The Skywalker Saga may not be finished after all.

Jon Watts, the director behind Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy and co-creator of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, has reportedly been selected to direct the first film in Simon Kinberg’s planned new Star Wars trilogy.

Current reports describe the project as a continuation of the Skywalker Saga and potentially the long-discussed Episode X.

There is one very important catch, however.

Lucasfilm has not officially announced Watts as director yet.

So while this appears to be considerably more substantial than an ordinary internet rumour, fans should still treat it as a reported development rather than an official Star Wars announcement.

The Skywalker Saga was supposed to be finished

When Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrived in 2019, Disney marketed the film as the conclusion of the nine-part Skywalker Saga.

That story had begun more than four decades earlier with Star Wars in 1977.

Since then, Lucasfilm has concentrated heavily on other corners of the galaxy through projects such as The Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew.

The movie side of Star Wars, however, has been far less straightforward.

Numerous filmmakers and projects have been announced, developed or reported over the years, while relatively few have actually reached cinemas.

That makes the latest development particularly interesting.

Simon Kinberg has been developing a new trilogy for Lucasfilm and reports now suggest Watts could direct its opening film.

If the project really does continue the numbered Skywalker films, it would effectively reopen a saga that Disney once presented as complete.

Could Rey return?

Daisy Ridley’s Rey has remained central to discussions about the future of cinematic Star Wars.

Lucasfilm previously announced a separate Rey film about rebuilding the Jedi Order after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.

More recent reporting has suggested that Rey could also feature prominently in Kinberg’s trilogy.

Exactly how those projects relate to one another remains unclear.

The Rey film could remain separate.

Elements of it could potentially be incorporated into the new trilogy.

Or Lucasfilm’s plans may continue changing as the studio reshapes its theatrical future.

Until Lucasfilm gives a formal update, fans should be careful about treating any of those possibilities as confirmed.

Why Jon Watts would be an interesting choice

Watts already knows what it is like to handle an enormous franchise with decades of history.

His three Spider-Man films with Tom Holland became some of Marvel Studios’ biggest successes, culminating in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

That movie had to balance a current superhero story with characters and nostalgia stretching across multiple generations of Spider-Man films.

That experience could be particularly useful for Star Wars.

Watts also isn’t entering the galaxy for the first time.

He co-created Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, giving him direct experience working within Lucasfilm’s universe.

Is this actually Star Wars Episode X?

Not yet.

There has been considerable excitement around the phrase Episode X, but Lucasfilm has not officially announced a film under that title.

The safer description is that Watts has reportedly been selected for the first movie in Kinberg’s proposed trilogy, which itself has been reported as continuing the Skywalker Saga.

That might eventually become Episode X.

But there is a difference between something being widely reported and Lucasfilm putting a title and release date on the screen at Star Wars Celebration.

For now, fans have another intriguing clue about where the galaxy may be heading.

And if the reports prove accurate, The Rise of Skywalker may no longer be the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga after all.