It might finally be time to find out exactly what happened after Return of the Jedi, perhaps even centuries after, if rumors are to be believed.
George Lucas is reportedly getting ready to make three new Star Wars movies, set after the fall of the Empire. Not only that, but the new films will apparently not focus on anyone named Skywalker.
Movie website IESB cited an “ultra top-secret LucasFilm insider,” who said that Lucas planned to release the first part of the new trilogy within two years after the 3D re-release of Return of the Jedi, which was expected to be sometime around 2015 or 2016. IESB drew parallels between the upcoming the upcoming re-releases and the Special Editions in the 90’s, saying that Lucas planned to use the money generated from box office and DVD and Blu-Ray sales to fund the new movies, just as he’d done with the prequel trilogy.
The source also suggested that Lucas would deliberately leave a gap in the timeline, perhaps even as long as a thousand years, to give himself some freedom and not have to keep referring back to the previous movies. The source credits the success of the movie Avatar and the Clone Wars TV show as inspiring Lucas to create new material. LucasFilm has denied the rumor, but IESB said that that was to be expected and was adamant that their source was correct. IESB referenced its track record of LucasFilm scoops, and saying that it had been the first to break the news of Revenge of the Sith’s PG-13 rating, as well the existence of a Star Wars TV show.
The less than stellar prequel trilogy left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth, but if these rumors are actually true, it could actually be wonderful news. A little room to maneuverer with the story might be just what Lucas needs to get his creative juices flowing again, and by going so far forward in the timeline, he won’t interfere with the Expanded Universe content either. At the very least, a new Star Wars trilogy would likely have some cool lightsaber battles in it, and would let Lucas get back to telling stories about good triumphing over evil, which he seems to be quite good at, rather than a great hero’s descent into villainy, which he’s not so good at.
Source: via io9
