10 Spinoff Film Ideas

Star_Wars_logoWith news of new Star Wars films comes rumors about just about everything to do with them.  While most of the rumblings have been related to the Sequel Trilogy, the spinoff films haven’t exactly been forgetting in the rumor mill.  We’ve already heard rumors about the spinoff films starring Han Solo, Boba Fett, or even Yoda.  But hey!  It’s a big galaxy out there spanning thousands of years and even more characters.  Why should those three get all of the fun?

Here are ten different spinoff film ideas that I think have some potential to play out well on the big screen.

1. Count Dooku
With the right actor, this could be brilliant!  There’s a lot that we really don’t know about the Jedi Master turned Count of Serenno.  It would give viewers the chance to see an action film staring a Jedi and to also get a closer look inside the head of what makes a Jedi leave the Order and become a Sith.  Top it off with a cameo/small role at the end from Christopher Lee and you are set!  If you doubt that they could find a younger actor who can do justice to a Christopher Lee role, check out how perfectly cast Xavier and Magneto were in X-men First Class.  It could be either an origins film or perhaps just one of his adventures but either way, it has potential.  Personally, I’d prefer to see an origins films that goes through his fall to the Dark Side but I’ll happily watch either.

2. Shatterpoint
Wait hear me out before you shake your head because it could actually work.  While I think that the vast majority of Expanded Universe books are either ill-suited or completely unlikely to get the big screen treatment, this one has potential.  It’s a self-contained story set during a time frame that viewers are already familiar with and it would star Samuel L. Freaking Jackson.  It would definitely have to get an R-rating given the amount of warfare and horrific violence that goes on during the story and it would also definitely be darker than any Star Wars film we’ve seen before.  Regardless, it’s a fantastic tale that isn’t tied to tons of backstory.  Everything the audience needs to know could easily be worked into the dialogue.  Not only that but Shatterpoint would feature a leading cast of actors of color which would definitely be awesome.  Who wouldn’t want to see a wisecracking Nick Rostu on the big screen?  And Kar Vastor?  He would be imposing to say the least.  Plus, SLJ swinging a lightsaber on the big screen again and getting to kick some serious butt is always a plus.  I’d love to see how the director would handle how Mace sees shatterpoints because that has potential to look amazing.

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Kennedy talks Episode VII, Star Wars spinoffs at CinemaCon

http://youtu.be/GDh-ZYRc3s8

If you’re hoping for Kennedy to slip up and reveal some Earth-shattering new details about Episode VII, the spinoff films, and the Sequel Trilogy, don’t get your hopes up. She did, however, confirm that J.J. Abrams currently is only signed up to direct Episode VII.

New Star Wars Films to Be Released Every Summer Starting in 2015

star-wars-episode-vii-logo

You get a Star Wars film! And you get a Star Wars film! And you…well, you get the point.

Today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Disney and Lucasfilm announced that a new Star Wars film will be released each summer starting in 2015.

Episode VII will come first, followed by a standalone film in 2016. This alternating “episode-standalone” schedule will continue until, presumably, Episode IX is released (it felt really really really weird to type Episode IX as an actual thing that will happen, by the way). Bob Iger confirmed upcoming standalone films back in February, but this is the first we’ve heard of this aggressive release schedule. No note of how many standalone films will be produced, or if they will continue after the Sequel Trilogy ends.

We’re recording a new episode of Tosche Station tonight, so be sure to look out for a new episode with all of our thinky thoughts.

(via IGN and /film)

Joss Whedon discusses what he’d like to see in new Star Wars films

I meant to blog this on Monday but, well, things happened.

Digital Spy sat down with Joss Whedon over the weekend to chat about, among other things, what he’d like to see in a standalone Star Wars film if he were hypothetically given the opportunity to direct one.* Long story short? He wouldn’t bring back the original characters for them and would move in a new and fresh direction.

*Could you imagine the fandom’s reaction to that? 

Kinberg and Kasdan Talk Episode VII, Standalone Films with IGN

Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi writer Lawrence Kasdan as well as Simon Kinberg sat down with IGN over the weekend to discuss Episode VII and the subject of standalone spinoff films. The first question, of course, was how did Kasdan feel being asked to come back and do more Star Wars:

Kasdan: I was pleased that there would be new ones, that there was a chance to capture some of the spirit of the original trilogy that I’d worked on. I thought there’s an audience out there — my grandchildren, lots of original Star Wars people — and there always will be. It’s only good that we try to do some more great ones.

On what the new trilogy will be like:

GN: What can you tell fans about this new version that you’re working on? There are so many rumors going around.

Kasdan: They’re going to be fun. J.J. (Abrams)’s a great director for the first sequel. Perfect. We’re very happy to have him. The writers I’ve been working with — Michael Arndt, who’s going to write the sequel, and Simon Kinberg, who has, like me, been sort of consulting — they’re great. I’ve never really collaborated a lot, and I’ve never been a room with a bunch of writers thinking, “Well, what should this thing be?” It’s fun. It’s really fun. And J.J.’s a writer. Yeah, lovely guy. I’d met him but didn’t know him. But now I’m totally enamored by him. He’s really funny and so enthusiastic.

Simon Kinberg was also asked about whether the standalone movies would work with established characters or try something different:

IGN: Is there anything you can say in terms of working with established Star Wars characters, or are you coming from a whole new plot and characters for your standalone movie?

Kinberg: This is what I would say: as a fan, I wouldn’t want to know too much. I know that’s impossible because it’s not the ’70s or ’80s anymore, but part of what was so exciting about A New Hope for me was I was entering into a universe I didn’t know. Even in Empire, I was surprised by a twist I never would have seen coming. But it’s different nowadays. I understand the excitement, and I’m happy that people are interested, obviously. But I’d rather people have something left to discover when they go in.

For more, head to IGN to read the full interview.