By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Taika Waititi, the New Zealand filmmaker of "Jojo Rabbit" and "Thor: Ragnarok," will direct a new "Star Wars" film.
Waititi had for months been expected to take the reins of the galaxy far, far away, having already directed the season finale of the "Star Wars" streaming spinoff "The Mandalorian." But the Walt Disney Co. waited until the franchise's unofficial holiday, May the Fourth, to make Waititi's hire official.
Waititi will co-write the film with Krysty Wilson-Cains, who wrote the World War I thriller "1917" with Sam Mendes. Both Waititi and Wilson-Cains were screenplay nominees at the Academy Awards earlier this year; Wilson-Cains for the original script to "1917" and Waititi for his adapted Nazi satire "Jojo Rabbit." Waititi won, and continues to be repped in the commercial/branded content arena by production house Hungry Man.
The announcement potentially suggests the new path forward for "Star Wars" theatrical films following considerable upheaval in Lucasfilm's development plans. Last October, "Game of Thrones" David Benioff and D.B. Weiss departed their planned trilogy. Rian Johnson, director of "The Last Jedi," was developing a separate trilogy but its status is unclear. Johnson has instead been focused on a sequel to his 2019 film, "Knives Out."
In December, Lucasfilm wrapped up the Skywalker saga with the release of "The Rise of Skywalker." But that release was the worst reviewed of the previous eight "Star Wars" films and not as strong at the box office. It grossed $1.08 billion.
To help rejuvenate the franchise, Disney has turned to Marvel president Kevin Feige (who produced Waititi's "Thor: Ragnarok") and Jon Favreau, creator of the well-received "The Mandalorian."
"The Mandalorian," for which a third season is reportedly already in the works, has also opened up other series options for "Star Wars." Other shows in development include an Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff starring Ewan McGregor and a spinoff from "Rogue One" based on the character Cassian Andor.
Disney added another series to its plans Monday, announcing that Leslye Headland, the co-creator and executive producer of the acclaimed Netflix series "Russian Doll," is also developing a new "Star Wars" series for Disney Plus.
No release date was released for either project.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More