With Walt Disney and Lucasfilm aiming to greatly expand the universe of Star Wars, the rumors regarding exactly how they’ll go about it have been flying in at lightspeed. We know a few things are certain: J.J. Abrams will be directing Star Wars: Episode VII based on a script by Michael Arndt, with the studio having plans to make 8th and 9th films, as well as creating stand-alone spin-off films in this galaxy concurrent with the new trilogy.
We recently got word that one of these spin-offs may feature the wise Yoda, but now more news has come in regarding a very different direction that’s being explored. Entertainment Weekly is reporting they’ve been briefed on two additional spin-off films, one featuring the origin story of Han Solo, portrayed by Harrison Ford in the original films. The other would follow bounty hunter Boba Fett on an galactic adventure.
As for exact details, they are brief, but the Solo story would reportedly take place before A New Hope and after Revenge of the Sith. The casting process should also be interesting and perhaps difficult, as someone will need to take over for Ford, in a role “much younger” than the 35-year-old actor featured in the first Star Wars film. When it comes to the Boba Fett film, it would reportedly fall somewhere in the original trilogy, before he seemingly meets his demise in Return of the Jedi.
Perhaps most exciting of all is this latter timeline could easily see the return of many characters, including Darth Vader, Jabba the Hutt and even Luke Skywalker, or any of the other original gang. With Simon Kinberg and Lawrence Kasdan working hard on the scripts for these films, we’re likely a few years away from concrete details, but this is certainly an exciting direction with endless possibilities. Although hesitation comes in the form of seeing another origin tale, considering how misguided the previous trilogy was, hopefully the new creative forces will give the series renewed life.
Who do you think should be cast in these roles? Which spin-off do you want to see more?