STAR WARS Fans Are Ripping into Jon Watts Directing New Film, but Does the Backlash Make Sense?
The latest Star Wars movie news has kicked the hornet’s nest again. Lucasfilm is developing a new trilogy from Simon Kinberg, with Jon Watts attached to direct the first film, and judging by some of the reactions online, you’d think Darth Sidious had been hired to direct.
I understand why fans are questioning Lucasfilm’s apparent return to the Skywalker Saga. Personally, sure, I’d rather spend some time exploring literally anywhere else in this enormous galaxy. Still, there are some potentially cool ideas a new trilogy could play with, especially considering what Lucasfilm has been building through The Mandalorian and its corner of the franchise.
The Mandalorian and Grogu appears to be laying groundwork for a much longer future for Grogu, and potentially Rotta the Hutt as well. Grogu is going to live for centuries, so who’s to say we couldn’t eventually see him in his prime alongside Rey? There are plenty of possibilities if Lucasfilm is willing to actually move the timeline forward.
The part of this news getting hammered online, though, is Watts. Watts is set to direct the first movie in Kinberg’s developing trilogy. He already has plenty of experience operating inside giant franchises, having directed all three of Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man movies before co-creating Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.
That hasn’t stopped fans from tearing into the decision. Some dislike Skeleton Crew, others are tired of familiar franchise filmmakers getting handed massive properties, and some simply see Watts as another safe choice from Lucasfilm.
One viral response to all of that negativity pushed back on the idea that Watts getting a Star Wars movie should be treated like some five-alarm disaster.
If the argument is that Lucasfilm should be chasing filmmakers with more aggressive and instantly recognizable styles, that’s fair. Watts spent three Spider-Man movies working comfortably within the massive MCU machine, and his filmmaking isn’t necessarily the kind that screams auteur.
That’s also very different from saying the guy can’t direct a successful Star Wars movie. Some fans on X weren’t interested in making that distinction.
@JboiHQ: "Clinging onto the hope that Jon Watts’ Star Wars movie might have some of the sauce of Skeleton Crew, even if Watts himself directed two of the more juiceless episodes"
@TaeGlLuv: “ I thought i was numb to bs they keep churning out but the words “jon watts” and “simon kinberg” genuinely sent me reeling ENOUGHHHH put this franchise out of its misery please god
@SavintheBees: “Disney really dgaf that’s crazy. Jon watts movie written by Simon Kinberg gotta be a humiliation ritual.”
@MovieMantze: “May the Force stop beating a dead horse.”
Yeah, people have feelings about this one. I have questions about the new trilogy as well, but Watts isn’t really where my concern lies. For me, it comes down to what Kinberg is planning to do with the story.
Reports indicate that Kinberg is writing the films and that the new movies could continue the Skywalker Saga, potentially bringing Daisy Ridley back as Rey. Lucasfilm hasn’t confirmed that these movies will actually be Star Wars: Episode X, Episode XI and Episode XII.
Until we know more, “I don’t want another Skywalker trilogy” and “Jon Watts is a terrible director” remain two completely different arguments.
Watts directed Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home. These are all great movies that currently hold Rotten Tomatoes critic scores of 92%, 91% and 93%, respectively. No Way Home also became one of the biggest theatrical events of the pandemic era.
Then there’s Skeleton Crew. Watts co-created the Disney+ series and directed its premiere and finale. The show currently has a 92% critics score and a 79% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
You don’t have to like any of those projects, but this isn’t the résumé of some random filmmaker who accidentally wandered onto the Lucasfilm lot and walked away with the keys to the Millennium Falcon.
Is Watts a safe choice? Sure. Safe can also mean reliable, experienced and capable of steering a gigantic production with a strong story without everything falling apart.
That matters for Star Wars right now. Lucasfilm has announced a long list of movies over the years that never made it to theaters. Watts has already delivered three massive superhero films, worked inside the Lucasfilm system, and helped create a Star Wars series that critics largely enjoyed. It isn’t difficult to understand why the studio would trust him with a movie.
The story is the bigger question. I want Star Wars to move forward. Give us new corners of the galaxy, new characters, new threats and conflicts that don’t eventually require someone to pull out a Palpatine family tree.
At the same time, Grogu gives Lucasfilm an interesting bridge between eras. If the studio jumps far enough into the future, an older Grogu crossing paths with Rey could be a really fun direction.
The Mandalorian has already created a character capable of surviving generations of Star Wars storytelling, so there’s plenty Lucasfilm could do without simply replaying the Original Trilogy and Skywalker Saga again.
As for Watts, I’m willing to let the guy cook. There’s plenty of time to worry about this new Star Wars trilogy once we actually know what story Kinberg and Lucasfilm are trying to tell.
For now, hiring the director of three successful Spider-Man movies and the co-creator of Skeleton Crew doesn’t exactly sound like the Death Star exploding… Again.