Jon Watts to Direct Star Wars: Episode X, Says Report

Screen Rant reports that Jon Watts has signed on to direct at least Star Wars: Episode X, the first installment of a new trilogy written by Simon Kinberg. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, per Screen Rant. Daisy Ridley's Rey is expected to return.

Watts is a smart get. He directed the Tom Holland Spider-Man trilogy for Marvel, including the continuity-wrangling No Way Home. He also co-created, showran and directed episodes of Skeleton Crew, the Star Wars series that leaned into practical effects and Amblin-style wonder. That's a director who can carry decades of franchise baggage without losing the human story.

Kinberg's Star Wars résumé is better than his reputation. He co-created Star Wars Rebels with Dave Filoni, wrote key episodes like "Twilight of the Apprentice" and the series finale, and served as a story consultant on The Force Awakens. Yes, he also wrote Dark Phoenix and the 2015 Fantastic Four. But his non-Star Wars work includes Logan, The Martian and Sherlock Holmes. Screen Rant notes he knows the franchise's mythology.

The combination makes sense: Kinberg understands Star Wars canon and the Disney-era storytelling; Watts knows how to make a movie feel big and accessible. If Lucasfilm wants to launch a new trilogy that continues the Skywalker legacy without repeating the past, this team could be what it needs.

• Daisy Ridley
• Jon Watts
• Lucasfilm
• Simon Kinberg
• Star Wars: Episode X