Favreau-shepherded show keeps things focused and tight: the number of
characters is minimal; it’s about the fate of a child, not the fate of a galaxy.
The dramatic stakes are not world-shattering — but you still care.
The Mandalorianalso has fun with different genres, somethingStar
Warscould do more. Debatably the most universally liked of Disney-era
Star WarsisRogue One(it has currently grossed more thanEpisode IX),
which is a heist flick.
Audiences crave Marvel in different flavours — from the ’70s paranoid-
thriller flavour ofThe Winter Soldierto the kung-fu mystical stylings of
Doctor Strangeto the high-school comedy ofSpider-Man: Far From Home
— so why can’tStar Warsdiversify? A Greta Gerwig comedy starring
Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh and Beanie Feldstein as three Naboo
handmaidens cutting loose after years of servitude? A Damien Chazelle
Tatooine-set musical (‘Another Day Of Twin Suns’)? An Ari Aster horror
flick set in the caverns of the abandoned Rebel base on Hoth?
Maybe not, but theStar Warsuniverse is huge and could play host to
a whole range of different stories. And different types of filmmakers could
mine them.
Who will takeStar Warsforward is a fascinating question. It would
be amazing to see “Directed by Jordan Peele/Guillermo del Toro/Denis
Villeneuve/Patty Jenkins/Gareth Evans/Bong Joon-ho/Barry Jenkins/
Kathryn Bigelow” (add your own wish list here) as John Williams’ theme
kicks off the end credits. Rian Johnson recently tweeted that he dreamt
he saw a rough cut of aStar Warsfilm byThe Lighthousedirector Robert
Eggers (“If space cow boobs in tlj gave you confusing angry feelings hoo
boy you just WAIT”).
Ye tStar Warsdoesn’t really need an auteur, or even a filmmaker who
knows that TIE Fighter stands for Twin Ion Engines, or that the name
of the drummer in the Cantina band is Sun’il Ei’de. Instead, it needs
a storyteller who knows howStar Warsmakes usfeeland who can find
new and exciting ways to deliver that emotion. A filmmaker in tune
with everythingStar Warsstands for — excitement, charm, suspense,
wonder, fun, warmth, magic, joy — and able to add some new hues of
their own. And most of all they should be bold and confident enough
not to pay attention to articles like this orStar WarsTwitter. Let alone
Cupcake Twitter.