Los Angeles (AFP)

New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi will write and direct a new film set in the universe of "Star Wars", Disney announced on Monday.

Taika Waititi went from the success of independent cinema to big Hollywood productions like "Thor: Ragnarok" for Marvel in 2017, before winning the Oscar for best screenplay this year for "Jojo Rabbit".

He already made a first break into the universe of "Star Wars" by directing the last episode of the hit series "The Mandalorian".

Taika Waititi will co-write the film with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, selected for the Oscar for the script for the war film "1917".

No date has been set by Disney for the release of the film, but the first of three "Star Wars" feature films scheduled is announced for December 2022.

Disney has chosen to announce the news on May 4 ("May the fourth" in English), a day celebrated worldwide by fans of the George Lucas universe due to a play on words: "May the force be with you "(" May the force be with you ").

The world's number one entertainment company has also confirmed that the co-creator of the "Russian doll" series, Leslye Headland, will develop a new television series set in the world of "Star Wars".

According to Hollywood media, the series directed by Leslye Headland will be a "thriller with action, centered on women" and will take place at an original moment in the chronology of "Star Wars".

Besides "The Mandalorian", whose season 2 is currently in post-production, two other series dedicated to Star Wars are in preparation for the Disney + streaming platform, one with Ewan McGregor back in his role as Obi -Wan Kenobi young, the other as a prelude to the events of the movie "Rogue One".

© 2020 AFP