With Darth Vader dead and the Emperor out of the picture as well, some sideline Star Wars fans wonder what could be left to tell of the story. But diehard fans know that there’s a lot of potential plots already in place.
With more than 80 comic books and over 110 novels set after we closed the book on Return of the Jedi, there is plenty to choose from. The rich treasure trove of storytelling all had the blessing of George Lucas and Lucasfilm as well, so none of it can be ruled out as the potential fate of Luke, Leia, and Han.
Regarding the facts, we do have a few: although Episode 7 will be produced under the banner of the Walt Disney Company, George Lucas will be tightly connected to the project as creative consultant. As president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy will produce Episodes 7, 8, and 9. And Michael Arndt, the genius behind Pixar’s Toy Story 3, will pen Episode 7’s screenplay. We also know that Episode 7 is due sometime in 2015.
Speculation abounds that the future stories will diverge from the text already out there. Says Kennedy: This is not like a series of books like `Harry Potter’ where you’ve already got a template of what the stories might be. These are original stories and original ideas that come from out of a world that [is] essentially is in George’s head.”
The involvement of the original series stars, like Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill (who played Leia and Luke respectively) is not out of the question. According to Star Wars watcher Bryan Young, Fisher and Hamill were invited to lunch with Lucas shortly before Lucasfilm’s acquisition was announced. Hamill has also said that his involvement in a sequel stems as far back as the late 70s, when the first Star Wars film as made.
One thing that we can be sure of: the next installment of the wildly popular Star Wars franchise will continue to be highly anticipated by a fan base that continues to pick up fans of every age group.
Are you looking forward to learning more details about Episode 7?