STAR WARS Returns to the Skywalker Saga With Spider-Man Director Jon Watts Set To Helm

Star Wars is heading back to the Skywalker Saga, and Lucasfilm has recruited a filmmaker who already knows his way around massive franchises and the Star Wars franchise.

Jon Watts, director of Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy and co-creator of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, has been tapped to direct the first movie in a new Star Wars trilogy written by Simon Kinberg. The films are expected to take place after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and continue the Skywalker Saga.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, building on initial reporting from Knight Edge Media, Watts will helm the first installment of Kinberg’s planned trilogy.

Daisy Ridley is reportedly being eyed to return as Rey, though exactly how large a role she’ll have remains unclear. If the trilogy moves forward as planned, it would mark the next chapter of the Skywalker Saga following Rey’s story in The Rise of Skywalker.

Kinberg has been working on the trilogy since 2018, and he already has a history with Star Wars. He co-created and wrote for the awesome animated series Star Wars Rebels, which ran from 2014 to 2018. Outside of Star Wars, he has written and produced several X-Men films and worked on Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

There’s one important catch here. The first film reportedly hasn’t been officially greenlit by Disney. However, among the numerous Star Wars movie projects that have been announced or developed over the years, this one is said to be the “furthest along.”

As you know, though, Lucasfilm has a long list of planned Star Wars movies that never made it into production. Until cameras are rolling, there’s always the possibility that plans could change.

Still, I like Watts as a director, and if this Star Wars project actually moves forward, I’d be excited to see what he does with it.

His Spider-Man movies showed that he can handle huge franchise filmmaking while keeping the characters fun and likable, and Skeleton Crew proved he understands the adventurous side of Star Wars. Giving him the opening chapter of a new trilogy could be a cool fit.

The bigger question is what continuing the Skywalker Saga actually means. The Rise of Skywalker left Rey carrying the Skywalker name, so bringing Ridley back gives Lucasfilm plenty of room to explore what comes next for her and the Jedi. How closely the new trilogy will connect to Luke, Leia, Ben Solo, or the rest of the Skywalker legacy remains unknown.

Before any of that happens, Star Wars is already scheduled to return to theaters with Star Wars: Starfighter on May 28, 2027.

After years of Lucasfilm developing various potential directions for the franchise, Watts and Kinberg may be the team that finally takes audiences beyond The Rise of Skywalker. Now we just have to see if this one actually makes it in front of the cameras.