After getting a taste of a galaxy far, far away with the Star Wars series Skeleton Crew, Jon Watts is set to return to the beloved franchise. The director behind the first three Tom Holland-led Spider-Man films has been tapped to helm the first instalment of an upcoming Star Wars trilogy penned by Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past), expected to kick off the next phase of the Skywalker Saga.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (and confirming an earlier report by Knight Edge Media), the scribe has been working on a mystery three-parter since late 2024, which will reportedly carry the “Episode X” subheading, following the previous naming conventions of Episodes I through IX. No additional details are known about the project, but parent company Disney has yet to greenlight it, which appears to be the most developed in the pipeline after Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling.
Running from 2015 to 2019, the Skywalker Saga follows the orphan Rey and the plight of the Resistance against the newly risen First Order, as she learns the ways of the Force under Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, and confronts Kylo Ren — son of Leia and Han Solo and Luke’s nephew — who has fallen to the dark side. The character, played by Daisy Ridley, would appear in some capacity in the new trilogy, after her own outing was reportedly shelved in favour of Episode X. Previously attached to Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, it was described as focusing on Rey as a Jedi Master training a new generation of Jedi.
The sci-fi universe has continued to expand with various films and streaming titles since, including Ahsoka, Star Wars: Visions, Maul — Shadow Lord and Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, with Starfighter next to hit the silver screen. Also set after the events of the sequel trilogy and helmed by Shawn Levy, the feature is targeting a 27 May 2027 release, coinciding with the franchise’s 50th anniversary.
Alongside Homecoming, 2019’s Far From Home, and 2021’s No Way Home, Watts previously produced Final Destination Bloodlines and directed two episodes of Skeleton Crew, which he co-created and co-wrote. Joining him on the list of helmers are David Lowery, Lee Isaac Chung, Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard, the Daniels, and more.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
