Summary
Director Matthew Vaughn (X-Men,Kick-Ass) made some rather controversial comments about one of the largest movie franchises in the history of the world:Star Wars. It’s no secret that Lucasfilm, and by extension Disney, has struggled to find its footing after the sequel trilogy, especially afterThe Rise of Skywalker. With a fanbase that’s notoriously divided on every new project, it makes for an even trickier challenge. Luckily, Matthew Vaughn appeared. His comments are sure to cause significant discourse, taking some of the heat away from Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy for the time being.
Vaughn mentioned that if he were to have the opportunity to make aStar Warsmovie, he would reboot the whole thing and redo the Skywalker saga. Everyone tends to have the same knee-jerk reaction to that line of thinking: It doesn’t need to happen. However, asSam Wilson told BuckyinThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, “He’s out of line, but he’s right.” There are some good reasons forStar Warsto undergo the reboot treatment.
What Did Matthew Vaughn Say?
There are several constants that fans have come to expect fromStar Warsmovies: Mark Hamill is Luke Skywalker, John Williams conducts the scores, and James Earl Jones is the voice of Darth Vader. Matthew Vaughn appeared on Josh Horowitz’s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, where Josh asked Vaughn if it would be tough to turn down an offer to direct his ownStar Warsmovie. Thedirector responded with:
Now, not so much. For me, doing a ‘Star Wars’ movie is to play with the characters I love. If they said to me they’d reboot ‘Star Wars’ and actually have Luke Skywalker, Solo, and Vader and do your version of it. Everyone would say you’re an idiot to try, but that would excite me.
It’s important to know that there’s no indication that Lucasfilm has any intention to reboot the entire franchise, much to the dismay of those who disliked the sequel trilogy. That would be a challenging feat to accomplish anyway, since Disney+ is consistently publishing newStar Warsshowsfor the platform. There’s no need to burn Vaughn at the stake just yet. His idea isn’t as outlandish as fans might believe, though.
Star Wars: A New Hopepremiered nearly half a century ago, in 1977, making it prime real estate for an update. One can argue that the prequel trilogy and, subsequently, the sequel trilogy were movies for their respective generations. That’s more true for the prequel trilogy than J.J. Abrams’s sequels, since the latter clearly focused on the nostalgia factor, especially withThe Force Awakens.
Vaughn asks a valid question, pointing to theJames Bondfranchise, asking why theStar Warscharacters are “so hallowed that from 1977 you can’t re-do it for a new audience?” George Lucas would rightfully take issue with his baby undergoing such drastic changes, but nothing physically prevents it from happening. All it takes is a filmmaker to pitch the right idea, and Disney can green-light it. But of course, many fans would likely riot.
What Rebooted Star Wars Films Would Look Like
It would be a significant undertaking because of all the differentStar Warsshows populating Disney+, but it’s possible to reboot the movies without affecting shows at all. In fact, a rebooted series of movies could include many of the different characters from theStar Warsshows,most notably Ahsoka. Including her and other characters would significantly improve the franchise’s narrative. It wouldn’t feel like parts were missing, either.
Lucasfilm could reboot the movies in such a way that it doesn’t negate anything the Disney+ shows are doing, either. All of the major story beats, like the Emporer consolidating power and the rebel alliance rising from the ashes of the Galactic Republic, would still be there, keepingAndor,Obi-Wan Kenobi, andThe Clone Warsrelevant. Even a soft reboot would allow for Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, andother favoritesto keep their roles so as not to affect the shows on Disney+.
Should Star Wars be Rebooted?
Should Disney hard reset the Skywalker movies, erasing all the stories from the Disney+ shows? No. There’s too much happening that would enrage the entire fanbase. Classifying those shows as Legends would almost make them feel pointless, similar to how hardcore fans felt the first time it happened with the Extended Universe projects. Fans would lose faith in the franchise — several of them already have — and future projects would suffer.
A soft reboot, on the other hand, might help rejuvenate the fans and even bring them together. That might not be the case at first, but fans would be on board after a newPhantom Menaceor a revampedA New Hopereleases — as long as they’re they’re done with care and passion.
Plenty of people have called for areboot of the sequel trilogyor even a retcon. Rebooting the entire Skywalker series of movies would allow for a more cohesive story to tell in the sequel trilogy. It could give subtle hints at Palpatine’s return instead of him returning “somehow.” Alternatively, revamped movies could focus on Snoke. Finn and Rose could shine instead of fading into the background. Being able to redo the Skywalker movies with the inclusion of significant characters like Ahsoka and Thrawn would be a major opportunity for the narrative to feel more thought out and connected.
One can also make a case that redoing the core series of movies is a slap in theface to George Lucasand all of the other cast and crew members. However, reboots happen all the time with moderate success. Undoubtedly, it would be a tough pill to swallow for many — even the studios. And the toughest sell, for any sort of reboot, would be to the fans.
