Kathleen Kennedy Says New Films Will Move Star Wars Past George Lucas’ Original Vision, Will “Introduce New Characters and Start With Something Fresh”
John F. Trent
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Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy continued to provide more details about the upcoming Rey-centric Star Wars film and revealed it will move past George Lucas’ original vision for the series in order to introduce “something fresh.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 15: Kathleen Kennedy arrives at the special 3-episode launch event for Lucasfilm’s original series Andor at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on September 15, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Speaking with Games Radar, Kennedy discussed the upcoming Rey film, which she has been calling New Jedi Order in previous interviews, telling the outlet, “I think what’s always great about Star Wars is it’s a big galaxy, and we’re coming off what was a major war with the First Order. And now, Rey has made a promise to Luke and that’s really the core of where we’re going and what this story will be.”
Kennedy continued, “And I think it offers just tremendous opportunity to introduce new characters and start with something fresh, because we culminated with what George [Lucas] was creating, and now we take all of that and move it to the next chapter.”
Daisy Ridley as Rey, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, and John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm
Not only did Kennedy reveal this will be the core of the film starring Daisy Ridley as Rey, but she also revealed it will tie into James Mangold’s film that will tell the story of Disney’s version of the first Jedi.
Kennedy explained, “It was something that Jim [Mangold] immediately sparked to, and I think it’s a really nice compliment to what we’re doing with moving into the future with Rey, and then understanding a bit more of where this all came from. Because it will be at the heart of creating the new Jedi Order, so to get a real sense of where that might have began with the dawn of the Jedi could be pretty cool.”
Star Wars Jedi Academy – Leviathan (1998), Dark Horse Comics
These comments come after both films were announced at Star Wars Celebration in April. In a press release, Lucasfilm detailed the Rey-centric is “set 15 years after the last events of the Skywalker Saga. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy will tell the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down; the director then delighted fans by welcoming Daisy Ridley to stage, confirming she will be reprising her beloved role as Rey in the upcoming movie.”
As for Mangold’s film they revealed, “Kennedy also announced that James Mangold will take audiences deep into the past, telling the tale of the first Jedi to wield the Force and harness it as a liberating power in an era of chaos and oppression.”
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith #0 (1996), Dark Horse Comics
Kennedy previously discussed how these two films were connected during an appearance on Entertainment Weekly’s Dabogah Dispatch podcast.
She said, “We’ve been talking a lot about going well into the past and one of the things that’s really knitting this all together, obviously, are the Jedi. What happened with the Jedi overtime, much like history? How did the Jedi evolve? They were wiped out with Order 66 then they gradually have been coming back. The question that we’re going to ask with New Jedi Order and with Rey is: Does the galaxy need them anymore? Do they want them back?”
“So there’s a lot of food for thought in what we’re doing whether it’s in the past, present, or future,” Kennedy added.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Kathleen Kennedy onstage during the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
A leaked synopsis for the Rey-centric film courtesy of Issue 1335 of Production Weekly states, “Set roughly 15 years after Rey’s victory over Palpatine at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
It adds, “The sequel delves into Rey’s courageous endeavor to restore the Jedi Order, where she assumes the role of a mentor to two promising young students – a girl and a boy. As her training progresses, it becomes evident that the girl possesses extraordinary abilities, destined to emerge as the future leader.”
Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Lucasfilm
As for Mangold he provided details about the vision for his film telling Gizmodo he wants to create the Ten Commandments of the Force.
Mangold said, “So when I mentioned to Kathy [Kennedy, Lucasfilm president] the idea that I had about going backward—really far backward—I was surprised that it excited her and the other wonderful people she works with at Lucasfilm.”
“For me, it’s about, I want to be part of the saga, but I also don’t want to be holding so much lore in the air that you can hardly tell a story,” he continued. ” And what I really wanted to do, what I told her, was just can we make a kind of the Ten Commandments of the Force, you know? A kind of origin story of how the Force came to be known, understood, wielded, and harnessed.”
Star Wars Jedi Academy – Leviathan (1998), Dark Horse Comics
For all intents and purposes it looks like Kathleen Kennedy will continue to shape Star Wars in her own image.
She’s made it abundantly clear that’s exactly what she’s doing by noting the George Lucas era culminated with Lucasfilm rebooting the franchise with The Force Awakens and subsequently killing off Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. Not only that, but she had Yoda as a Force Ghost tap into the Dark side of the Force and destroy the Jedi Temple on Ahch-To.
Force Ghost Yoda destroys the Jedi temple on Ahch-To with Force Lightning while Luke Skywalker looks on in horror in The Last Jedi (2017), Lucasfilm
What do you make of Kennedy’s recent comments about where she’s taking Star Wars in these two movies?
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