Future and potential Star Wars films - news and speculation

Tony EH · 17-01-2020 2:39pm

pixelburp wrote: »

That right there is the problem though: good or bad, Star Wars is a heavily prescribed universe for all sorts of reasons. More than most franchises it relies on a certain aesthetic that simply can't be deviated from. Someone so visual oriented as Villeneuve would likely get little traction to shake things up as much as he would.

Agreed. But 'Blade Runner' showed that he can fit into a popular existing movie world (I hesitate to call it the dreaded F word) and deliver what fans want. I was especially impressed by his negotiation around the "is Deckard a Replicant" issue. He deftly pleased both camps there.

As for the aesthetic of Star Wars, if the film is set far enough away from either the prequels and the originals, I'd say he'd be given more of a free reign to design his own look. I don't count the sequels because in that respect, I think nearly everyone agrees they were bloody awful.

pixelburp wrote: »

Dune is at least a blank canvas, and even when he made the Blade Runner sequel, it had a distinct voice & texture all of its own, despite still feeling part of that existing world. Any other circumstance and a sequel might have insisted on being a clone of the '82 films aesthetic.

Is 'Dune' a blank canvas? I would beg to differ. There are legions of Dune fans that have a very fixed idea of what the look of Dune constitutes. Also, TBH, I would mind seeing Villeneuve pay a lot of homage to the visual designs of Lynch's efforts. The look of that movie is probably its biggest strength.

As for cloning the past, I think Disney may have learned their lessons with that. The sequels have been rightly lambasted for the ctrl c / ctrl v limitations in that regard.

Might just be wishful thinking on my behalf though.

Sad Professor · 17-01-2020 10:07pm

Rumours that Kenobi series is dead.

Slydice · 18-01-2020 1:26am

What?!! After the director Deborah Chow made two of the best Mandalorian episodes?!?!

Dades · 18-01-2020 1:41am

I'm so looking forward to Denis Villeneuve's Dune, but I don't see him as a fit for Star Wars. Whether the older fans like it or not it a universe for all ages.

Star Wares doesn't need a visionary director, it needs a great script, a great cast and a competent director who's who's not afraid of wipe transitions.

pixelburp · 18-01-2020 10:54am

Sad Professor wrote: »

Rumours that Kenobi series is dead.

And nothing of value was lost. Though that's quite soon after it was announced, wonder what happened.

Falthyron · 18-01-2020 2:53pm

pixelburp wrote: »

And nothing of value was lost. Though that's quite soon after it was announced, wonder what happened.

They probably couldn't come up with something similar to Baby Yoda to camouflage a show devoid of substance or plot. Or they blew the full load of fan service material and memberberry content on The Mandalorian and they have nothing left for Kenobi's show. :pac:

Foxtrol · 18-01-2020 5:25pm

Sad Professor wrote: »

Rumours that Kenobi series is dead.

Apparently that rumour was complete nonsense, that came from a parody account that some fan sites picked up and ran with for clicks.

https://www.thewrap.com/no-the-star-wars-disney-series-about-obi-wan-kenobi-has-not-been-canceled/

fitz · 20-01-2020 10:47am

Dades wrote: »

I'm so looking forward to Denis Villeneuve's Dune, but I don't see him as a fit for Star Wars. Whether the older fans like it or not it a universe for all ages.

Star Wares doesn't need a visionary director, it needs a great script, a great cast and a competent director who's who's not afraid of wipe transitions.

They should get Matt Reeves. His Apes trilogy was terrific... Great balance of story, character and action, with a heap of visual effects that didn't get in the way.

