Jon Watts, director of ‘Spider-Man’, takes on the new ‘Star Wars’ trilogy — expected to be ‘Episode X’

Director Jon Watts, the man who brought Tom Holland’s “Spider-Man” trilogy to life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — “Homecoming”, “Far From Home” and “No Way Home” — has been chosen to direct the first film of a brand-new “Star Wars” trilogy for Lucasfilm, as USA Today (For The Win) reports, based on reporting by The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit.

The script is in the hands of veteran Simon Kinberg, who wrote and co-created the animated series “Star Wars Rebels” and has X-Men films on his CV. Kinberg has been working on this trilogy since late 2024 — one of the most advanced projects in development at Lucasfilm, although Disney has not yet given it the official green light and the studio has not commented on the news.

The project is conceived as the next chapter of what is known as the Skywalker saga — a continuation of the story that closed with “The Rise of Skywalker” (2019). Several industry sources say the film could be called “Episode X”, a symbolic step that would tie it directly to the main saga, away from side stories or spinoffs.

Another sensational detail: Rey Skywalker, the Jedi played by Daisy Ridley in the last trilogy (2015–2019), is expected to return “in a role” in the new trilogy. The exact manner of her return remains unclear, but her presence signals that Lucasfilm is betting on the continuity of the saga beloved by audiences.

Watts is no stranger to the “Star Wars” universe: he is also co-creator of the Disney+ series “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”. Meanwhile, the only officially scheduled “Star Wars” film at the moment remains Shawn Levy’s “Star Wars: Starfighter”, starring Ryan Gosling, hitting cinemas on May 28, 2027.