What if they made a good “Star Wars” movie again? It’s a light an oversimplification of the filmmaking process, I know, but the point still stands. More than six years removed from the disastrous “The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019, Lucasfilm is finally gearing up for its long-awaited return to the big screen with “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” The spinoff film could, however, be described as a “safe” choice, given its reliance on an established Disney+ brand. THE real The test of this next era of the Space Opera series comes with next year’s “Starfighter,” director Shawn Levy’s entry into that galaxy far, far away.
For the first time since outgoing President Kathleen Kennedy took over the property in 2012, a “Star Wars” film will have to sink or swim on its own merits – not counting its ties to George Lucas’ original trilogy. It’s a daunting prospect, even for a production starring Ryan Gosling and with the “Deadpool & Wolverine” director at the helm. But where the recent sequel trilogy and (relatively) standalone films like “Rogue One” benefited from established franchise characters to draw audiences in, the creative team behind “Starfighter” takes on a new challenge…and emphasizes that things will be different this time around.
In an interview with Rant screen“Starfighter” screenwriter Jonathan Tropper has clarified something that was previously speculated about the new film. While promoting the Prime Video movie “The Wrecking Crew,” Tropper addressed the question that’s on all of our minds. In short, don’t expect Deus Ex Force Ghost Luke Skywalker to show up and save the day:
“I’m very careful not to give anything away, but essentially I think it’s known that we don’t have any legacy characters. You won’t see any of the characters you saw in the other films.”
Starfighter will preserve some Star Wars ‘features’ while doing something new
A new “Star Wars” adventure focused entirely on new characters in new settings instead of constantly trying to score nostalgia points? What an idea! “Starfighter” has the potential to finally take the franchise into completely uncharted territory, which would be a rarity compared to virtually every major feature film released in theaters – even going back to the original George Lucas films. The various shows have been much more successful in this regard, first with “The Mandalorian” and continuing with “The Bad Batch”, “The Acolyte” and “Skeleton Crew”. (Despite some obvious connections to inheritance, we will also include the “Andor” that pushes the limits in this spiritual club.)
But before any misguided fans start marching towards Lucasfilm headquarters, that doesn’t mean anything untoward about how “Starfighter” will fit into the overall canon. Screenwriter Jonathan Tropper (known for the underrated 2017 films “Kodachrome,” “The Adam Project” and the Apple TV+ series “Your Friends & Neighbors”) then described how this new experience will always remain consistent with what we know and love about “Star Wars.” “Obviously, lightsabers are a part of this universe and this part of this galaxy,” he explained. “So there are some things that are still hallmarks of Star Wars that are good to have in there. But more than that, I can’t say.”
With a cast as promising as this and a post-Skywalker Saga setting (hopefully) free of any pre-established lore, “Starfighter” has all the potential in the galaxy to fly high. After the trilogy following the division, there’s basically nowhere to go except up. “Starfighter” will be released in theaters on May 28, 2027.
