Cantina Talk: Could Episode IX Mark the End of Annual Star Wars Movies?
Now that Star Wars Celebration is over, things have been fairly quiet in the Land o' Lucas. But really, that stillness is to be expected—pretty much everything fans wanted to know was announced during that four-day stretch. Well, almost everything. After Celebration ended, Disney revealed the release date for Star Wars: Episode IX and also teased out some other details about what is coming soon to the galaxy far, far away. (And, unfortunately, what isn't upcoming, but we'll get to that at the end.) Let's blow this thing so we can all go home.
Could Episode IX Mark the End of Annual Star Wars Movies?
Source: Online speculation stemming from official Disney announcements
Probability of Accuracy: For now, let's call it unlikely but interesting.
The Real Deal: Early last week, Lucasfilm and Disney announced that Star Wars: Episode IX will be released May 24, 2019. (The fifth Indiana Jones movie also got a release date: July 10, 2020.) What caught some people's attention was that, when Disney unveiled an updated movie slate for the next few years, there was no mention of a Star Wars movie for 2020. Was that an oversight? Or is it a sign that the movies won't be annual events after 2019? Only Lucasfilm knows for sure, and it's not sharing. For now.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Meet Mr. Robot
Source: Internet rumormongering
Probability of Accuracy: This one is very difficult to verify at this stage, but let's lean towards certainly possible.
The Real Deal: Even though Disney isn't talking about what Star Wars movies might be hitting theaters beyond 2019, others are discussing what they might be—and who could be writing them. According to Omega Underground, rumors are starting to circulate that Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail could be up for a gig penning a solo Obi-Wan Kenobi project. This one might be entirely a product of fan speculation given that a Kenobi movie has been a popular suggestion amongst both fans and Ewan McGregor for some time without ever actually being announced—or even hinted at—by Lucasfilm itself. And yet, why shouldn't it happen?
Force Fashion
Source: Online rumors
Probability of Accuracy: It's an online rumor, but not a crazy one, so we'll go with 50/50.
The Real Deal: In case you haven't re-watched the Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer enough over the past couple of weeks, here's something to make you revisit it one more time. According to the Making Star Wars fan site, Luke Skywalker's costume in the movie could contain an important artifact: a necklace that may hold a Kyber crystal used to power a lightsaber… like, say, *Darth Vader'*s lightsaber. The report hedges its bets by saying "this could just be a fun detail costume designer Michael Kaplan implemented that [The Last Jedi director] Rian Johnson doesn't plan to explore," but if it is true Luke will definitely have the hottest new accessory of fall 2017.
The Han Solo Movie Might Have a New Jedi
Source: Shadowy back room figures passing information silently, via scraps of paper
Probability of Accuracy: This one seems a bit of a stretch, but certainly isn't entirely impossible.
The Real Deal: While we're talking about stories on Making Star Wars, the site also is reporting a rumor that next year's Han Solo movie might include a name familiar to old-school Star Wars fans. Per the site's piece, the film might have a "major cast member" named Dryden Vos. Vos is a surname shared with Quinlan Vos, a Jedi from the Expanded Universe era of Star Wars that was at one point intended to appear in George Lucas' now infamous Star Wars: Underworld TV series. That connection lead the site to speculate Dryden might be related to Quinlan somehow, making it possible that the Han Solo movie will have its very own Jedi to play with. But let's be honest: Does a Han Solo movie really need a Jedi in it?
No, You Won't Be Getting Your Original Edit Blu-Ray Anytime Soon
Source: The most head of Lucasfilm's honchos
Probability of Accuracy: It's 100 percent legit, sadly.
The Real Deal: Bad news for those hoping that there might be a re-release of the original edits of A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi in time for the 40th anniversary of the trilogy: Talking to the Steele Wars podcast, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said that there are no plans to restore the movies for re-release. "I wouldn't touch those, are you kidding me?" Kennedy exclaimed. Looks like you're going to have to stick with those laserdiscs for a little while longer.