Kevin Feige and Patty Jenkins’ ‘Star Wars’ Movies Shelved

Rian Johnson is still looking to make his, but he’s busy while Taika Waititi wants to star in the film he’s developing.

(Left) President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige, and (Right) 'Wonder Woman' director Patty Jenkins.

Even as ‘The Mandalorian’ has returned to our screens and a variety of other ‘Star Wars’ TV series get set to roll out in the coming months, it would seem as though the development on big screen adventures set in that galaxy far, far away is moving about as fast as a Jawa sandcrawler.

And now Variety brings word that there have been movements on a few of the movies –– and not in a positive direction.

According to the trade magazine, the ‘Star Wars’ movies being shepherded by ‘Wonder Woman’ director Patty Jenkins and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige are no longer in active development at Lucasfilm.

That’s a blow, particularly as Disney had saved a release date slot in 2025 for a new ‘Star Wars’ title, but we’ll have to wait and see which of the potentials –– if any –– fills it.

Oscar Isaac in Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens.'

What’s the story of Patty Jenkins’ film?

Though Patty Jenkins movie, ‘Rogue Squadron’, about Rebel X-Wing pilots, was announced with much fanfare at Disney’s 2020 Investor Day, it has suffered from a lack of real news updates in the time since.

While leaving the ‘Squadron’ on the development backburner, Jenkins had switched to focus her efforts on a third ‘Wonder Woman’ movie. But when DC bosses shut that down in favor of the new DC Universe, she appeared to return to the ‘Star Wars’ fold. “I am still on it and that project has been in active development ever since,” she said last December. “I don’t know if it will happen or not. We never do until the development process is complete, but I look forward to its potential ahead.”

That potential, apparently, is no longer present.

What happened to Kevin Feige’s film?

The Marvel boss’s movie was announced back in 2019, with (as expected) zero details when it comes to story. Feige hired ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ writer Michael Waldron to work on the script, but eyebrows were raised when he later switched to write ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’.

Things have been very quiet since then, which is rarely a good sign. Most likely, it’s that Feige is busy heading up the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Director Taika Waititi on the set of Marvel's 'Thor: Ragnarok.'

What of Taika Waititi’s ‘Star Wars’ film?

There’s potentially better news for the ‘Thor: Love & Thunder’ director’s in-development movie, as he’s still at work on a script. And according to Variety’s report, he may also star in it in some capacity (and no, we doubt it’ll focus on his ‘Mandalorian’ droid IG-11).

Elsewhere, Rian Johnson still says he wants to make more movies in the ‘Star Wars’ universe, but his focus for now is split between another movie featuring Daniel Craig’s mystery-solving Benoit Blanc and the second season of TV series ‘Poker Face’.

And while neither Lucasfilm nor Disney has refused to confirm anything, a film is still in development from ‘Ms. Marvel’ director and documentarian Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, with a script from Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson.

The Star Wars Celebration event happens in London the weekend of April 7th, and we can expect announcements about any chosen new film then –– along with updates on the various shows.