It's a strange and uncertain time for Star Wars. The next trilogy is finished and dusted off. Anthology movies like Rogue One and Solo seem dead and gone, and Disney boss Bob Iger has said that the near future of the franchise is on the small screen with The Mandalorian and the next (sometime...) Obi-Wan. That doesn't mean there will never be another Star Wars movie on the big screen, of course. Even allowing for The Rise of Skywalker's relatively quiet box office, it's still a mega-franchise and one that Disney and Lucasfilm have big plans for, with the next film scheduled for 2022's What It Needs, however, is change. A refreshment Giving you a new look and feel, while retaining elements of the past. A new era, perhaps?
Welcome to the High Republic
This is precisely what is happening, at least in books and comics. Lucasfilm has revealed details of its long-running Project Luminous, a codename for a media publishing initiative now officially titled Star Wars: The High Republic. This series of books and comics, released in August, takes the saga back in time some 200 years to a period of peace and prosperity in the galaxy. The Republic is raging (see what they did there?), the Jedi are raging, and the Sith are, uh, in hiding. But one event, imaginatively called Le Grand Désastre, will change everything... The series follows various Jedi characters (including a Wookiee!), as well as other Star Wars archetypes such as smugglers and bounty hunters, as they face off against the threat posed by a new enemy. deadly: a group of "space vikings" known as the Nihil. "Star Wars: The High Republic presents the Jedi as we've always wanted to see them," Lucasfilm creative director Michael Siglain said during the rollout. "As true guardians of peace and justice. It's an optimistic and optimistic period, when the Jedi and the Galactic Republic are at their peak. But of course, in this glorious new era, something unpleasant is happening." The head of Star Wars director Kathleen Kennedy also announced: "We are delighted to usher in such a rich and fertile era for our authors. We will see the Jedi at their peak."
Wars and rumors of wars.
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(Image credit: Disney Lucasfilm Press) Sounds great, huh? But is it really just an editorial initiative? Rumors have long abounded that the next Star Wars film saga could also take place in the past, and particularly in that previously unknown era. It all started on January 4th of this year, when Jason Ward of MakingStarWars.net tweeted: "The next Star Wars movie saga to take place in the High Republic era!" Now fans are still getting rumors of questionable authenticity (remember when Revenge of the Sith was going to definitively reveal that Obi-Wan was actually Luke's father?), but Ward and MakingStarWars have a pretty good track record with this sort of thing. The fact that the Star Wars comics in January suddenly started dropping references to the High Republic era gave it additional credibility. Looking back, it was probably teasing new books and comics, but it looks like it could be the start of something much bigger. James Waugh, Lucasfilm's vice president of content and franchise strategy, said in the promotional video: "What if the publication was more of an incubator?" It's an interesting phrase and leaves an obvious question: incubate what? That said, Lucasfilm was quick to point out that "this period in the Star Wars timeline will not overlap with any currently filmed movies or series scheduled for production," which excludes movies that take place in this period during the moment. What the trailer clearly shows is that Lucasfilm was involved in the project. In addition to bringing together their core creators (Claudia Gray, Charles Soule, Cavan Scott, Daniel José Older, and Justina Ireland), they employed designers to fully flesh out this new period in Republic history, including Iain McCaig: The Man Who Came Up the iconic look of Dark Maul. It is very difficult to go for some consequences.
It's not clear, the future is
The High Republic initiative will introduce a lot of new Star Wars lore at the same time, and even if there isn't a plan for a movie at the time, it throws them off basics to get filmmakers thinking ahead. Star Wars has always benefited from its richly detailed backstory and sense of history. Doing it this way also gives fans something new that they are passionate about. Matt Martin of LucasFilm's Story Story has confirmed on Twitter that the project was developed independently of movies, TV shows, games, and other parts of the franchise. However, he did his best to emphasize: "This is not to say that the era would not be accessible to storytellers in other media, but rather that it was developed or (sic) published." The next Star Wars movie has a release date of December 16, 2022. It really isn't that long! We're expecting an official announcement of whatever next movie is scheduled soon enough, though a safe bet is at this year's Star Wars Celebration in August. Of course, there are plenty of other options around what it could be: Rian Johnson's seemingly alive trilogy, whatever Kevin Feige is working on, and the recently rumored project involving Sleight director JDDillard. Where and when these movies are filmed remains a mystery. No matter what, exploring a new era of Star Wars lore is certainly an exciting thought. It's a fresh start, a clean slate, though we wouldn't be too surprised if some familiar faces show up. After all, Yoda and Maz Kanata were alive 200 years ago. And while the traditional enemies of the Jedi are deeply hidden at this point, one of the phrases written on a blackboard in the High Republic trailer simply reads "Empire Sith." intriguing...