Lucasfilm wants to move away from legacy characters in future Star Wars movies
With the success of 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Lucasfilm has slowly begun the process of moving away from using legacy characters in future Star Wars movies….
When Rogue One: A Star Wars Story debuted worldwide in December of 2016, it became the first Star Wars film to step outside the telling of the Skywalker saga. And, with two more standalone films in the works (Han Solo and an as yet revealed title), Lucasfilm is looking to capitalize on a much larger galaxy of stories to tell.
Image Credit: Lucasfilm
Rogue One introduced an entire new cast of characters to the Star Wars universe…and then proceeded to kill them all. However, there is no denying the success Lucasfilm enjoyed by bringing in such popular characters as Jyn Erso, K-2S0, and Chirrut and Baze.
With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Lucasfilm is attempting to move away from using legacy characters in future Star Wars films. Sure, Leia, Tarkin, and Darth Vader were in Rogue One, and, Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca, and Luke Skywalker were in The Force Awakens, but each film did introduce loads of new and exciting characters to a whole new generation of Star Wars fans to connect with and enjoy.
Coming Soon sat down with Rogue One screenwriter Gary Whitta to ask him about Lucasfilm’s process going forward.
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"One of the thing things we really want to do at Lucasfilm is create a universe and not keep relying on old legacy characters. We’ve got Rey and Finn and Kylo Ren, they’ve already introduced a new generation of characters. Whatever kind of Star Wars films they’re making 10 or 20 years from now, I don’t think they’re going to be relying on the same legacy story elements as we have in the past."
Whitta seems to have a firm grasp on how Lucasfilm wants to proceed with future Star Wars films. Although, he did add that his comments were not in any way an official announcement from Lucasfilm, on the subject.
It makes complete sense for Lucasfilm to move away from legacy characters, going forward. With Disney’s plans to keep making Star Wars films for years and years to come, if the same legacy characters kept popping up in every new Star Wars movie, then the overall saga itself would turn stale and lose popularity among the general movie going public.
We want to hear from you: Are you glad to see Lucasfilm move away from legacy characters in future Star Wars films? Let’s discuss in the comments.