Welcome back, intrepid readers! M. H. Barton here with my biweekly blog on the art and craft of storytelling across all mediums. Today’s post is all about the recent news out of Disney regarding the Star Wars universe. Specifically, Kathleen Kennedy has stated that Disney will move away from the Skywalker Saga part of the universe and will no longer recast new actors to portray classic characters. I’m going to explore the reasons this decision is both wrong and right.
First, the wrong. Kennedy outright stating that Disney will not recast new actors for classic characters is a shortsighted move, in my opinion. It seems clear that they have learned this lesson from the spin-off film, Solo: A Star Wars Story. Kennedy’s recent comments indicate that the financial disappointment of said film rested on their decision to cast Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo in that film. To my eye, however, nothing could be further from the truth.
Solo is not the greatest film in the franchise, to be sure. Statistically, it can be called a flop because it didn’t break even at the box office, but this alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Firstly, it didn’t break even because of its astronomical budget. Disney fully expected Solo to surprise fans of the franchise and take the box office by storm in the same way Rogue One did. As a result, Disney blindly expected no repercussions from making one of the most expensive films in history. Secondly, the film had a difficult production, to say the least, going through a couple of directors before Ron Howard finally came in to salvage the film. But the end result was something I actually found rather enjoyable and refreshing: a fun, lighthearted heist film set in the Star Wars universe. That’s simply my opinion, and I can understand those who disagree, but I think Solo is a bit underrated among its more epic brethren films.
Finally, I must push back on the notion that Solo didn’t work because of the recasting of Han Solo. Alden Ehrenreich did, in my mind, an admirable job in an impossible task, replacing one of the greatest actors of a generation in Harrison Ford. His take on Han Solo was that of a loveable rogue, but one who had not yet become as cynical as the Han Solo we meet in A New Hope. He’s young, cocky, and has little appreciation for how his decisions will impact the people around him. When he sees something he wants, he goes for it, to hell with the consequences. It’s one of the ways his love interest, Qi’ra, is able to play him so easily in the end. Ehrenreich’s take on this young, naïve Han Solo was both enjoyable and believable.
All this says nothing about the other key recasting in Solo: Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. Much as some might have complained about the Han Solo recast, Glover’s take on the younger Lando met with universal praise. He’s smooth, suave, and has a steady hand in contrast to the brash Han Solo, mirroring the interactions between Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams. Han and Lando’s scenes together are among the best in the film, especially the two Sabacc scenes bookending their time on screen. This is the biggest evidence of all that Kathleen Kennedy looks to have learned the wrong lessons from Solo. Recasts aren’t the problem. Long-term vision is the problem.
Now, all this said, I actually believe that Kennedy’s statement about the future of Star Wars is good in another sense. Her plan to have the franchise step away from the Skywalker Saga and build on other aspects of the universe is a strong one, as we have seen so far with The Mandalorian. While The Book of Boba Fett received a bit more of a lukewarm reception, nobody can deny the immediate impact Mando and Grogu have had on fans of this franchise the world over. It’s an exciting new direction we’re seeing, and it’s all helmed by Jon Favreau, one of the best directors in the world right now. This again illustrates the core issue many fans have had with the sequel trilogy: the importance of having the right person in charge with a strong plan and vision for the universe going forward.
If Star Wars continued to focus almost exclusively on new segments of the Skywalker Saga, that would make the “cone” of the universe, as it were, deeper and narrower. On the other hand, exploring new stories, such as that of a gunslinger like Mando or a spy like Cassian Andor, expands the “cone” wider, not deeper. Eventually, as these offshoot stories deepen on their own, the Star Wars universe becomes a robust and varied mountain range, rather than the single mountain of the Skywalker Saga. With the success of The Mandalorian and several new upcoming projects, such as a film in the works by director Taika Waititi, the future of Star Wars has untold storytelling potential. All it needs is a coherent vision of where it’s all going.
In conclusion, I think Kathleen Kennedy may have been trying to say something very good for the future of Star Wars but expressed it very sloppily. Stepping away from the Skywalker Saga will naturally decrease the presence of classic characters from the franchise, thereby reducing the need for recasts. Still, recasts are much like Thanos: they are inevitable. Sooner or later, new actors and actresses will portray Luke, Leia, Anakin, and many others. Hell, we’ve already had several recasts, and many of them have turned out rather well. Aside from the aforementioned Han and Lando, is there any fan of the franchise who doesn’t love Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan? By now, he’s arguably more associated with the role than Alec Guinness himself! And in the runup to the finale of season 2 of The Mandalorian, rumors were circulating that Sebastian Stan might appear as Luke Skywalker, a prospect that I actually found not entirely revolting. An actor of his caliber might have a chance at respectably portraying Luke Skywalker.
The fact is that there’s no point in saying recasts will no longer happen. For hugely successful franchises that are redone and reimagined over and over again, recasts are a fact of life. Overall, I think Kennedy’s approach of putting space between the Skywalker Saga and the fans is a healthy one. The time is right to explore the unexplored reaches of a galaxy far, far away. In fifteen or twenty years, Disney may decide the time is right to revisit the Skywalker Saga, perhaps by rebooting the series. We may think it stupid to try and remake the original trilogy, but it will happen eventually. When it does, I pray the people in charge hire the right director with a vision for the path forward and the right actors who can do justice to the iconic roles they will bring to life.
That’s going to do it for this short entry. I hope you enjoyed my musings on the future of Star Wars. Of course, I’d love to know what you think! Do you agree with this new direction? Do you think Disney is full of crap? Please leave a comment with your thoughts! Also, let me know if you have any ideas or requests for future entries. I’ve got an active running list of ideas, but I’m always open to more. If you did enjoy, please leave a like and share this post on social media. And to stay up to date on future blog posts, you can sign up for my monthly newsletter on my website. Until the next story!
Comments