Kathleen Kennedy Told Shawn Levy, “I Want a Shawn Levy Film”
At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced that three new Star Wars films were in production. One film, helmed by James Mangold will take audiences back to the Dawn of the Jedi, roughly 25,000 years before the events of the original Star Wars trilogy.
A second film will be shot by Sharemeen Obaid-Chinoy and pick up the story of Rey Skywalker 15 years after the events of Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker.
The third film, directed by Dave Filoni, will bring together the characters of the “Mandalorian universe,” including Ahsoka Tano, Din Djarin, Grogu, Boba Fett, and characters from the upcoming series, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.
One film not announced at Star Wars Celebration, but still in development, is Shawn Levy’s take on a galaxy far, far, away.
Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Film
The news initially broke last November that Levy was in talks to direct a Star Wars film after he finished working on Deadpool 3 and the final season of Stranger Things. According to Levy, those reports were true, and the film is still moving ahead.
“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
Luckily for Levy, before dipping his toes into the Star Wars water, the director got a chance to tell a story within a larger universe for Deadpool 3. It was an experience that he believes will help when it comes to 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.”
Encouragement From Kennedy
According to Levy, his experience with Lucasfilm has been positive so far. In fact, Kathleen Kennedy has encouraged the director to make his Star Wars film his own.
““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.
While it sounds like we are likely still years away from Levy’s film hitting the big screen, after numerous Star Wars films died in development, it is good to hear that Levy’s film is still going strong.