Disney and Lucasfilm are reportedly in talks with the 'Thor: Ragnarok' director about developing a new installment of the space-fantasy film franchise.

• Jan 17, 2020

AceShowbiz - Taika Waititi will likely expand his relationship with Disney after having been entrusted to carry on the lore of one of Marvel's fan-favorite superheroes, Thor. The filmmaker has reportedly been approached by the studio and Lucasfilm to develop a new "Star Wars" movie.

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report the news, but the site noted that it is unclear how far the negotiations have been going on. It is also unknown whether the project is the same one or separate from the one that is being developed by Kevin Feige, whom Waititi was closely working with on "Thor: Ragnarok".

As usual, Disney and Lucasfilm remain tight-lipped about talks about future projects that have not been officially greenlit.

Should the deal be sealed, it will mark the first time Waititi is working on a big-screen installment of the space-fantasy franchise. He, however, is no stranger to the "Star Wars" universe, having directed the final episode of season one of the live-action series "The Mandalorian" which streams on Disney+. He also voiced a bounty hunting droid named IG-11 on the series.

Waititi gained more recognition with his 2019 movie "Jojo Rabbit", which has earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Scarlett Johansson) and Best Adapted Screenplay. He is currently working on sports comedy film "Next Goal Wins" starring Michael Fassbender and Elisabeth Moss, before being set to film the next "Thor" movie, "Thor: Love and Thunder".

Waititi's potential involvement in the "Star Wars" movie franchise comes after "Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss exited their own planned trilogy, which was initially tapped to usher in the post-Skywalkera era and set to launch in 2022. The two writers cited their packed schedule as the reason of their withdrawal, as they signed a five-year, $250 million overall deal with Netflix in August 2019.

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" director Rian Johnson was also developing his own trilogy, but is now focusing on a sequel to his Oscar-nominated surprise hit "Knives Out". It's unclear if he's still working on his "Star Wars" project.