Relikk · 22-01-2020 5:28pm

There's no thread in the TV forum for it, but I thought I'd post the new trailer for the final series of the Clone Wars. Only a month to go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLW2jkd6E7g

Agent Coulson · 24-01-2020 4:08am

The Kenobi series has been paused and sent back to the drawing board for new scripts.

pixelburp · 24-01-2020 10:05am

Good god, how hard is it to write some good Star Wars scripts? Disney, for all my hatred of their corporate dominance, know how to make movies, it's in their blood. Why is Star Wars proving to be such a slippery fish for them?

silverharp · 24-01-2020 10:35am

pixelburp wrote: »

Good god, how hard is it to write some good Star Wars scripts? Disney, for all my hatred of their corporate dominance, know how to make movies, it's in their blood. Why is Star Wars proving to be such a slippery fish for them?

is KK and acceptable answer? :pac:

pixelburp · 24-01-2020 10:41am

silverharp wrote: »

is KK and acceptable answer? :pac:

I was actually going to type "... and no, immediately blaming Kennedy isn't funny or smart". So no, I don't think you can lay the blame on one person here, as convenient a strawman as that producer has become

Suppose, when you step away, maybe it's cos Disney never worked with a SciFi property before, and certainly not one of this size and (relative) complexity. The last SciFi movie they tried before Star Wars was ... lordy... The Black Hole maybe? Perhaps the company has this big cognitive blindspot in its creative departments that doesn't know how to work with SciFi *shrug*

silverharp · 24-01-2020 11:33am

pixelburp wrote: »

I was actually going to type "... and no, immediately blaming Kennedy isn't funny or smart". So no, I don't think you can lay the blame on one person here, as convenient a strawman as that producer has become

Suppose, when you step away, maybe it's cos Disney never worked with a SciFi property before, and certainly not one of this size and (relative) complexity. The last SciFi movie they tried before Star Wars was ... lordy... The Black Hole maybe? Perhaps the company has this big cognitive blindspot in its creative departments that doesn't know how to work with SciFi *shrug*

in purely business management logic you can , leadership should always be prepared to fall on their sword. If anything I thought Disney’s strength was having a formula to churn them out even if they are a bit cookie cutter.
There seems to be 2 basics to these movies, get the generic points right which is applicable to any movie and then whatever oddities there are to SW in particular. It seems like poor leadership from the top to me

Dades · 24-01-2020 1:40pm

pixelburp wrote: »

Good god, how hard is it to write some good Star Wars scripts? Disney, for all my hatred of their corporate dominance, know how to make movies, it's in their blood. Why is Star Wars proving to be such a slippery fish for them?

Disney have never been under so much pressure to produce the goods as with Star Wars. Their traditional fare isn't judged by rabid fans lurking in every corner of the internet waiting for the slightest misstep.

It was the script (or lack of) that caused the problems with the sequels. I'm not surprised they're trying to get it right and we should be thankful they are taking time to do so.

Foxtrol · 24-01-2020 4:31pm

pixelburp wrote: »

I was actually going to type "... and no, immediately blaming Kennedy isn't funny or smart". So no, I don't think you can lay the blame on one person here, as convenient a strawman as that producer has become

Suppose, when you step away, maybe it's cos Disney never worked with a SciFi property before, and certainly not one of this size and (relative) complexity. The last SciFi movie they tried before Star Wars was ... lordy... The Black Hole maybe? Perhaps the company has this big cognitive blindspot in its creative departments that doesn't know how to work with SciFi *shrug*

People talk about the acquisition of Star Wars properties as if once they were purchased Disney fired everyone involved previously and started churning out projects by the same people that develop their content. Like when nearly any somewhat successful company is acquired, you try to keep a lot of the same people around and provide them new resources and oversight to assist things. Sometimes it works, like with Marvel and Pixar, and sometimes it doesn't work quite as well, see Star Wars.

Disney hold ultimate responsibility for what is churned out but the rot is within Lucasfilm. As I said earlier in one of the threads, it appears Disney are changing their approach to them by bringing in Feige. I wouldn't be surprised if sending for new scripts is also down to Disney getting themselves involved earlier in the process now, rather than waiting until it is half shot and realising what a mess they've made and then requiring re-shoots. If anything I'd see them pausing here as a positive sign for the likely quality we'll get.

