Jon Watts is reportedly in line to direct the next major Star Wars movie, potentially bringing him back to a galaxy far, far away after his work on Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Watts is attached to direct the first film in screenwriter Simon Kinberg’s planned new trilogy, which is expected to continue the Skywalker Saga as a potential Episode X.
The project is reportedly still in development, meaning Watts’ involvement is not yet a finalized Disney announcement. Lucasfilm has also not publicly confirmed the report, and the studio declined to comment when approached by The Hollywood Reporter.
Jon Watts Could Return for the Skywalker Saga
Watts already has experience working within the Star Wars universe. He co-created and co-wrote Skeleton Crew for Disney+, alongside Christopher Ford, and directed two episodes of the series. The show starred Jude Law and introduced a group of young characters exploring the galaxy away from the franchise’s traditional Jedi-focused stories.
His potential move to a theatrical Star Wars film would represent a significant step up in scale. Watts is best known for directing Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy for Marvel Studios and Sony, making him an experienced choice for a major franchise production.
The reported new trilogy is being developed by Simon Kinberg, who has reportedly been working on the project since late 2024. The story would continue the narrative established across Episodes I through IX, with Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker reportedly expected to return in some capacity.
Kinberg is already familiar with the franchise. He co-created the animated series Star Wars Rebels and has extensive experience writing major Hollywood franchises.
However, his involvement could prove controversial among some fans because of his mixed record with the X-Men franchise. Kinberg co-wrote X-Men: The Last Stand, later wrote and directed Dark Phoenix, and co-wrote the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot. Both Dark Phoenix and Fantastic Four were poorly received by critics and struggled commercially.
That history has already made the reported Watts-Kinberg pairing a talking point among fans, particularly because the project would potentially become the first new theatrical continuation of the Skywalker family story since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.
For now, the most important caveat remains that Disney has not greenlit the movie. If the report proves accurate, Watts could eventually become the filmmaker responsible for launching the next era of the Skywalker Saga.
