Having directed Tom Holland's three Spider-Man outings in the MCU, Jon Watts could be heading back to Disney — this time to take charge of the other big franchise next door, namely Star Wars. According to information reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the director is currently attached to the new Star Wars trilogy written by Simon Kinberg, with Episode X as the first film. Naturally, Jon Watts already knows his way around a huge Hollywood production, having given us Spider-Man Homecoming, Spider-Man Far From Home and Spider-Man No Way Home — a trilogy that cleaned up commercially, rather less so with critics and fans, as you well know. That said, Jon Watts also knows the Star Wars universe, having co-created Skeleton Crew with Christopher Ford in 2024, a series in which Jude Law played Jod Na Nawood, and which, it has to be said, didn't exactly set the world alight.
Let's give him the Force
And it's precisely that stint on that particular Star Wars project that might explain why his name is doing the rounds for Episode X today. Skeleton Crew gave Watts the chance to work directly within this universe, with an adventure deliberately closer to a coming-of-age tale than to the grand battles of the Skywalker saga. And for a new Star Wars film meant to relaunch the main saga on the big screen, the challenge would obviously be of a different order entirely. From what's being whispered here, there and everywhere, Jon Watts would be attached to the first film of the trilogy, but could also take on the following two, which would this time allow the new trilogy to keep a single vision behind the camera. That said, the project is far from officially under way, since according to the rumours swirling around the internet, Disney hasn't yet given him its definitive green light. Lucasfilm, for its part, has so far made no comment on Jon Watts' arrival.
Booed by the entire internet
The potential announcement of Jon Watts certainly hasn't been greeted with enthusiasm by a sizeable chunk of the internet. Ever since his name started circulating for Episode X, reactions on social media have piled up, with plenty of fans taking him to task over his work on the Spider-Man trilogy with Tom Holland. The criticism mostly targets his direction, deemed too safe and at times too beholden to the Marvel formula, with some feeling the films lacked visual personality despite the scale of the project. That wariness is actually rather well founded, because let's not forget that Jon Watts is capable of making good films, especially when he's working independently. On social media, then, seeing the director of the three MCU Spider-Man films potentially handed Episode X is enough to reignite the criticism straight away, even if Watts has since shown with Skeleton Crew that he can work in a very different register.
The other big question surrounding this Star Wars X is exactly what part Rey will play in the new story. The new Jedi academy project floated in recent years appears to have evolved, with word being that this new trilogy would lean more heavily on new characters. Rey could therefore turn up as a mentor rather than as the leading heroine.
On paper, pairing Jon Watts with Simon Kinberg at least marks a new era for a saga that has spent several years struggling to find its next big cinema event. The most recent effort, The Mandalorian & Grogu, was a flop with critics and at the box office alike, and it's plain that Lucasfilm is casting about for a way to get the engine running again. Jon Watts and the billions he racked up at the box office with the "Home" Spider-Man trilogy are bound to appeal to the top brass at Disney. For now, Star Wars Starfighter (directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling) remains the franchise's next film due in cinemas, on 27 May 2027.