Tony EH · 24-01-2020 5:56pm

pixelburp wrote: »

I was actually going to type "... and no, immediately blaming Kennedy isn't funny or smart". So no, I don't think you can lay the blame on one person here, as convenient a strawman as that producer has become

Suppose, when you step away, maybe it's cos Disney never worked with a SciFi property before, and certainly not one of this size and (relative) complexity. The last SciFi movie they tried before Star Wars was ... lordy... The Black Hole maybe? Perhaps the company has this big cognitive blindspot in its creative departments that doesn't know how to work with SciFi *shrug*

I think it's fair to say that she is part of the problem though.

Slydice · 24-01-2020 9:01pm

Agent Coulson wrote: »

The Kenobi series has been paused and sent back to the drawing board for new scripts.

Good. They should use the time to reorientate themselves to Deborah Chows style from what she did with the Mandalorian

pixelburp · 03-04-2020 2:33pm

So there's apparently a new writer has been found to head the Kenobi series:

https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/obi-wan-kenobi-disney-plus-series-joby-harold-1234569286/

Harold's CV is certainly "mixed", and has never written for TV before; which TBH doesn't seem the smartest idea. TV & Film are completely different beasts to write for.

Agent Coulson · 16-04-2020 11:36pm

Stellan Skarsgard and Kyle Soller join the cast of The Rouge One series.

pixelburp · 04-05-2020 6:25pm

Taika Waititi has apparently been confirmed to direct and co-write a Star Wars film. The other writer will be 1917 writer Kristy Wilson-Cairns. No other details yet. And given the fate of many of these non trilogy films, I wouldn't hold my breath just yet lol

Tony EH · 04-05-2020 9:06pm

^
Can't say I'm too pushed on that idea. Don't see Watiti's humour fitting in in a Star Wars film. He's an ok director, but there's too much nudge-nudge-wink-wink to him. Too giddy for something like this.

That is, assuming of course that he can't rein in that aspect of his.

I know he's been part of 'The Mandalorian', so maybe he'll be ok. But, he's a comedy merchant, really, and Star Wars isn't comedy.

Mr Crispy · 04-05-2020 9:43pm

Unless it's a new Holiday Special.................. :pac:

brianregan09 · 05-05-2020 1:00am

Point in case for any Star Wars film 3 comments in and 2 are already negative, that's what they are up against sadly

Homelander · 05-05-2020 10:42am

I'm delighted with that news to be honest. Thor Ragnarok was possibly the best of the Marvel line up. Star Wars needs some fresh new blood, and quite urgently after Ep9 I would say.

OU812 · 05-05-2020 10:44am

Homelander wrote: »

IThor Ragnarok was possibly the best of the Marvel line up.

Oh hell no. It was a horrible 70s/80s inspired mess.

pixelburp · 05-05-2020 11:08am

How good or bad this appointment comes down to what kind of movie Disney want Waititi to produce: his Mandalorian finale was a deft enough mix of comedy and drama. Apart from one scene at the start the episode didn't really lean too hard into comedy TBH. It's a weirdly mixed signal all the same: given Lord & Miller were sacked for what was apparently an excessively comedic "Solo", to now hire Hollywood's favourite comedy writer-director seems an odd choice.

Homelander · 05-05-2020 11:16am

It would make sense that they wanted a version of Solo that fit in with traditional Star Wars franchise films tone-wise though, with a spin-off there's much more breathing room to attempt something new.

Marvel was already heavily juggling comic relief with spectacle so Ragnarok was noticeably unique but not radically departing from form - I doubt they would ever have given Waititi Infinity War or Endgame however.

Drumpot · 05-05-2020 1:32pm

Homelander wrote: »

It would make sense that they wanted a version of Solo that fit in with traditional Star Wars franchise films tone-wise though, with a spin-off there's much more breathing room to attempt something new.

