The Greatest space adventure of all time, Star Wars, has come back with a vengeance because of Disneys’ acquisition of Lucasfilms. (I was going to say thanks, to Disney but I may regret that statement so…). The first installment of a new trilogy, will kick off with J.J. Abrams’ “The Force Awakens” and is set to hit movie theatres this holiday season. Along with this new movie, Disney has decided to release a number of “Anthology” or standalone films that will be released annually after ‘The Force Awakens”.
Star Wars: Rogue One, directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla), is set to be the first standalone film that will be released between the trilogy episodes. The second anthology, allegedly a Bobba Fett origin story, was set to be directed by Josh Trank (Chronicle, Fantastic Four) with a release for 2018. Well, it’s hit a snag because Trank vacated the project. Because of this vacancy, Disney has apparently set its sights on Joss Whedon. However, Joss Whedon has recently stepped down from the Marvel Universe, citing numerous un-pleasantries while filming the two Avenger movies and overseeing tons of other projects within Marvel. Whedon has said he wants to create an original project of his own; but can this “golden carrot” from Disney be too big for Whedon to pass up?
We all know that Whedon has experience in the realm of Sci-Fi, with cult classics like Firefly, Serenity, and of course the enormously successful Avenger films. He has the knack of getting the audience to really care about the characters in the universe he creates, I mean, fans are still talking about how much they miss Firefly. Let’s face it, this fan attachment to the characters was seriously lacking in Episodes I-III of Star Wars. Disney knows that in order for this franchise to flourish, they need someone who can get the fans to care again about the characters in the “Galaxy Far Far Away”. Joss Whedon, is a great choice.
Now, will Whedon step into the director’s chair? That’s still in the air? Like I said, working with Marvel left a bad taste in his mouth and I can only imagine how hard it will be for Whedon to work with Disney. So let’s work together knights of the Arountable. Let us collectively use “the Force” and send Whedon a message ….This is the film you are looking for!