Recently, Lucasfilm announced that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss would be parting ways with the studio. The duo, who rose to prominence as the showrunners of Game of Thrones, was set to develop a new Star Wars trilogy that would launch in the early 2020s.
With Benioff and Weiss out, we now get to speculate on the future of Star Wars.
Does Lucasfilm move along with plans for a new trilogy or continue with the Skywalker Saga despite the marketing effort labeling The Rise of Skywalker as the conclusion to the saga?
Or maybe they fast-track the other trilogy that Rian Johnson has been developing.
Whatever their next move is, Kathleen Kennedy and the team over at Lucasfilm needs to commit to a vision and settle fan concerns over the revolving door of directors at the studio. The debacle the was Solo: A Star Wars Story and the divisive The Last Jedi have not given the studio must goodwill with the fans.
So, who is the best person to right the ship and helm part or all of this new trilogy?
It seems like Kennedy and Lucasfilm work best with established directors (see J.J. Abrams), plus having a big name will help squash fears that the franchise is in trouble.
JJ Abrams & Kathleen Kennedy
But who would be the best fit to tackle a new Star Wars movie?
Here are our top five picks to develop the first post-Skywalker film.
Jon Favreau
Who better to launch a new Star Wars trilogy then the man who helped launch the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe? Favreau not only did wonders for Iron Man, but he’s also already a major player within Disney, having directed the live-action adaptions of The Jungle Book and The Lion King.
Plus, he already has Star Wars experience with creating The Mandalorian for Disney+, which may be the best thing to happen to the franchise in some time.
Oh, and he gave us Baby Yoda!
The Russo Brothers
Joe and Anthony Russo clearly understand how to handle mega-franchises.
They have been responsible for some of the best movies the MCU has to offer, including the biggest movie of all-time Avengers: Endgame. Plus, with Kevin Feige helping to produce an upcoming film for Lucasfilm, it makes sense he would try to bring this directing duo into the Star Wars fold.
Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi is the most unconventional director on this list. If you’ve seen some of his early films, like What We Do in the Shadows or Hunt for the Wilderpeople, you know he puts his unique spin on everything he does.
But this unique spin could be the breath of fresh air that Star Wars needs to begin moving away from the Skywalker saga. His take on Thor in Thor: Ragnarok completely redefined the character and is a big reason why we rank that movie as one of the best the MCU has to offer.
Plus, he’s already dipping his toe in that galaxy far, far away with his role as IG-11 in The Mandalorian.
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan is one of the greatest filmmakers of our generation. Don’t believe me? Just check out his IMDB page.
He’s already proven he can take a well-known property and infuse a sense of grounded realism to it with his Batman franchise. And he’s shown he can tackle space with Interstellar.
Star Wars Movies have struggled creatively lately
Imagine his take on Star Wars. It could easily be a grand, time-traveling and thought-provoking story or a more grounded character-focused story. Either way, sign us up!
It also doesn’t hurt that Nolan is apparently a huge Star Wars fan.
George Lucas
Who better to direct the next movie than the creator himself?
Sure, the prequels were met with mixed reactions, but ever since The Last Jedi it seems the fandom is beginning to soften their stance. Having Lucas return, even to consult on a new movie or trilogy would be sure to drive fan interest.
However, the likelihood of this happening is probably slim. Especially based on Bob Iger’s comments in his book The Ride of a Lifetime . Iger mentioned that Lucas struggled with losing control of his franchise and didn’t like the direction the sequel trilogy went in. But then again, maybe the chance to work on “his” version of Star Wars again may be enough to get him interested.
Your Pick
Who do you think should direct the next Star Wars movie? Let us know in the comments.