Marvel was already heavily juggling comic relief with spectacle so Ragnarok was noticeably unique but not radically departing from form - I doubt they would ever have given Waititi Infinity War or Endgame however.

I really think SW is actually an extremely difficult universe to make movies that will appease a significant portion of the hardcore and the masses. People can slag "the mouse" for wanting to make movies that will appeal to the masses, to make money, but thats just whats gonna happen. I would love to see a KOTOR or a completely new era that doesnt involve the skywalker universe but I am not sure we are going to get it.

Solo is actually a very entertaining space heist movie, I would say if it was anything other then in the SW universe it would be of been much better received. Rogue one is one of my favorite SW movies and probably the closest we have gotten to originals since ROTJ.

Incidentally, Thor Ragnorak (watched it again on Sunday by chance) was excellent in a different way to CA Civil War and WS were excellent.

Tony EH · 05-05-2020 5:47pm

pixelburp wrote: »

How good or bad this appointment comes down to what kind of movie Disney want Waititi to produce: his Mandalorian finale was a deft enough mix of comedy and drama. Apart from one scene at the start the episode didn't really lean too hard into comedy TBH. It's a weirdly mixed signal all the same: given Lord & Miller were sacked for what was apparently an excessively comedic "Solo", to now hire Hollywood's favourite comedy writer-director seems an odd choice.

Agreed.

It's like giving Wes Anderson a Star Wars gig. It sounds interesting, but in the end I know it won't work. Just as Lord and Miller were an utterly dreadful choice, I can see Waititi being so as well.

These decisions are made by suits on the basis of "Who's hot right now" as opposed to who's right for the gig.

Agent Coulson · 05-05-2020 5:54pm

For me The Star Wars Universe is more suited for series that big budget films now the Skywalker saga is finished.

You can build better story lines, narratives and characters in series maybe finish off a series with a film.

pixelburp · 06-05-2020 11:58am

Tony EH wrote: »

Agreed.

It's like giving Wes Anderson a Star Wars gig. It sounds interesting, but in the end I know it won't work. Just as Lord and Miller were an utterly dreadful choice, I can see Waititi being so as well.

These decisions are made by suits on the basis of "Who's hot right now" as opposed to who's right for the gig.

IMO there's no dreadful choices [*] - just half-hearted commitment to those choices. Wes Anderson directing a Star Wars caper? If Disney stayed strong, it'd be eccentric sure, but honestly I'd rather see bold swings than safe, vanilla choices.

It'll never get released in public, but somewhere in the Disney vaults is Lord/Miller's cut of Solo - and IMO should be released, if even as a cautionary tale. I'd say Disney want to forget that whole debacle, let alone the risk the embarrassment of the general public preferring that cut. I daresay it was more fun than what we got.

We're both circling around the same core flaw, albeit coming from different angles. Be it Solo, Last Jedi, or something like Josh Trank's Fantastic 4 reboot, what stifles these productions is the Suits getting cold feet at their own choices. A New Hope might have been saved in the editing room, but it's rare enough panicked executive-mandated reshoots save a film either.

Would Solo have flopped as hard had it been released in the Lord/Miller form? The rumoured $300 million budget wouldn't exist, so the bar for profit would have been lower. Who knows, it's just a pity Disney are so aggressively secretive that we won't get a chance to compare.

[*] Obvious exceptions being either hacks like John Moore, or a hyper-auteur like Michael Bay. Those are bad choices, true.

