Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy has revealed what Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy wants from his in-development Star Wars movie.
“When Kathy Kennedy brought me on board to make a ‘Star Wars’ movie, her central mandate to me was ‘I want a Shawn Levy movie. I want a story and a tone that reflects you and your taste and what you bring to your movies — with a ‘Star Wars’ story.’ So I have felt extremely empowered,” Levy told Variety.
That said, it will likely be some time before Levy’s take on the galaxy far, far away sees the light of day. “We are in early days, unfortunately, because the development process was abruptly paused [due to the WGA strike], but I feel very empowered to trust my instincts in the development of this story and movie,” the director explained. Levy, who is a close personal friend of Star Wars alum Adam Driver, also declined to comment on if fans can expect a Kylo Ren appearance in his movie.
However, Levi did comment on whether helming Deadpool 3 for Marvel Studios might make good “practice” for tackling Star Wars. “The experience that I’m currently having with Marvel on ‘Deadpool’ is showing me firsthand that it is indeed really possible to feel empowered and personal about making a movie within a universe that is bigger than any one film,” he said, “My Deadpool movie is turning out to be exactly what Ryan [Reynolds] and I had hoped when we started off. So I’m going into the development of my ‘Star Wars’ movie with a similar optimism, and faith that my instincts will be allowed to lead the way.”
Shawn Levy’s Star Wars film is one of several in the works
Last November, news broke that Levy was in talks to direct a Star Wars film after he finished work on Deadpool 3 and the fifth and final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things. Development on the project stalled earlier this year due to the aforementioned Writers Guild of America strike, which began in May and ended in September. However, while the writers’ strike has ended, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strike is still ongoing. So, production on Deadpool 3 is still on pause at the moment, while Stranger Things Season 5 hasn’t begun shooting yet.
Regardless, Levy’s untitled film is only one of several big-screen Star Wars projects currently in the works at Lucasfilm. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is attached to direct an untitled film penned by Steven Knight. Obaid-Chinoy and Knight’s Star Wars movie takes place 15 years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and will see the return of Daisy Ridley as Rey.
Meanwhile, James Mangold is attached to write and direct a film about the dawn of the Jedi — taking place roughly 25,000 years before the events of 1977’s Star Wars. Elsewhere, Dave Filoni is set to write and direct a film that will serve as the grand finale of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and its spin-offs (The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew).
Additionally, reports suggest that writer-director Taika Waititi’s long-gestating Star Wars movie is still in development, contrary to rumors of its cancellation. Finally, Lando Calrissian actor Donald Glover is co-writing a film starring the character alongside brother Stephen Glover. Lucasfilm was previously developing the solo Lando project as a Disney+ series.
