So, in a quiet little move that will probably attract scant attention, Disney has bought Lucasfilm and is planning a third Star Wars trilogy.
Now my feelings about the Disney company are much like the Rebel Alliance’s feelings about the Death Star (mainly for their fantastically excessive abuse of the bad-anyway IP system). All the same, I can’t help thinking this might be a positive development. Lucas’s strengths are in coming up with ideas, and directing big special-effects scenes; but his weaknesses are in writing scripts and directing actors. That’s why the original trilogy was better than the prequels. And the original 1977 film (the only entry in the original trilogy to be written or directed by Lucas) was good because Lucas was still listening to advice in those days, from his movie-industry friends like Spielberg and Coppola, and even from the actors (which is why Luke doesn’t shout “Nooooooo!” when he finds his dead aunt and uncle, as Lucas had intended); but Lucas has long since become a white hole, from which information can exit but never enter. While the Avengers films have had their flaws, Disney has made some creative, outside-the-box choices for directors and screenwriters there; and for all my grumbles I even liked John Carter more than most people did. So I think wresting the lightsabre from Lucas’s cold live fingers might open similar opportunities for the Star Wars franchise.
There was a time when I would have been worried that Disney would try to make Star Wars too cutesey. But it hasn’t done that with the Avengers; plus after Jar Jar there’s not much deeper one can sink into that particular hole.
Roderick,
I agree with your assessments about Lucas, and the potentially positive aspect of the Disney takeover. I would also like remind you to check out “The Clone Wars” TV series (currently in season 5). I think it is quite good (though I consider season 3 as a whole, my least favourite).
Richard G.
Whoops! I meant season 4 is my least favourite (as a whole).
Richard
I have season 1; I need to give that a watch. I saw the movie and wasn’t crazy about it, but everyone tells me the tv show is better.
I had exactly the same reaction. This really can’t fail to be a positive step. Now Disney should make “Dark Empire” into movies.
They could do an animated version of Dark Empire.
Well, as I see the problem is more with creating a new trilogy, starting from episode VII. I mean, why can´t American film producers accept things have an end (Emperor killed, empire destroyed, Darth Vader redeemed), beyond their intend of making money at any cost?
Well, Lucas originally intended it as a nine-part saga (back when money was not, as far as I can tell, his primary motivation).
From what I recall he made conflicting statements on that. I seem to remember it was only after he made the original three movies that it being a nine-part saga was mentioned.
Yeah, I agree. Lucas has used historical revisionism as a marketing tool to try to tie the movies together in the past.
While memory is unreliable, my recollection is that the 9-part saga thing was announced around the same time that Empire Strikes Back was announced.
Here’s Wikipedia’s take.
Whoa, so he may have had twelve planned at one point? A bit overly ambitious if you ask me. Then again, I suppose that’s what helps to make for success.
Any news on the plot of these proposed sequels? Will it be based on any Expanded Universe material (the Thrawn trilogy, for instance)?
I think the actors are too old to play the roles assigned them in the Thrawn trilogy. My money’s on an all new story. (Whether it will be consistent with the EU, who can say?)
At one point Lucas was rumored to be toying with a story featuring a clone of Anakin.
Oh, sure, I assumed it would be new actors-unless they used some computer imaging to make them appear younger or something. I’d like to see a new story for sure.
I know it’s cliche, but I would really like to see Mark Hamill play an elderly (obviously) Luke Skywalker, as a mix of of (Alex Guiness’s) Obi-Wan & Yoda.
Richard G.
Arrgg, I meant “Alec”, not “Alex”.
I think that Disney has better grasp of the situation of where to take the Star Wars IP than Lucas does at this time. Even Lucas admits at least as much in terms of hoping to see Star Wars live beyond his life time. Plus, the fact that Disney is taking a more hands-off approach Post-Eisner with Marvel Films and the fact they never went through with the Incredibles sequel makes them less idiotic in terms of franchise management imo.
Mark Hamill says he and Carrie Fisher were told about the new flicks in August. I don’t know why Lucas would go out of his way to do that unless he was planning to include them in the flicks. They sure seem to be past their primes though.
I guess it could work if people were okay with a story of Luke and Leia about thirty years later. My guess is that’s a long shot, however.
I’d like to see Mark Hamill play the Joker live-action in the next Batman movie. There doesn’t seem to be any particular age that character needs to be.
The Thrawn trilogy takes place less than 10 years after the end of ROTJ, so I agree they are probably too old. But can’t they use that fancy CGI from the prequels to fix that and make them look young in each shot? Or just go CGI completely and use their voices?
Actually it’s only five years after ROTJ, and yeah, that was my question. They took twenty years off Anthony Hopkins for Red Dragon, after all.
They should really do something in the Knights of the Old Republic universe.
“but Lucas has long since become a white hole, from which information can exit but never enter.”
LOL!