Now, if true, this is a shocker. The Latest Barside Buzz is that Damon Lindelof has left the Star Wars movie he was developing. The information/rumor comes from industry insider Jeff Sneider. Check out what Sneider heard below.

[UPDATE]

However forget about the Buzz, because this story has now been confirmed by Deadline. Check it out.

‘Lucasfilm’s top-secret Star Wars movie to be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has lost its screenwriters Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson, Deadline can confirm.’

‘Details as to the film’s plot are still under wraps, though we understand that Obaid-Chinoy remains at the helm, with further details on the project to be unveiled at next month’s Star Wars Celebration in London. Sources suggest that the film is still in a solid position to be one of the first out of the gate for the franchise — if not the first — on the heels of 2019’s Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Disney has, in the interim, prioritized building out the Star Wars universe on the TV side, with hit shows like The Mandalorian.’

The trade goes on to say they don’t know why Lindelof left. However what is clear is that Lindelof and Britt-Gibson were just writers for the movie. I think everyone assumed Lindelof was also a producer. In other words we need to stop calling this Lindelof’s Star Wars movie. Instead, we’ll have to call it Obaid-Chinoy’s Star Wars movie. Hopefully we get a damn title if nothing else at Star Wars Celebration.

I’m still not sure this is great news, however with Lindelof only really on as a writer, then changes this late are remarkably common. If they use most of the same ideas, then Lindelof and Britt-Gibson will still get the credit.

Original Story Below

LATE NIGHT EXCLUSIVE: Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson exit top-secret STAR WARS movie from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy according to sources…https://t.co/fbTDH8dLCZ pic.twitter.com/FVqEQKWVbN

— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) March 21, 2023

It’s worth bearing in mind, that before it was covered by trades, Sneider was the fist person to say Lindelof was making a Star Wars movie. Since that initial report it became kinda official when the trades began reporting the same information, with a few more details. First we heard the story was by Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson. Then we heard that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was tapped to direct.

If we go by what Sneider says only, this sounds like Lindelof and Britt-Gibson have moved on, but perhaps Obaid-Chinoy is still attached?

I think we may have to wait for the trades to get involved again before we get a complete picture. However if Sneider is correct and Lindelof and Britt-Gibson are out, that points towards the usual ‘creative differences’. This would also add towards the terrible record Lucasfilm has in bringing ideas to completion. Let’s go through it again shall we?

Cancelled or Stalled Star Wars Movies

If we start with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it was announced soon after that director Rian Johnson was getting his own trilogy. There’s a chance that still happens one day, however I’ll be shocked if it does. We then had Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss announced as producing a trilogy of movies. The the final season of Thrones hit and the pair became renowned for making a mess of the biggest TV show of all time.

After that things went quiet until we got two new announcements. One that Patty Jenkins would be directing a Rogue Squadron movie and second that Taika Waititi would direct a movie written by him and Kirsty Wilson-Cairns. Then there was the Kevin Feige produced movie, written by Michael Waldron which seems to have been shelved. The latest we heard was that Damon Lindelof’s movie was furthest ahead and set for a 2025 release. Now here we are with another report that talent has left a project.

RELATED: Carl Weathers Directed The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 ‘The Foundling’

That’s not me even looking at the Solo situation, or a few other rumored pitches that never went anywhere.

Movie plans were expected to be announced at Star Wars Celebration in just a few weeks’ time. If Lindelof and Britt-Gibson have just left that project, where do we go from here?

For now this is all just rumor (okay, not anymore, but it was 24 hours ago, right?) However, if this checks out, and we have another failed project, then one has to start looking at leadership. In this case Kathleen Kennedy. I know there’s a group of fans would love it if KK left and have been predicting her imminent sacking every week for the last few years. However there really has never been any genuine rumors her job was being reviewed. Again, IF this is true, then I may start to change my opinion on Kennedy’s tenure. How many failed projects do we need to have before action is taken?

So, the Latest Barside Buzz is that Damon Lindelof has left the Star Wars movie he was developing. If this is legit, what are your thoughts? If the movie falls through, is it time for KK to say goodbye? Thoughts below as always.

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