Jon Watts reportedly set to direct the next Star Wars film

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Jon Watts reportedly set to direct the next Star Wars film

Jon Watts attends the Star Wars: Skeleton Crew launch event at Disneyland

Lucasfilm may have found a director for the next chapter of the Skywalker Saga.

Jon Watts, who directed Tom Holland’s three Spider-Man films, is attached to direct the first movie in a new Star Wars trilogy written by Simon Kinberg. The Hollywood Reporter dropped the news on Friday, courtesy of KnightEdgeMedia, an entertainment industry leaker with a credible track record.

Nothing is locked in yet, and Lucasfilm declined THR’s request for comment. The outlet writes that, according to sources, the project is still in development and hasn’t been greenlit by Disney. Although it does appear to be the Star Wars film furthest along after Star Wars: Starfighter, the Shawn Levy-directed movie starring Ryan Gosling (Project Hail Mary, Fall Guy).

Starfighter is currently in post-production and is expected in theaters May 27, 2027, around the franchise’s 50th anniversary.

THR reports that Kinberg has been writing the trilogy since late 2024. It would pick up the Skywalker Saga, the family story that has run through Episodes I to IX, making the first film Episode X. Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker, the lead of the 2015–2019 sequel trilogy, is expected to appear in some form.

Watts wouldn’t be new to the galaxy, far, far away. He co-created and co-wrote the 2024 Disney+ series Skeleton Crew, starring Jude Law, and directed two episodes of the series. The show received positive reviews from Mashable’s Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards; however, as THR notes, its viewership was below expectations.

As the reported writer, Kinberg is the more divise pick for fans. Kinberg co-created the animated series Star Wars Rebels and co-wrote the well-received X-Men: Days of Future Past. But he is also tied to some of the X-Men franchise’s weakest entries. He co-wrote 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, a box-office hit that critics and fans panned for it’s adaption of the Dark Phoenix saga. Kinberg tapped into that well again as writer and director of 2019’s Dark Phoenix, which flopped with critics and at the box office. He also co-wrote 2015’s Fantastic Four reboot, another critical and commercial failure.

Early reaction online has been lukewarm at best. Many fans questioned the pairing despite Watts’ success with Spider-Man, and much of the skepticism centered on Kinberg’s track record.