A live-action adaptation of Revan's Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) story is something that many wish to see, but translating such a convoluted arc to the big screen would be a difficult mission for Star Wars. As Lucasfilm tries to move past the Skywalker Saga, the future of live-action theatrical Star Wars is still up in the air, with projects like Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron, Taika Waititi's untitled Star Wars movie, and a Kevin Feige production all in different stages of development. As a way to distance the franchise from the familiarity of the Skywalker Saga while also answering the call from a portion of the audience, a Knights of the Old Republic would seem like an obvious choice.
Before Disney bought Lucasfilm, the idea of a Star Wars canon was not as strict as it is today. In the time between Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, many publishers got to tell their own Star Wars stories through comics and novels, such as the well-regarded Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy. Star Wars continued to expand to other media even after the prequels started to hit theaters, and in 2003, LucasArts, now rebranded as Lucasfilm Games, released the first Knights of the Old Republic. The game was developed for Windows and the first Xbox, and it followed a Sith attack against the Republic more than 4000 years before the events of the Star Wars prequels.
The medieval-like setting, the number of Sith involved in the story, and the aesthetics of a time when Jedi and Sith were still at war made Knights of the Old Republic an instant fan favorite. The game and its sequel, Knights of the Old Republic II, took some of the best concepts of the prequels regarding the Force and the Jedi and expanded on them in a way that not even the George Lucas films could. One of the highlights of Knights of the Old Republic was the story of Revan, the force-sensitive turned Sith Lord who fought both alongside and against the Jedi. Darth Revan can be considered the main character of Knights of the Old Republic, and fan castings for the role have been as common as the requests for a Star Wars KOTOR movie. As such, Knights of the Old Republic and Revan became almost synonyms, and that is the source of the problems regarding a potential KOTOR movie.
The Problems With Making A KOTOR Movie
While the Old Republic setting itself could be the source for many new original Star Wars stories, the requests for a Knights of the Old Republic movie presumes that the story of the games would be brought to live-action. That includes characters like Darth Malak, Revan, and Bastilla, plus the storyline of a Sith armada being brought upon the Republic. However, given that story has already been told in other media, Lucasfilm would find itself in a no-win situation. If a potential Knights of the Old Republic movie simply retells the same Revan story from the games but with certain adaptations to make it all work in a feature-length production, then it could be received with criticism for being a lesser version of the game. Likewise, if Disney uses the Old Republic setting to tell a story with no connections to the events of KOTOR, then the movie would also be received with a lot of criticism for not featuring names like Revan and Bastilla. There is also the possibility that a KOTOR movie uses the same characters from the games but in a completely different story, which would most likely not be well received either.
Revan's Story Is Too Big To Limit To A Movie
In addition to those problems, translating Revan's story for live-action in the new Star Wars canon would be challenging in terms of structure. Even with adaptations, fitting the story told in Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II in a movie, or even in a trilogy of movies, would not be easy. In fact, the two games have a total of 60 hours of content – and that is just involving the main story. The pacing of a video game and that of a movie are completely different, and a feature-length Knights of the Old Republic adaptation would risk either rushing or skipping over important parts of Revan's story.
A solution to this problem would be a Knights of the Old Republic Disney+ TV show. The episodic format would, in theory, allow Lucasfilm to tell Revan's story in a more faithful way. That said, the current Disney+ Star Wars TV shows have all been small, character-centered adventures with a relatively short total runtime. A Knights of the Old Republic show, even if centered on Revan alone, would have to be bigger than all of the previous Star Wars TV shows – including in terms of budget. If even Obi-Wan Kenobi looked cheap at times, it is hard to imagine that a show based on a much more niche character would receive a much larger budget.
Disney Already Has The High Republic Now, Too
Another element that makes a Knights of the Old Republic adaption more difficult is Lucasfilm's High Republic publishing era. While the High Republic era doesn't go as far back as the Old Republic, the former certainly share a lot of similarities with the latter. Star Wars' High Republic involves the time period between 300 BBY and 82 BBY, and its overall medieval-like aesthetics resemble the Old Republic in a lot of ways. The Jedi are depicted at the height of their powers, which had always been one of the most interesting parts of the Old Republic. In a way, Disney's High Republic has replaced the Old Republic, at least for now.
What Are The Chances Of A Live-Action KOTOR Ever Happening?
Currently, a live-action Knights of the Old Republic movie or show do not seem very likely. The High Republic publishing era is still relatively new, and Lucasfilm is only now starting to integrate it with its live-action productions, that is, the upcoming Star Wars: The Acolyte Disney+ show. Therefore, it is unlikely that Lucasfilm focuses its efforts on an Old Republic movie or show right now, as that could confuse the general audience regarding which direction the saga is going.
Additionally, both the Taika Waititi-directed and the Kevin Feige-produced Star Wars movies are being described as original stories with brand new characters. This means that, even if one of those projects were to be set in the Old Republic, they are surely not going to be a KOTOR adaptation. All that considered, the Old Republic setting and the Knights of the Old Republic lore are just too rich not to be incorporated into the Star Wars canon somehow. Even if a KOTOR movie or show does not happen right now, nothing rules out that, in the future, Star Wars visits the far past of the Republic's history.
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