UPDATE: It's official, per THR: Watts is taking the wheel on Episode X, tasked with continuing, somehow, whatever the hell J.J. Abrams left behind with the last trilogy.
EARLIER: Here’s Daniel Richtman (aka Daniel RPK) reporting that Jon Watts will direct the first film in Simon Kinberg's new Star Wars trilogy. Lucasfilm hasn't confirmed anything, so treat this as a rumor for now. Richtman's track record is mixed, but he's been right before — having broken real scoops, but also posting a lot of claims that never materialize
The timing is interesting. Just days ago, on September 21, journalist Caleb Williams posted on X that a director had been found for the Kinberg trilogy, that Kinberg himself "wasn't considered," and that production is picking up steam fast, with cameras possibly rolling as early as next year. Williams didn't name the filmmaker. Richtman's scoop would fill in that blank.
If it's true, Watts makes sense from Lucasfilm's point of view. He directed all three Tom Holland ‘Spider-Man’ movies, including ‘No Way Home,’ which grossed nearly $2 billion worldwide during a pandemic. He's also already in the Star Wars family, having co-created “Skeleton Crew” for Disney+. However, his last feature, “Wolfs,” was a bust. The George Clooney–Brad Pitt caper was supposed to get a wide theatrical release before Apple scaled it back to a token run and dumped it on streaming, where it came and was met with mixed reviews.
Apple had already announced a sequel, then quietly killed it, with Watts publicly saying he no longer trusted the studio as a creative partner. Lucasfilm is clearly betting on the ‘Spider-‘Man Watts, not the “Wolfs” one. He's a safe, studio-friendly pair of hands who can deliver a massive IP movie on schedule. Whether he's the visionary this franchise desperately needs after years of false starts is another question.
Kinberg's trilogy was announced in November 2024, and he’s writing all three films. Deadline initially called it Episodes 10–12 of the Skywalker Saga, but Lucasfilm quickly walked that back. It's now being described as a new saga set after the events of ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ and Rey is reportedly expected to appear in some capacity. Earlier this year, Kathleen Kennedy said Kinberg had reworked the story and turned in a detailed outline of about 70 pages.
Lucasfilm has spent the better part of seven years announcing Star Wars movies and then not making them. Patty Jenkins' ‘Rogue Squadron,’ Taika Waititi's film, Rian Johnson's trilogy, and the Rey movie have all stalled or quietly faded.
If Kinberg's trilogy really has a director and a 2027 start date, it would be the clearest sign yet that the studio has settled on a direction for the franchise's big-screen future beyond ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ and Shawn Levy's ‘Starfighter.’
Garland's script is written. Boyle called it "fantastic" in that same interview, Murphy says he's ready, and Boyle wants to direct. All that's missing is the money.