Tony EH · 06-05-2020 5:15pm

^
"Fun" is a very nebulous concept Pix, with regards to entertainment. I have fun watching 'The Exorcist', but there aren't any jokes in it. There's no humorous moments, not in a Lord and Miller way in any case. Likewise, I have "fun" with 'Rogue One', but it didn't have any silly moments like Rian Johnson's meta nod to 'Hardware Wars', which was just awful. The "your ma" attempt at a joke in the opening five minutes was equally cringe worthy. So, a Lord and Miller gag filled Star Wars movie doesn't, and never did, fill me with any real desire to see it, despite the fact that some people might think that it was "fun". In that way, they were a "dreadful choice" for a Star Wars film which, as I said before isn't comedy, and I wasn't that surprised to see them get the chop really. Either way, 'Solo' was always a duff choice no matter who was at the helm and I cannot imagine a scenario where it was ever going to be truly successful.

These films are, essentially, dramatic fantasy adventure movies, that can have some humorous moments (and I would say keep them to a bare minimum too, because most of these writers and directors simply aren't funny themselves). But they should never go full Lego movie or Monty Python. Such things aren't required for a film to be "fun". A word that, frankly, gets thrown around too much with respect to films and, in the end, means vastly different things to different people.

As for the "suits", I agree. They are part of the problem with modern big budget movies. But in a world where studios pump out committee sanctioned "product", this isn't going to change any time soon, unfortunately. And re: 'Star Wars' being saved by Marcia Lucas, we have to remember that all the right notes were there in the first place. They just got rearranged to form a better song. I don't think that can be said for a lot of productions these days.

Lastly, with regards to 'Solo', if some of the rumours are true about what was going on on that set, I'd say the finished article would have been an absolute farce (arguably worse than the mediocre mush that Disney delivered) and I believe some of Lord and Miller's ideas remained in the 'Solo' we got, like Han speaking to Chewbacca in his tongue, which was a bloody awful idea, outside of a 'Family Guy' piss take. If that was what Lord and Miller had in mind for their Star Wars film, then thank christ they got the boot.

Theboinkmaster · 08-05-2020 4:52pm

Tony EH wrote: »

^
If that was what Lord and Miller had in mind for their Star Wars film, then thank christ they got the boot.

They should never have been hired in the first place - absolute madness.

UI_Paddy · 10-05-2020 9:29pm

Lord and Miller supposedly went full Ace Ventura on their Solo cut. Ron Howard should have been hired from day one. If the final cut is any indication I can only imagine how it would have turned out with a proper production schedule.

Runaways · 13-05-2020 9:20pm

: Jimmy Smits (Bail Organa) and Alistair Petrie (General Draven) are in talks to return for the Cassian Andor series

This is deadly. Draven was definitely one of the characters I wanted to see more of in rogue one

UI_Paddy · 14-05-2020 11:19pm

I hope things get rolling with Cassian Andor, and Obi-Wan and there aren't too many more delays. Mandalorian was great, so very excited to see the next season and other spin offs.

Runaways · 15-05-2020 9:54am

UI_Paddy wrote: »

I hope things get rolling with Cassian Andor, and Obi-Wan and there aren't too many more delays. Mandalorian was great, so very excited to see the next season and other spin offs.

They have Genevieve O’Reilly back to play Mon mothma too So that’s a good sign

Agent Coulson · 21-05-2020 5:20pm

Seeing that Synder cut is being released I think a petition to get Lord and Miller cut of Solo released on Disney+ should be started

.

Agent Coulson · 23-08-2020 5:55pm

Obi-Wan Kenobi TV Show Is Only 1 Season

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirms Ewan McGregor's return as Obi-Wan Kenobi for a TV show on Disney+ will only last one season.

https://screenrant.com/obi-wan-kenobi-tv-show-one-season-only/

Foxtrol · 24-08-2020 2:31pm

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Obi-Wan Kenobi TV Show Is Only 1 Season

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirms Ewan McGregor's return as Obi-Wan Kenobi for a TV show on Disney+ will only last one season.

https://screenrant.com/obi-wan-kenobi-tv-show-one-season-only/

Not the worst thing. Given what we know about the character already I'd rather get through a good story than have them try to save content to spread over multiple seasons.

