundbreaking for the space franchise: Obaid-Chinoy is the first woman and person of color to direct a Stars Wars movie. The Pakistani filmmaker has won two Academy Awards for documentary shorts, one in 2011 for “Saving Face” and another in 2015 for “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness.” She most recently directed two episodes of “Ms. Marvel” for Disney+.
In addition to three new Star Wars films, the upcoming series “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” focusing on a group of kids and is said to evoke classic Amblin films, was also previewed. The new series stars Jude Law, alongside his young castmates, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter, and Robert Timothy Smith.