When Disney proudly announced in October that they had acquired the entertainment juggernaut known as Lucasfilm, they didn’t do so just to continue the Star Wars saga with another trilogy of films, adding the brand to their lines of merchandise, theme parks and video games. They acquired it with every intention of reclaiming the sci-fi throne and once again making Star Wars a beloved worldwide pop culture phenomenon.
Releasing Star Wars Episode VII in 2015 (or 2016 if director J.J. Abrams has his way) is just the first step in a film franchise that’s in the planning stage of being something far more expansive than another pair of trilogies. Disney has learned from the successful Marvel Studios strategy of an interconnected universe spanning multiple films per year and that’s in the cards for their upcoming stories based a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Ain’t It Cool News’ Harry Knowles has the scoop that the very first standalone Star Wars film will be headlined by Yoda. There are no details on when it would take place in the saga’s timeline or what it could be about, only the basics that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy is developing the first non-episodic Star Wars feature and that it may be about the little green Jedi Master. Knowles also claims that George Lucas was tossing around the idea of a movie about Jabba, but that little statement throws the initial rumor deeper into questionable territory.
Firstly, Lucas has a small role in the Star Wars franchise going forward and isn’t the decision maker behind future films. A movie about the Hutt family and bounty hunters, namely Boba Fett, is something fans can get behind – and something director Joe Johnston told us in 2011 was something he was interested in developing. But a movie about Jabba? No. Yoda at least has some brand appeal as one of the recognizable figureheads of the Star Wars franchise.
While the idea of a movie focused on the oldest of the Jedi Order may seem odd considering the mixed response to Yoda’s CG action sequences in the prequel trilogy, some sort of spinoff or origin story does have at least one appealing aspect in how it can include characters who are otherwise no longer living. Samuel L. Jackson would love to play Mace Windu again so a standalone feature based earlier in the canonical timeline is the only way that can occur since it wouldn’t make sense for his Jedi spirit form to show up in Star Wars episodes 7-9.
What if that rumored Zack Snyder Seven Samurai-style Star Wars isn’t actually based after Return of the Jedi and includes a younger Yoda, perhaps in an epic adventure of him leading a team of Jedi to defend a planet and earning his rank as eventual Grand Master? And what if that project is one of the spinoffs Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are reportedly writing? Could all of these be one and the same or are Disney and Lucasfilm actually developing multiple standalone features along with Star Wars episodes 7-9 this very moment?
Of all the 100+ stories in the Star Wars extended universe, longtime fans still voice interest in properties such as the Knights of The Old Republic and Shadows of the Empire, not to mention the Dark Forces: Jedi Knight. And those are just some of the video games that could serve as standalone Star Wars tales! A Yoda film would at least explore the origins and history of the character, something that was never touched on in the series.
Loading ...Star Wars Episode 7 will hit theaters in 2015.
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Source: AICN
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I’d actually be much more interested in a Jango Unchained film…
I’d like to see Janga Fett Unchained. Actually maybe I’ll go make that myself
The Thrawn Trilogy and the Legacy of the Force series (9 books) should be the next Episodes.
If they doing Origins movie That focuses on Han Solo you can have Jabba the Hut boba fett greedo all the bounty hunters Chewbacca And the plot centering around a smog Elaine rain that’s trying to get past the Empire
Exactly what I think dude I always felt that when they had the little animated cartoon network star wars shows why not just have a cartoon Han solo show I thik kids of all ages would love that he was one of the best parts about the original trilogy
There’s a series of books. Not sure if they are considered canon. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Han_Solo_Trilogy
I right there on this thread of thought. Jabba himself maybe not, but a film (or TV series!) about the underworld of smugglers, bounty hunters, any perhaps Han Solo with them, could be great. The Han Solo Trilogy are wonderful books, and there are the older Han Solo Adventures stories. I think that they should do a TV series about Han’s backstory. He’s a popular character, and you can very easily include others like Jabba, Boba Fett, Lando, Chewbacca, etc.
They are considered B Level canon with the Movies being A Level. Meaning that all the books in the Star Wars Expanded Universe are canon except where they contradict movies that have been made which is almost none of them.
Don’t water down Star Wars with lame spinoffs focusing on only one character ala “Wolverine” and “Electra” but keep the saga LEGENDARY.
But surprise us.
I think it could be fun being completely in the dark as to when a story takes place!
What about, in place of single character spinoffs, a new trilogy of trilogies is created between 2016-2018, one per year, but leave the audience in the dark, initially, as to when they occur on the timeline?
Maybe even start a new trilogy in 2016 and keep where it sits on the timeline ambiguous (I’m thinking the beginning to middle of the Old Republic; that gives you 12,000 years to work with) but drop a hint [Trilogy #1].
Have a new, separate, trilogy start in 2017 that starts just before Darth Bane and the rule of two with name drops of ancient figures that allow the audience to piece together the time frame [Trilogy #2]. By the third film [Trilogy #2] drop a hint, by way of the birth of Yoda or something similar, that allows one to discover the trilogy takes place prior to the Skywalker Saga.
Have the other [Trilogy #3] take place thousands of years after the ST. Weave in a through line permeating all three new trilogies with references to The Prophecy and the Galactic Civil War and you have an epic of MONUMENTAL proportions!
The movies in the near future should retain the epic proportions we’ve come to expect and remain the Star Wars saga we all love. Leave the minutiae for the tv shows and worry about spinoffs after the history of the Galaxy Far, Far Away has been written.
