Taika Waititi is being eyed to direct a new Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm once he wraps Thor: Love and Thunder for Marvel, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

It’s unclear whether this is the same project that Kevin Feige is producing, or a separate one entirely. Waititi recently directed the last episode of The Mandalorian, which was very well received by Disney+ subscribers. He also voiced the bounty hunter IG-11 on the show. Things are still early, and negotiations have yet to begin, but Waititi has been approached. Whether this project would be for the big screen or for Disney+ is a whole other question.

Waititi is coming off a Best Picture nomination for Jojo Rabbit, and he recently wrapped the sports comedy Next Goal Wins starring Michael Fassbender. Waititi remains attached to direct WB’s live-action adaptation of Akira, though if he does close a deal to direct a Star Wars movie, that could obviously affect his involvement with Akira.

As for Thor: Love and Thunder, that movie is expected to start filming this summer in advance of a Nov. 5, 2021 release date. Collider recently broke the news that Christian Bale was in talks to join Chris Hemsworth in the sequel, largely because he wanted to work with Waititi. It’s unknown what character he’s expected to play should he end up signing on the dotted line.

Speaking of which, that dotted line has to be Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy‘s top priority right now. She needs someone like Waititi to sign on and hype up this fanbase, which is down in the dumps right now in the wake of The Rise of Skywalker, which may have grossed a billion dollars, but was not well received, to say the least. Waititi is a great storyteller, so allowing him to work on something original from scratch, rather than conform to someone else’s vision or fit into a pre-determined story structure, seems like a smart move to me. A three-time Oscar nominee, Waititi is represented by CAA.

Elsewhere in the Star Wars galaxy, the status of Rian Johnson‘s proposed trilogy is unknown, as the director is now focused on writing a sequel to his box office hit Knives Out that will be centered around Daniel Craig‘s inspector. Meanwhile, Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss abandoned their planned trilogy in October, leaving the future of Star Wars back at square one.

Also, in case you haven’t heard, Colin Trevorrow’s script for Episode IX has been making the rounds, and we have a full report if you’re curious to see what might have been. Just click here to travel to an unmade galaxy far, far away.