As Thor: Ragnarok still does the rounds in cinemas across Ireland and the world at large, it's not in the least bit surprising that Lucasfilm want some of that for Star Wars.

In an interview with New Zealand outlet NewsHub, Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy declared that she'd " love for him (Waititi) to direct a Star Wars movie." Kennedy doubled down, saying that the director had "exactly the right sensibility. It was very exciting to see him step into the Marvel universe and do such an amazing job with Thor."

For his part, Waititi's addressed the possibility of directing a Star Wars movie on a couple of occasions - often with somewhat conflicting answers. Around the time of Phil Lord and Chris Miller's firing from Solo, Waititi - on Twitter, no less - made a joke about the situation when asked if he'd take on a Star Wars movie. That said, when pushed on topic in an interview with Uproxx, he seemed a bit more realistic about the situation.

"Look, I’m not an idiot. Who would actually say no to Star Wars? Of course, I didn’t send that idea very seriously, it’s more that in light of all the things that were happening over the last couple of months, it would make me a little nervous," said Waititi. This, however, was contradicted by an earlier statement he made in a New York Times interview, when he said that the Star Wars franchise seemed like there was "not much room for someone like me."

So, analysis? Considering how Lord and Miller were fired off the set of Solo and replaced by Ron Howard in less than a couple of days tells it that Lucasfilm - and by extension Disney - are watching the franchise with a microscope. As we know already, Rogue One had Tony Gilroy come in to take over reshoots while Gareth Edwards' involvement was pushed more to CGI and effects. JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson, on the surface anyway, appear to have been given more creative latitude - but who really knows what goes on behind closed doors?

Considering that Thor was the runt of the litter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, giving it to someone like Waititi seemed like a smart move. It had underperformed twice already and couldn't get any worse, so why not a fresh pair of eyes to try and turn it all around? The gamble worked, but anyone who's seen Thor Ragnarok will tell you that it worked in spite of itself. In other words, it was basically like a quirky comedy that just happened to be dressed up in superhero clothing.

Could that possibly apply to Star Wars? It's doubtful, to be honest. Not only that, Waititi is hot property at the minute and his dance-card is filling up with offers that include the long-awaited live-action adaptation of Akira, so Star Wars could be further away from him.

 

Via Newshub