Jon Watts to Direct First Film in New Star Wars Trilogy

Cover photo from Vox Media

Yesterday afternoon, news broke from Knight Edge Media that Jon Watts had been tapped to direct the next installment in the mainline Star Wars franchise. Later that evening, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Watts is attached to direct the first installment of a new Star Wars trilogy written by Simon Kinberg.

Watts is best known for directing the Tom Holland Spider-Man trilogy. He directed the original three films before directing duties shifted to Destin Daniel Cretton for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

This isn’t the first time Watts and Kinberg have worked together. The two previously collaborated on Star Wars: Skeleton Crew in 2024.

Kinberg’s new trilogy is expected to serve as the next chapter in the Star Wars universe and continue the larger Skywalker storyline.

What We Know So Far

• Jon Watts is attached to direct: Watts will direct the first installment of Simon Kinberg’s new Star Wars trilogy.

• Simon Kinberg is writing the trilogy: Kinberg has reportedly been working on an undisclosed Star Wars project since 2024, following his work on Skeleton Crew.

• The trilogy is expected to continue the Skywalker saga: The Skywalker saga has spanned the first nine mainline films in the franchise, from The Phantom Menace through The Rise of Skywalker.

• Rey is expected to appear: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rey will not be the lead character of the new trilogy, but her character is expected to be involved in some capacity.

• The project has not been greenlit: Sources close to the project told The Hollywood Reporter that the trilogy remains in development and has not yet received approval from Disney.

The Bottom Line

The new Star Wars trilogy still appears to be several years away, but the project is continuing to move through development.

With a director now attached and Kinberg’s script in development, the next major step is for Disney to officially approve the project. If that happens, the film could begin moving toward pre-production and eventually production.

Star Wars remains one of Disney’s major entertainment properties, making the return of the franchise to the big screen an important priority for the company.

For now, we’ll have to stay tuned to see how this new trilogy develops and whether Disney ultimately gives the project the green light.

Stay tuned to Loadout Magazine for more updates on the new Star Wars trilogy.