Another day, another "Star Wars" rumor, but one that, if it turns out to be true, would throw an interesting twist into the developing details over the grand Disney plan over the next few years. At this point, we know that "Episode VII" is coming out at Christmas 2015, with at least "Episode VIII" and "Episode IX." to follow at some stage. We also know that "Godzilla" director Gareth Edwards is directing the first of the stand-alone spin-off movies, to be written by "The Book Of Eli"’s Gary Whitta, and scheduled for release in December 2016, and that "Chronicle" and "Fantastic Four" helmer Josh Trank will do another spin-off at some point after that.
But the whos and whats and whys of these films still remains under wraps, the most persistent of those being an unconfirmed source that suggested that 2016 would see a "Boba Fett" movie, 2018 a project called "Solo," presumably focusing on Han, and 2020 bringing "Red Five," probably about X-Wing pilots. But if the latest rumor is to be believed, that was either never correct, or it’s seemingly no longer the case.
Schmoes Know (who have a reasonable track record on this kind of scoop) are reporting that a hot source of theirs has said that writer Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote "The Empire Strikes Back" and co-penned "Episode VII" (as well as "Body Heat," "Raiders Of The Lost Ark," "The Big Chill," and, most importantly, directed "Dreamcatcher"), is the man writing the Boba Fett movie. It certainly makes sense: when the new films were announced, Kasdan and "X-Men: Days Of Future Past" writer Simon Kinberg were said to be involved in shepherding and writing the stand-alone spin-off movies, and Kasdan’s name, as the semi-creator of Boba Fett, was long thought to be associated with this particular project.
But some of this doesn’t quite add up. For one, there are whispers that Simon Kinberg is the one who was penning the solo outing for the bounty hunter. And for another, if "Boba Fett" is the 2016 movie, the one to be directed by Edwards, why would Gary Whitta have been officially announced as the film’s scribe only a few weeks ago? Any one or two of these rumors could be correct, but they can’t all be, because they directly contradict each other.
Given that it seems likely that either Kinberg or Kasdan is writing "Boba Fett," that means that Edwards’ film, penned by Whitta, is something entirely different. Could it be a "Han Solo" project? "Red Five?" A rumored "Yoda" film? Or perhaps more interestingly, something entirely different? There were rumors a year or two back that Zack Snyder was developing a sort of "Seven Samurai" with Jedi project (though if true, he’s clearly busy with a superpowered immigrant and a wealthy orphan for the next few years), or it might be that Whitta has come up with something entirely different.
On the one hand, it would make the most sense to spin-off the new movie from "Episode VII," given that that’s the movie that’ll be in theaters only a year before, and will be the entry point for the generation of young fans that will be the film’s key audience, and who may not have the same obsession with Fett, or whoever, as forty-year-old neckbeards. But on the other, Disney will want to take advantage of the already-iconic characters, and the rumors about Fett and Han Solo movies have been persistent.
Personally, we have our fingers crossed that the film completes director Gareth Edwards’ ‘Monsters Trying To Fuck Each Other’ trilogy begun with "Monsters" and "Godzilla," and involves the space worm from "The Empire Strikes Back" on a long journey to impregnate the Sarlacc from "Return Of The Jedi." It won’t be, but we’re fairly confident in saying that whatever Edwards is making, it’s likely not a "Boba Fett" film. The secret project’s release is still two and a half years away, so we’re likely to be waiting for some time for anything further…