Bigger takeaway is that it is only 4 episodes which to me may take my thoughts above too far. If they are 30 minutes like the Mandelorian then they might as well just done a movie.

Tony EH · 24-08-2020 2:42pm

Frankly, it's a good thing that the series is a one shot. He's a guy that sat on his arse in the desert for 20 years waiting for a boy to come of age, so he could train him to be a Jedi on the orders of his master who was also in exile.

If that ran for any length of time, it would only end up getting absurd.

Mr Crispy · 11-12-2020 12:56am

Patty Jenkins is to direct a Rogue Squadron movie;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bLkTjn6Y_s

EoinMcLovin · 11-12-2020 1:17am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXPEKJoAf90

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BohgNFBR2eE

Goodshape · 11-12-2020 2:02am

Jesus. God bless our troops.

Does the US military pay for this stuff these days?

pixelburp · 11-12-2020 4:16am

Jaysus, honestly, that's too much Star Wars. Though not sure any of those stood enough for me to go "oooh". The Mandalorian wormed its way into my affection so who knows; these Disney events feel a bit of an avalanche...

Agent Coulson · 11-12-2020 4:50am

Ahsoka
After making her long-awaited, live-action debut in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka Tano’s story, written by Dave Filoni, will continue in a limited series, Ahsoka, starring Rosario Dawson and executive produced by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau.

Rangers of the New Republic
Set within the timeline of The Mandalorian, Rangers of the New Republic is a new live-action series from executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni that will intersect with future stories and culminate into a climactic story event.

Andor
Andor, a tense nail-biting spy thriller created by Tony Gilroy, is set to arrive on Disney+ in 2022. Diego Luna, reprising the role of rebel spy Cassian Andor from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, will be joined by a fantastic new cast that includes Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller and Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma.

Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ewan McGregor returns in the iconic role of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi for a special event series on Disney+. Officially titled Obi-Wan Kenobi, the series begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where he faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. The series is directed by Deborah Chow, who helmed memorable episodes of The Mandalorian Season 1, and features the return of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader.

The Bad Batch
The Bad Batch follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch—a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army—each possess a singular exceptional skill that makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose. This animated series will arrive exclusively on Disney+.

Star Wars: Visions
Presenting all-new, creative takes on the galaxy far, far away, Star Wars: Visions will be a series of animated short films celebrating Star Wars through the lens of the world’s best anime creators. The anthology collection will bring 10 fantastic visions from several of the leading Japanese anime studios, offering a fresh and diverse cultural perspective to Star Wars.

Lando
The galaxy’s favorite scoundrel, Lando Calrissian, will return in Lando, a brand-new event series for Disney+. Justin Simien, creator of the critically-acclaimed Dear White People and a huge Star Wars fan, is in the early stages of developing the project.

The Acolyte
Leslye Headland, Emmy Award-nominated creator of the mind-bending series Russian Doll, brings a new Star Wars series to Disney+ with The Acolyte. The mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.

A Droid Story
As Lucasfilm continues to develop new stories, the intersection of animation and visual effects offers new opportunities to explore. Lucasfilm Animation is teaming up with Lucasfilm’s visual effects team, Industrial Light & Magic, to develop a special Star Wars adventure film for Disney+, A Droid Story. This epic journey will introduce us to a new hero, guided by legendary duo R2-D2 and C-3PO.

PsychoPete · 11-12-2020 9:06am

This is pretty much what I expected from Disney to overload us with star wars

brevity · 11-12-2020 9:54am

That’s a lot of Star Wars stuff!

pixelburp · 11-12-2020 10:45am

I suppose it'll come down to the release scheduled: on the face of it, that list is kinda overwhelming if you're not big into Star Wars. If those shows are reasonably staggered across a calendar year, then it mightn't be so bad. But then given Disney were happy to push out 4 live action remakes in 12 months the other year, I wouldn't hold my breath either ...

Future and potential Star Wars films - news and speculation

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