Director Jon Watts, who helmed the three Spider-Man films in the MCU, is set to take charge of Star Wars Episode 10. The Hollywood Reporter and Knight Edge Media made the announcement on Sept. 26, confirming Watts as the filmmaker tasked with bringing the first Star Wars movie in “the next phase of a potential new Skywalker Saga.” to the screen.
The MCU’s biggest Spider-Man success came from Watts, who turned the wall-crawler into a major draw with three films: Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home. His work there drew attention from beyond Marvel, eventually leading him to Star Wars, where he helped create Star Wars: Skeleton Crew for Disney Plus. That work clearly impressed Lucasfilm enough to hand him a Skywalker Saga movie.
Watts’ Path to the Skywalker Saga
A resume of big-budget worldbuilding describes Watts’ work. He turned Spider-Man into a full-fledged MCU anchor, and then he did it again with Skeleton Crew. His history with sprawling comic-book storytelling suits the saga’s grand scale naturally.
Simon Kinberg is said to be writing a trilogy that includes this film. He previously wrote X-Men: The Last Stand, Days of Future Past, and Apocalypse, before taking on directorial duties for the notorious Dark Phoenix.
Disney hasn’t fully greenlit the movie yet, so plot details aren’t being shared. That means fans shouldn’t expect trailers anytime soon. But the project is far along in development, and Disney is quite familiar with Watts’ work.
Why Lucasfilm Is Taking This Chance
For close to seven years now, Star Wars has sat in a state of indecision since Episode 9 brought the saga to its close in 2019. Several attempts at new Star Wars movies have been put into development, only to fail to reach completion. The majority of new Star Wars releases have instead appeared as Disney Plus shows or video games.
May saw theaters get The Mandalorian and Grogu, though the film fell short of what was expected at the box office. Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars: Starfighter hits theaters next May and will test how successful a Star Wars movie that’s film stands apart from the Skywalker Saga entirely.
Should Starfighter fail to meet expectations, Disney and Lucasfilm could find themselves forced to revive a hypothetical Episode 10 to rescue the franchise. That threat makes Watts’ hiring more significant than it would otherwise appear.
“I wouldn’t get too excited until we know for a fact that Episode 10 is in production.”
A Skywalker Saga film demands a significant investment, and the franchise’s history includes stumbles along the way. Watts has already shown he can manage large-scale properties, yet a saga movie represents an altogether distinct challenge.
What Comes Next
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sept. 26 | Watts announced as Episode 10 director |
| May | Mandalorian and Grogu released |
| Next May | Starfighter released |
| To be confirmed | Episode 10 release |
The sequence lacks precision, yet the shape of the plan is plain to see. The employment of Watts points toward a conviction that he can produce a film capable of carrying weight on the large screen.
The fate of that wager rests upon Starfighter. Should it fail, Episode 10 stands as the last hope for the franchise. Should it succeed, Watts takes the wheel and the saga presses onward.
The saga continues in name alone for now. Watts holds the position, and the Skywalker banner remains raised. Whether it stays up depends on what transpires come next May.
See the video the story is built around at Polygon.
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