After the release ofStar Wars: The Force Awakensin just eight short days, fans won’t have to wait too long to go back to this beloved galaxy far, far away. In just one year and six days, the first spinoff will be released,Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is set betweenStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the SithandStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. The second spinoff,Star Wars Anthology: Han Solo Movie, set for release in May 2018, will also be set before the events ofStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, which has lead many fans to believe that theThird Star Wars Spin-Off Moviewill also be a prequel./Filmrecently spoke with producerKathleen Kennedy, who confirmed that the spinoffs won’t all be prequels.
“No, no. It just so happens to beRogue Oneis the precursor to New Hope and yes, thisHan Soloidea but I would not argue that we are setting up any kind of prequel notion with these standalone movies. I think that’s so far just coincidence. And to be perfectly honest, we have changed the order of those at the last minute, so that’s not the intention at all.”
While it isn’t known exactly whatKathleen Kennedymeant by “we’ve changed the order of those at the last minute,"/Filmspeculates that she was talking about the release of theThird Star Wars Spin-Off Movie, which was supposed to be the second of the spinoffs before directorJosh Trankleft the project. The untitled movie currently doesn’t have a release date in place, and no director has come aboard to replaceJosh Trankyet. Now theStar Wars Anthology: Han Solo Moviewill be the second spinoff, withPhil LordandChris Millerat the helm, and a August 26, 2025 release date in place. The site also speculates that the producer may be inferring this project, long rumored to center onBoba Fett, will not be a prequel, as previously believed.
The producer went on to say that the anthology movies can be set practically anywhere along theStar Warsfranchise timeline. She also addressed how their approach to an interconnected universe will be much different than another one of Disney’s franchises, theMarvelCinematic Universe. Here’s what the producer had to say about how their franchise is told from a different perspective.
“It is definitely in the genre thinking butStar Warsis very different than Marvel in that they basically build their stories around characters, and then they seed those characters in different stories.Star Wars, you know, is a place, it’s a universe, so those stories are constructed a little differently thanMarvel. They are really being designed as standalone movies which is fantastic for the filmmakers we bring in, and the actors we hire, because it’s a different sensibility.”
However, much like the MCU, everything in theStar Warsworld will be connected, from the movies to the TV seriesStar Wars Rebels, to video games likeStar Wars Battlefrontand the slew of novels and comics released under the Journey toStar Wars: The Force Awakenslabel. We also reported last month thatLucasFilmis planning to release a newStar Warsmovie every year, indefinitely, all of which will be connected to this growing universe. What do you think about these newStar Warsdetails?
