Currently, the internet is trying to piece itself together after the announcement that not only has Disney acquired LucasFilm and brands such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones and more but they are currently in development on Star Wars: Episode VII for a 2015 release. While excitement and opinions have been all over since, fans are now staring down a void of a great unknown in which they currently have no clue what to expect regarding what's next for our heroes. Though very few hints have been left today, it's an interview from one of the leading men of the original films that hints at just where the series may be going if Lucas' original vision is to remain intact.
In an excerpt from a 2004 interview published today on the official Star Wars blog, Mark Hamill recalls a conversation between he and Lucas from 1976. “You know, when I first did this, it was four trilogies. Twelve movies! Out on the desert, any time between setups… lots of free time. And George was talking about this whole thing… ‘Um, how’d you like to be in Episode IX?’ ‘When is that going to be?’ ‘2011.’ […] I said, ‘Well, what do you want me to do?’ He said, ‘You’ll just be like a cameo. You’ll be like Obi-Wan handing the lightsaber down to the next new hope.’”
Now, this was Lucas' original vision almost 40 years old that could have easily changed in the decades since. But it's important to note that in today's conference and statements, Lucas and Bob Iger have noted that an extensive script treatment is in place that hints it comes from Lucas' creative mind. Though the main push behind this sequel trilogy is the fact that it's an entirely new vision, it's this story that could ultimately serve as the catalyst the hired writers expand upon. Who's to say it's not that same story Lucas proposed a long time ago in a galaxy far far away?
In the years since the original trilogy's conclusion, the Star Wars universe has expanded thanks to hundreds of novels considered canon that built upon the story of Luke, Leia, Han and the entire crew while focusing on the children of Han and Leia and so many other aspects and characters of the franchise. While it's unknown whether or not any adaptation of these tales will come true, the idea of the Sith rising once more and a New Hope having to answer the call seems a bit like a rehash in certain regards.
And though the current plan has Disney developing up to an Episode IX with a two-to-three year release cycle between films, there's still the chance that should they prove to be popular yet another trilogy could surface in some form. However that doesn't seem to be the case due to the fact that as early as The Empire Strikes Back saw a reduced vision to Lucas' original 12 feature plan:
And though the current plan has Disney developing up to an Episode IX with a two-to-three year release cycle between films, there's still the chance that should they prove to be popular yet another trilogy could surface in some form. However that doesn't seem to be the case due to the fact that as early as The Empire Strikes Back saw a reduced vision to Lucas' original 12 feature plan:
In 1979, however, Lucas said in an interview on the set of Empire, “The first script was one of six original stories I had written in the form of two trilogies. After the success of Star Wars, I added another trilogy. So now there are nine stories. The original two trilogies were conceived of as six films of which the first film was number four.”
While Empire was originally part of a 12-film plan, by the time it was released, the number had clearly been reduced to nine. “The prequel stories exist – where Darth Vader came from, the whole story about Darth and Ben Kenobi – and it all takes place before Luke was born,” Lucas explained at the time. “The other one – what happens to Luke afterward – is much more ethereal. I have a tiny notebook full of notes on that. If I’m really ambitious, I could proceed to figure out what would have happened to Luke.”
UPDATE: In an interview with The Wrap, Lucas' biographer Dale Pollock claims he was allowed to read the 12 outlines the original four trilogies were based off of. “The three most exciting stories were 7, 8 and 9," he reveals. "They had propulsive action, really interesting new worlds, new characters. I remember thinking, ‘I want to see these 3 movies.’” With it, he reveals that this trilogy includes a "Luke Skywalker in his 30s and 40s" and says "They will need an older Luke Skywalker,” that will likely place the role out of Mark Hamill's hands.
Despite bashing Lucas' screenplays for the prequels, which he says were "dreadful", Pollock says that these outlines will be the basis of the new trilogy regardless of who tackles the project. “Writers will absolutely take his outline. That’s in part what Disney bought".
As of right now, the sequel is so early in development that we can't possibly know what exactly to expect for the time being. But in the middle of celebrations, groans and plenty of fan-led chatter, let's just say there is far from a disturbance in the force...for now.
What do you think of the originally proposed 12 film franchise and plans for Luke? Could we still see our elder characters in Episode VII? Let us know either in the comments below or tweet us @FilmThrasher on Twitter!
