Shawn Levy drops update on new Star Wars movie

Shawn Levy is an acclaimed film director known for his hit film franchise Night at the Museum and also for being the primary producer of the ultra-popular Netflix series Stranger Things.

Shawn Levy leads a hectic life, but he's constantly eager to take on more, much like any successful creator in Hollywood. Due to the widespread strike that has paralyzed the whole film and television business, work on both his Star Wars feature and the much-awaited television sequel to his beloved Hugh Jackman film, Real Steel, has been put on hold.

In an interview with Collider during the Toronto International Film Festival, Levy mentioned that the development phase of his Star Wars project had just begun work when it was stopped in its tracks by the writers' strike and that work on it would resume once the writers had received their fair share.

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"We are in that holding pattern" - Shawn Levy on his upcoming Star Wars film

In his interview with Collider during the Toronto International Film Festival Levy revealed that the writers' strike started as his Star Wars film kicked off. Given how many other Star Wars initiatives have stalled out in their early phases throughout the years, this update is bittersweet. Although there is still a waiting period, it is apparent that there were early preparations to develop the plot of his film.

Here is what Shawn Levy had to say in the interview with Collider:

"We were just starting the process of developing my movie, and the writer strike happened, so we are in that holding pattern that so much of our industry is in"

In an earlier interview with SyFy Wire in December 2022, Shawn Levy also shared excitement regarding directing a Star Wars film. This is what he had to say:

“We’re in pretty early development still, but my goal is to make a Star Wars movie that is like a lot of my movies, which is visual spectacle and a healthy dose of wish fulfillment, levity, and big heart.”

He further added:

“If you had told me when I was making Big Fat Liar that I would eventually be making Deadpool and Star Wars, I would’ve said, ‘Are you kidding me?! That’s a fantasy, not a goal.’ So the fact that I’m getting to paint on these big, rich canvasses, it’s thrilling to me. I don’t ever for a day take it for granted or feel complacent about it."

Shawn Levy is currently still working on filming Deadpool 3 with Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. The film which is slated to release on May 3, 2024, suffered a halt in its filming due to the ongoing writer's strikes.

Once he finishes that movie, he is anticipated to devote himself to Star Wars. There are currently no storyline specifics known, although Kathleen Kennedy, CEO of Lucasfilm, stated earlier this year that all future Star Wars films will be set in the time period following Rise of the Skywalker.

At this point, not many specifics regarding Shawn Levy's Star Wars film have been made public, so it's unclear what Star Wars fans might anticipate from it. Even the setting of Levy's film inside the Star Wars timeline is unclear. There are undoubtedly a lot of areas with rich material, but it's hard to predict where Levy's will fall given the growing number of Star Wars storylines in films and television.