Maybe Star Wars Should Stop Being Movies

Just as we’re about to get a brand new Star Wars present within the type of Andor—the second of three reveals this yr, when you want reminding—the film aspect of the franchise took one other noticeable hit. Rogue Squadron, a movie initially deliberate to be directed by Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins for a December 2023 launch, has been pulled off the discharge schedule. Whether that was a practical launch date or not contemplating Jenkins reportedly had different tasks on her docket, it seems to be like a brand new Star Wars film received’t come till December 2025, if even then.

As there’s been present after present for George Lucas’ sci-fi franchise, the cinematic aspect of issues has noticeably gone by means of some hurdles. Things started in earnest with the rocky growth of 2018’s Solo, which noticed a change in administrators from Phil Lord and Chris Miller to Ron Howard, and whose subsequent underperformance killed Disney’s plans for solo movies for Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi. (And possibly even Jabba the Hutt?) Subsequently, there’s been headline-grabbing information concerning the films that adopted, be it discussions about Rise of Skywalker attempting to name do-over after The Last Jedi (after shedding unique director Colin Trevorrow) or Kevin Feige being introduced over from Marvel to assist proper the ship. And keep in mind when the Game of Thrones creators had been going to do a Star Wars film, till they weren’t?

Things are fairly messy in a film universe far, far-off, no query. But if there’s any brilliant aspect to this disjointedness from the movies, it’s that the expanded media has actually gotten an opportunity to thrive within the final couple of years. The High Republic books have managed to carve out a distinct segment for themselves by winding again the clock and making essentially the most out of a time the place the Jedi weren’t being set as much as be worn out by a nihilistic cultist. What video video games we’ve gotten have been enjoyable throwbacks to the previous PS2 days, and the comics have been reliably doing their very own factor with one occasion after one other.

On their very own, these would all make for wholesome methods to maintain the franchise going, however they’re all getting an additional increase from the TV arm. Since The Mandalorian wowed audiences again in 2019, Lucasfilm’s managed to reliably put out a present or two unfold out over a number of months. Not all of them are pretty much as good as their premises initially appear, and on an actor degree, the TV aspect of Star Wars has had its controversies, specifically Gina Carano’s parting methods with the corporate after her transphobic tweets, and Rosario Dawson’s now dismissed allegations of assaulting a trans particular person. Depressing as it’s to say, regardless of these, creating and releasing a Star Wars present seems to be a significantly simpler activity.

To that finish… possibly it’s nice if Star Wars simply does away with movies solely? The most attention-grabbing work is being completed on TV in any case, and has been that method for fairly a while. The identical has been true of Star Trek these days, it’s starting to be for Marvel, and that may be true right here, too. Though the movies have principally been box workplace juggernauts, continuously attempting to high themselves and go huge is what in the end led to the franchise having to spend the final three years apologizing for Rise of Skywalker ending the way it did. One may make the argument that being a movie is paramount to a part of the Star Wars expertise, however that isn’t solely true. The ultimate 4 episodes of The Clone Wars really feel as cinematic as any film within the franchise, if not moreso, which is further spectacular because it feels just like the episodes may’ve performed in a theater had the pandemic not occurred. Be it a cartoon, comedian, e-book, or musical, it’d be cinematic from its presentation and elegance reasonably than how one chooses to eat Star Wars content material.

For a franchise that’s had points with letting go, from an organization with even greater points of the identical, abandoning the silver display screen could also be what it in the end wants. Disney wins both method, so it couldn’t damage to experiment and see what most accurately fits the franchise.

Want extra io9 information? Check out when to anticipate the newest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on movie and TV, and the whole lot it’s worthwhile to learn about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.