Jon Watts taking the reins for next Star Wars film

Jon Watts will direct the next Star Wars movie.

The Spider-Man: No Way Home filmmaker is returning to the franchise after previously co-creating the 2024 series Skeleton Crew to work on the first instalment of Simon Kinberg's upcoming trilogy, Knight Edge Media reports.

According to reports, the project will serve as the next chapter in the Skywalker Saga and would feature Daisy Ridley's Rey - who appeared in the 2015 to 2019 trilogy - in some capacity.

Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the project is still in development and hasn't yet been greenlit by Disney, though it seems to be the furthest along the development track after the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, which is due for release next year.

Lucasfilm have yet to comment on the reports.

It is unclear if Watts is working on a film separate from the previously announced Star Wars: New Jedi Order, or if it will replace that movie, which was due to be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and had George Nolfi on board to write a script after Peaky Blinders' Steven Knight and Watchmen’s Damon Lindelof both exited the project.

That film was pitched as being set five years after 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, and will follow Rey as she rebuilds the Jedi for a new age in the galaxy far, far away.

And Daisy previously teased the "wonderful" story would be worth waiting for.

Amid questions about a potential release date for New Jedi Order, she told ComicBook.com last year: “I am six years older. I am in a different moment. I think the story will be wonderful. I think the wait will be worthwhile.

“I think it will be a discovery, as all roles are, of where Rey is when we meet her again.”

Despite the film’s rocky development, Daisy recently insisted New Jedi Order is still in the works and will eventually be released.

The We Bury The Dead star told IGN: “Honestly, there are scripts that I read five years ago, and now I've gone, ‘Oh, maybe they will actually happen.’

“I think over the years, I've learned how the reality of getting any film made is so massive. The hurdles are vast … But with this particularly, I know that incredible voices and creatives are part of it, and I know the wait will be worth it.”

The actress also noted the “freedom” of the movie not having a public release date was a good thing, as it meant the team did not need to rush the production.

She explained to The Hollywood Reporter: “People have talked about it a lot that the release date often affects films and how quickly things go into production.

“So, the freedom to make sure that this script is the best way to tell this story is wonderful, and I don’t think any fans would want it to be rushed. The wait will be worth it.

“I know what George is working on, and he is a phenomenal writer. So I’m really looking forward to reading it, and yes, it’s all worthwhile.”