I mean, I guess the idea itself is intrinsically interesting but to have your main character be CGI seems off to me. Unless Disney put it in the hands of PIXAR, then you’d have a prospect.
I have a bad feeling about this… I have a lot of faith in the new trilogy with JJ and all but THIS ! NO !! Yoda is one of those characters in star wars where the mystery of not knowing his past makes the character ! I think it could really hurt what was established in the original trilogy ! Star wars is full of mystery and if disney is going to start giving all these stories and origins to all the characters, a lot of that could get lost.. Also statistically speaking, the more movies the more chances of having bad ones there is.. I do think a Boba fett spinoff would be cool though because we didnt see him that much of him in the trilogy and he is awesome !.. Not Han story because i dont want another actor playing him . just my thoughts ( sorry if my english writing is bad , im french..)
I agree that Yoda works best as a mystery character, as in the Empire Strikes Back. While I grant that he was an important character in the prequels, it was just nauseatingly annoying to me for everyone to be going around talking in “Yoda speak” (his style of sentence structure) and thinking at it was (a) funny and/or (b) representative of what’s best in Star Wars. I’m all for exploring different characters most of the time, but leave Yoda a little dignity and artistic mystique. There are plenty of other characters who would benefit from more exposition.
Yoda didn’t really speak as backwards n the orgnal trlogy. He said a few neat things in his yoda speak but mostly he was still using complete sentences.
“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.”
in the prequels he could hardly say anything without the backwards talk. lf they do an origin hopefully they’ll get his speaking right!
I’m with you about the Yoda movie. When he is introduced in Empire, it’s funny because you see this 900 year old Muppet-type creature and he’s supposed to be the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy or as Luke called him “a great warrior.” The mystery behind the character is what makes him so interesting. Then, in the prequels, we see him in battle. That was fun. But in my humble opinion, I believe giving us an origin story for Yoda would be equivalent of giving Darth Vader his own origin story…and we all know how that turned out.
lol very much agree!
The seven samurai style move is a bit interesting though only if they do it like those old Clone Wars cartoons. (The hand drawn ones not the CGi show)
As for a Yoda feature? please no. l’ll be seeing the primary installments for the new Star Wars but l’ll pass on spinoffs like that.
I see your point,but the ball has been set in motion, damage to star wars now is inevitable.Personally I think selling to Disney… biggest mistake ever,their goal is to exploit star wars to make money or why buy it.So under these circumstances why not have a few spin off movies to add to the countless novels and other star wars content out there. At the end of the day you can always just blame Disney. Peace.
No EU crap. No stand alone movies of dead characters. Yoda is a glorified muppet. Mace Windu died like a punk. None deserve their own stories. Disney needs to stay with the scripts that Lucas gave them, complete those movies, then move on with their own ORIGINAL material. It’s just that simple.
The EU is not crap. I don’t mind original material, but some of the best stories have been in the EU.
If you say so. Some is ok. Most isn’t.
All are better than the cr*p that Lucas wrote for the prequels. The best thing that happened to Star Wars is Lucas selling it off.
How about this: Yoda vs. Gollum. (***Not*** meant seriously.)
I think they should have a 3.5 starwars. have vader hunting mace and yoda. show how han and chewy got together. luke eludes to the place on degoba being strong with the dark side cause some dark jedi got killed there and yoda used the darkside to cloak his lightness.
I’d REALLY like to see a Boba Fett movie. The whole bounty hunter angle could really make it a space-western. By focusing on the bounty hunter story, there could be minimum Jedi/Force story and more butt-kicking action.
this would not be the first non-trilogy movie they did, they made 2 seperate starwars movies based on ewoks.
I’ve been sayin this for years
Seven Samurai style movie with Yoda earning is title as Grand Master defending a planet with other Jedi? That sounds like one of the most badass ideas I’ve ever heard of. If they did that, it would be amazing
I’d honestly prefer the Jabba centered movie that revolves around the underworld in this galaxy, far far away. Sure they can have the rebels and the empire fighting in the background, but while giving us a gangster-style movie with aliens. He pulls a Gaffii Stick you pull a blaster, he sends one of yours to the med-bay you send one of his to the Sarlacc! That’s the Tatooine way
I wanna see Star Wars force unleashed made into a movie with Sam Witwer playing Starkiller.
No.
Just leave the old guy alone.
It was already too much to have him jumping and flipping around. Don’t ruin the magic with another origin story.
i hope they don’t screw this up. but i get the feeling they will focus on something boring… sad thing is i’ll probably go see it anyways just because it’s called starwars.
…. but then again all depends on how harsh the critics are.
To all those people saying that the cinemas they were in were full of people laughing at the Yoda fight scene against Sidious, the cinema i was in was full of people who all gasped and held their breath for a second in anticipation when they all had a ‘oh my god, he’s not actually going to fight is he?’ moment followed by a ‘oh my god he is…yessss!’ moment. Everyone thought it was amazing.
Just saying..
Too Right!
Yada, yada, yada. I mean, er, Yoda, Yoda, Yoda….
Personally, I’m not a fan of the side films coming out so quickly. I think that plus the idea of the new trilogy possibly coming out every two years instead of the traditional three seems like a flood of the market.
Obviously, people love the Star Wars Universe but at the same time I would hate to see the films destroy the event part of the releases. When it was every three years the anticipation was terrific.
I don’t want to feel burned out on Star Wars. I think every three years and everything put into each film to make them just right makes more sense. Plus, if one ends up failing for some reason …
In my opinion, I think they should do the first trilogy first, spread out by the traditional three years. While they work on those I think they can start working on a live-action TV show or something to fill the void.