As Star Wars gears up for future films, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy explains why creator George Lucas will no longer be involved.
Among trailers and sneak peeks at upcoming shows like Andor and Ahsoka, Star Wars Celebration 2023 hyped fans up with the announcement of three new films. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold is filming the first, set thousands of years before the original Star Wars. The second film announced is led by Dave Filoni and will tie the Disney Plus Star Wars shows together. The third and perhaps most exciting is Daisy Ridley's return as Rey Skywalker as she tries to rebuild the Jedi Order.
Throughout most Star Wars stories, Lucas' ideas and storytelling have been the franchise's cornerstones. However, Kathleen Kennedy told GamesRadar that future Star Wars films would no longer follow Lucas' vision. Kennedy says of the new films, “It offers just tremendous opportunity to introduce new characters and start with something fresh, because we culminated with what George [Lucas] was creating, and now we take all of that and move it to the next chapter."
While Lucas' absence from Star Wars will shock some, many fans are excited about how Star Wars can evolve. Fans complained that Star Wars follows the Skywalker family too closely, limiting the stories that can be told. Franchises like Amazon Prime Video's Rings of Power often struggle to explore their lore, but that’s not the case with Star Wars. The first two Mandalorian seasons drew in record viewers and maintained high ratings, while Andor is considered some of the best Star Wars content ever created. Star Wars has a lot of stories it can tell, and fans are anxious to explore the galaxy with new characters.
Kennedy has assured fans that the story Lucas was trying to tell is complete, and the franchise will move to its next phase. Future films can develop new heroes and villains, and explore novel worlds and cultures while re-establishing the themes that made Star Wars so beloved in the first place.
As for Lucas, he may appreciate Kennedy's commitment to exploring new stories. Lucas criticized the sequel trilogy for rehashing his original films and bringing nothing new. With the freedom to leave the original storyline behind, Lucas and his fans might finally get a wholly original Star Wars film.
Source: GamesRadar