Last year, ‘Star Wars’ fans received an abundance of good news. With Disney purchasing Lucasfilms, a new trilogy is on it’s way with the first one being helmed by J.J. Abrams. Additionally, Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg have been tapped to write and produce spinoff films in between the episodes of the new trilogy that are rumored to feature Yoda, Han Solo, or Boba Fett. Much speculation surrounded these films when they were announced since little to no information was available, but now we have some new developments that might indicate what we could be seeing in the coming years from a galaxy far, far away.
Variety is reporting that Walt Disney Co. chief financial officer Jay Rasilo is the man to drop the latest juicy morsel of news about what’s to come for the new ‘Star Wars’ movies. During an investor conference call, he spoke about the new trilogy and the spinoff, but he didn’t refer to the films that Kasdan and Kinberg are working on as such. Instead, he called them “origin story films”. While some inferred that this was to be the case in the first place, this is a bit more official than fan speculation.
If the three previously rumored characters are to be the subjects of these origin stories, then there is a ton to build off of. Yoda died on Dagobah at the age of 900, so there is a lot of time that we didn’t get to see onscreen in the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. While we know where Boba Fett came from and how he started, not much is known about him after Mace Windu took out his father, so there is some prime story material to be found there. Finally, when it comes to Solo, I’ve said before that the Kessel Run is only a thing of legend when we meet everyone’s favorite stuck up, scruffy-looking Nerf herder, so to put that on the big screen along with why Chewbacca owes him a life debt would be a huge draw to long-time fans and the new generation alike.
To further support the origin talks, Bleeding Cool has learned that casting for a young Han Solo is already underway in Hollywood. No word on who could be up for the role just yet, but if a casting call for “Han Solo, but young” is out there, then we might just be seeing the character on the big screen once again. (I mean, we’re supposed to anyway with Harrison Ford reprising the role in ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’, but that hasn’t really been confirmed yet, right?)
What do you think about the ‘Star Wars’ spinoff films actually being origin stories? Are you hoping that Boba Fett, Han Solo, and Yoda are the ones that are chosen to be the subjects of these upcoming movies? Are there any other characters that you think should be considered for the standalone features? What about a Jek Tono Porkins backstory?! Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below.
