By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Recently, I got to feel like Luke Skywalker, but not in a good way. I didn’t get a lightsaber or learn how to fly an X-Wing or anything. Instead, I got some news that left me quoting the would-be Jedi from The Empire Strikes Back: “That’s not true…that’s impossible!” That news is, of course, the depressing fact that Disney is working on a new Star Wars trilogy that will follow the failed Skywalker Saga. If that news isn’t bad enough, it’s being written by the guy who brought us X-Men: Dark Phoenix!
Previously, it seemed like Disney was trying to distance itself from the Sequel Trilogy after the disastrous reception to The Rise of Skywalker. That was presumably why all of the live-action shows took place in a different time period and why the next big screen project, Starfighter, is designed as a standalone film. However, the House of Mouse surprised us all by recently announcing a new Skywalker Saga trilogy. The bad news is that it’s being written by Simon Kinberg, who wrote stinkers like X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Dark Phoenix. The good news is that it’s being directed by Jon Watts, who directed Tom Holland’s first three Spider-Man films.
So Much For Killing The Past
While Watts is mostly known for Marvel movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home, he has existing Star Wars street cred. After all, he co-created Skeleton Crew, an overlooked show that fans generally liked. Given his track record working for Disney-owned studios, it will be interesting to see what kind of movie Watts makes. Will this be another coming-of-age tale focusing a la Skeleton Crew? Or will it focus more on crazy action like his Spider-Man movies? It may be a bit of both, especially if some earlier Star Wars rumors end up coming true.
Starfighter is being billed as a standalone film, one that focuses on Ryan Gosling’s character getting Flynn Gray’s young, Force-sensitive character to safety. Earlier this year, there were rumors that the young man would end up on a planet where the next generation of Jedi are being trained. This ties to an even older rumor that Daisy Ridley’s Rey would pop up at the end of Starfighter. With these rumors, you don’t need the Force to predict the future: in all likelihood, Flynn Gray is going to be one of many Padawans being trained by Rey as part of a New Jedi Order, and that Order will feature prominently in the next trilogy.
Somehow, Star Wars Returned
Fans will have to wait to see whether all of these rumors and speculations pay off. Right now, there is no release date for the first film in this new Star Wars Trilogy; the movie is simply in development. Assuming it doesn’t join the growing list of canceled franchise projects, it will still take us many years to see this film on the big screen. When it does, will fans show up? The Sequel Trilogy is a hot mess that most would rather forget. And while that’s not Daisy Ridley’s fault, bringing her back will serve as a prominent reminder of just how badly Disney mishandled the biggest sci-fi franchise in the world.
Oh, well. As Yoda says, “Always in motion, the future is.” By the time this new trilogy comes out, maybe movies like Starfighter will have rehabilitated Star Wars’ public image. Or maybe fans who were children when The Force Awakens will, like Gen Z before them, start loudly arguing that the crappy trilogy they grew up with is actually good. Those factors might, just might, be enough to make fans tune in and make the new trilogy a hit. But if the last decade is any indicator, Disney is about to ruin Star Wars all over again.
And if fans burned out on the sequels skip these new films, there may be no coming back for everyone’s favorite galaxy far, far away.
