The Star Wars franchise involves multiple live-action and animated films. The film series started with a trilogy set in medias res that was later expanded to a trilogy of trilogies, known as the "Skywalker Saga".
The combined box office revenue of the films amounts to over US$10 billion, and it is currently the third-highest-grossing film franchise. The major live-action releases (including all the films within the Skywalker Saga) were nominated for Academy Awards. The original film was nominated for most of the major categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Alec Guinness (who played Obi-Wan Kenobi), while all theatrical live-action films have been nominated for particular categories. Several official Star Wars television series have also been released, all now on Disney+.
Each episodic film begins with an opening crawl, accompanied by the main Star Wars theme by John Williams, who composed each film's score. Following their initial theatrical releases, franchise creator George Lucas made multiple rounds of retroactive changes to the films of the original trilogy (and to a lesser extent, the prequels).
As Lucas was outlining a trilogy of trilogies, he also imagined making additional movies unrelated to the Skywalker Saga.[19] The first theatrical films set outside the main episodic series were the Ewok spin-off films Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985), the first of which was screened internationally after being produced for television.[20]
After the conclusion of his then-six-episode saga in 2005, Lucas returned to spin-offs in the form of television series.An animated film, The Clone Wars (2008), was released as a pilot to a TV series of the same name. An anthology series set between the main episodes entered development in parallel to the production of the sequel trilogy,[21] described by Disney chief financial officer (CFO) Jay Rasulo as origin stories.[22] The first entry, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), tells the story of the rebels who steal the Death Star plans directly before Episode IV.[23][24] Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) focuses on Han's backstory, also featuring Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian.
Preceding the airing of the animated TV series in late 2008, the theatrical feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars was compiled from episodes "almost [as] an afterthought."[26][27] It reveals that Anakin trained an apprentice between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith; the series explains Padawan Ahsoka Tano's absence from the latter film. The film and series exist in the same level of canon as the episodic and anthology films.[28]
Before selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, and parallel to his development of a sequel trilogy, George Lucas and original trilogy co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan started development on a standalone film about a young Han Solo.[21] In February 2013, Disney CEO Bob Iger made public the development of a Kasdan film[31] and Entertainment Weekly reported that it would focus on Han Solo.[32] Disney CFO Jay Rasulo has described the standalone films as origin stories.[22] Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that there was "no attempt being made to carry characters (from the standalone films) in and out of the saga episodes."[33] The standalone films are subtitled "A Star Wars Story".[23][34]
Rogue One is set directly before Episode IV: A New Hope and focuses on the eponymous group of rebels who obtain the plans to the Death Star.[35] Its laser was developed by scientist Galen Erso (played by Mads Mikkelsen) after the Empire forcibly abducted him, separating him from his daughter Jyn. Galen secretly sends a defecting Imperial pilot, Bodhi Rook, to deliver a message warning of the weapon's existence and revealing its weakness to his rebel friend Saw Gerrera. Under the false promise of her father's liberation, Jyn agrees to help Rebel Alliance intelligence officer Cassian Andor and his droid K-2SO retrieve the message from Saw, now the paranoid leader of an extremist cell of rebels.
The idea for the movie came from John Knoll, the chief creative officer of Industrial Light & Magic.[36] In May 2014, Lucasfilm announced Gareth Edwards as the director of an anthology film, with Gary Whitta writing the first draft for a release on December 16, 2016.[37] The film's title was revealed to be Rogue One, with Chris Weitz rewriting the script, and Felicity Jones in the starring role.[38] Ben Mendelsohn and Diego Luna also play new characters,[39] with James Earl Jones returning to voice Darth Vader.[40] Edwards stated, "It comes down to a group of individuals who don't have magical powers that have to somehow bring hope to the galaxy."[41] The film was the first to feature characters introduced in animated Star Wars TV series, namely The Clone Wars' Saw Gerrera, portrayed by Forest Whitaker in the film. The movie received generally positive reviews, with its performances, action sequences, soundtrack, visual effects and darker tone being praised. The film grossed over US$500 million worldwide within a week of its release.[42]
Solo, the second anthology film, focuses on Han Solo about 10 years before A New Hope.[35] After an escape attempt from his Imperial-occupied home planet of Corellia goes wrong, a young Han vows to return to rescue his girlfriend Qi'ra. Han "Solo" joins the Imperial Academy; however, he is expelled for his reckless behavior. Han and his newfound Wookiee friend Chewbacca resort to a criminal life, mentored by veteran smuggler Tobias Beckett. After angering gangster Dryden Vos, for whom Qi'ra now works, Han and his company's lives depend on pulling a heist for him. Without a ship to travel, they hire Lando Calrissian, the captain and owner of the Millennium Falcon. A twist ending acknowledges Maul's survival of The Phantom Menace, as previously explored by animated series.[43]
Before selling Lucasfilm to Disney, George Lucas had hired Star Wars original trilogy veteran Lawrence Kasdan to write a film about a young Han Solo.[21] The film stars Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca (after serving as a double for the character in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi), Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra, and Woody Harrelson as Beckett. Lucasfilm originally hired Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to direct, but they were fired during principal photography, and replaced by Ron Howard.
