It looks likeStar Warsruns in the Kasdan family, asWillowshowrunner Jonathan Kasdan has some Marvel-inspired ideas for how the beloved sci-fi franchise should handle things going forward. Some who only know Kasdan for his current work onWillowmay find this a bit odd. But he’s got more than just a passing interest in theStar Warsuniverse.
Like his father Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote the scripts forThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi, the younger Kasdan has experience withStar Warsvia co-writing the script forSolo: A Star Wars Storyafter Lawrence Kasdan had to depart the project in favor ofStar Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Coincidentally, theWillowshowrunner even said his series wasinspired byThe Force Awakens. That’s a nice nod to family. But as for his thoughts onStar Wars, it looks like he’s taking inspiration from another beloved Disney-owned franchise.
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In a recent interview, Jonathan Kasdan spoke about whether he’d be willing to return to the characters and ideas introduced inSolo: A Star Wars Story, and how he’d like to go about doing such things. “I don’t honestly know. I’m always afraid to ask [Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy] because she can see right through me. She can see my desire to tell more stories there,” Jonathan Kasdan said candidly toThe Hollywood Reporter. “But in recent months, I have been intrigued by the wonderfulWerewolf by Nightas a potential form of storytelling … So I would love to see Lucasfilm embrace a short-form novella version for telling some of their stories. That certainly seems like a place where future stories about those characters could live.”
Marvel’s “special presentation” structure has allowed for well-received standalone projects likeWerewolf by Nightand theEaster egg-filledGuardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and it looks like Jonathan Kasdan wants something similar forStar Wars. It could certainly offer some unique opportunities for stories to be told that don’t necessarily connect to the greaterStar Warsmythos. Many have asserted that one of the franchise’s biggest problems is its unwillingness to try new ideas and break from the more central group of characters and lore. So Jonathan Kasdan’s idea is not a particularly outlandish notion. Sure, it might feel a bit odd coming from someone currently putting out a direct sequel series withWillow, but that shouldn’t disqualify the idea.
One could argue thatStar Warshas already proved the effectiveness of such concepts. The Disney Plus seriesAndorhas earned almost universal praise for its more grounded approach to theStar Warsformula, with many calling it a perfectStar Warsshow for those unfamiliar or uninterested in the larger franchise. Meanwhile, theanime anthology seriesStar Wars: Visionsoffers several disconnected stories told through animation that viewers would have likely never experienced otherwise.
The idea of more standaloneStar Warsstories released in mainstream media is certainly enticing. It could open the door for so much more potential, and even the less well-received offerings would bring something new to the table.Star Warscould use all the help it can get in keeping things from becoming stale, and this feels like one of the best options.
Willowdebuts new episodes on Wednesday on Disney Plus and theStar Warssaga is now available on the platform.
