It's been a while since fans have heard any news about an upcoming Star Wars film, but it looks like Shawn Levy is certain that his project is on the way. According to the director, however, the film is in development but not yet close to production.

Star Wars was once a cinematic event, but the franchise hasn't released a new theatrical installment since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Instead, Lucasfilm has been releasing Star Wars content on Disney Plus. While filmmakers like Damon Lindelof are working on Star Wars films, new movies have yet to materialize. Numerous setbacks have resulted in filmmakers being announced as publicly working on a project, only for that project to end up stuck in development or no longer happening.

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In an exclusive interview with Collider, Levy expressed how excited he was to work on Star Wars. He also acknowledged that, while there are many filmmakers in the running to make a Star Wars film, not all of them get to do so. He was, however, certain that he wouldn't squander the opportunity. "I have this golden ticket into a galaxy far away, and I'm going to devote myself to developing a screenplay that gives me the privilege of making this movie. I don't attach to things because it looks good in a trade announcement. I attach to things that I intend to make," Levy said. "And you better believe I'm not going to squander this juiciest of opportunities. I'm going to work my ass off. But first, I got to work my ass off on making Deadpool. So it's definitely longer-term planning, but I want to be one of the movies that gets to the starting line because these are rare opportunities, and I want to make the most of it."

Shawn Levy Star Wars Movie Deadpool 3 Stranger Things

Levy credited Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy with bringing the Star Wars job to his attention. "I’ve been talking with Kathy Kennedy for a while now, and she’s been aware of my passion for this franchise for a long time," Levy said. "The stars finally aligned, and she came to me and was like, let’s do something here. And that's as much as I can say. But this is definitely development and not yet close to prep. So there's a lot of work to be done."

In addition to Lindelof and Levy's projects, a few other possible Star Wars films remain in development. Though Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron was pulled from the schedule, Jenkins recently stated that the film was still in development and had only been postponed due to her work on Wonder Woman 3. With Wonder Woman 3 no longer in development, she may be starting work on Rogue Squadron again.

Various filmmakers have had their projects cancelled in the meantime. J.D. Dillard's Star Wars project is no longer happening, though he seemed to harbor no hard feelings. Lucasfilm seems to be treading very carefully, and it's possible that the negative reaction to The Rise of Skywalker rattled the studio, making them want to get their next Star Wars film project just right.

The Star Wars saga is available on Disney Plus.

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Source: Collider