In May 2020, Taika Waititi was officially announced to write and direct a live-action Star Wars film.[51] Three further live-action films were officially announced at April 2023's Star Wars Celebration, to be helmed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Dave Filoni, and James Mangold.[52][53] Kennedy said upcoming films would include the trademark opening crawl.[53] In January 2024, a Mandalorian film from Jon Favreau was announced.[49]
Additionally, Kennedy stated in May 2022 that "There's a couple of [filmmakers] that we've been in conversation with ... that I'm hoping will" oversee future films in the way that Favreau and Filoni have done for Star Wars television series.[54]
In October 2022, The Hollywood Reporter reported that after a two-week writers' room in July (which included Patrick Somerville, Rayna McClendon, Andy Greenwald, and maybe Dave Filoni), Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson were co-writing a Star Wars film, with Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attached as director. THR reported that according to its sources, "the project is intended as a stand-alone but in success could lead to more movies", taking place after the sequel trilogy and possibly featuring some of its characters.[74][75][76] In March 2023, it was reported that Lindelof and Britt-Gibson had left the project in mid-February and that Steven Knight was hired to replace them as screenwriter. Filming was reportedly set to begin in February 2024.[77][78] At April 2023's Star Wars Celebration, Kennedy officially announced a Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy-directed movie, with Daisy Ridley returning as Rey as she constructs a new Jedi Order 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.[52] She reportedly may be a supporting character in the vein of Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in the original and sequel trilogies, respectively.[79]
In December 2020, it was revealed that The Mandalorian and its related series were planned to culminate in a "climactic story event".[80] At Star Wars Celebration in 2023, it was announced that Dave Filoni would make his live-action feature directorial debut with a film set in the New Republic era, connecting storylines that began with The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew.[81]
In April 2023, during Star Wars Celebration Europe IV, Lucasfilm announced that James Mangold would write and direct a Star Wars film whose story "will go back to the dawn of the Jedi" and explore the origins of The Force, set around 25,000 years before the events of A New Hope. It is set to be the start of a new era set within Star Wars timeline, dubbed Dawn of the Jedi.[82] The film has been described as a "Cecil B. DeMille-style biblical epic.", with Mangold citing The Ten Commandments as a major inspiration for the film.[83] Mangold was offered the project during production of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Mangold confirmed shortly afterwards that he had begun developing the film alongside his screenplay for the DC Universe Swamp Thing film, and was uncertain which project would move forward first following his Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.[84]
On May 4, 2020, Taika Waititi (who directed the first-season finale of The Mandalorian and voiced IG-11) was officially announced to direct a Star Wars film from a screenplay he was co-writing with Krysty Wilson-Cairns.[51] As of May 2022, his film was expected to be released before Rogue Squadron[86] (originally scheduled for December 2023 prior to its delay),[54][48] with Kennedy asserting that Waititi's film may be released in late 2023.[87] In June 2022, Waititi agreed with Kennedy's view that the films should move into new territory in favor of origin stories,[88] and stated he would continue writing the project while filming other projects.[89] The movie was reportedly expected to be shot in Los Angeles.[90] By March 2023, Waititi was also likely to appear in the film.[91] The next month, Kennedy stated that Waititi was now writing the film alone.[92] In early May, Deadline Hollywood reported that Waititi may begin filming the project in 2024.[93] In September 2023, amidst rumors of the film's cancellation, it was revealed that it was still in development and that Waititi would resume writing the script after the conclusion of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.[94]
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