How much ‘Star Wars’ is enough?
Make 4 indie movies, or a quarter of a Disney movie.
I’m a big Jon Favreau fan. The young screenwriter who created the fast talking bros comedy template with Swingers and gave foodies an eternal arousal with Chef tapped into the Star Wars universe a few years with The Mandolorian. Since that show became a global phenomenon, more Star Wars-related shows have been created. He struck gold, helping the Disney juggernaut grow mightier than any other studio in town.
I wish he’d make another Swingers or Chef. It wouldn’t even cost one SW film or series. He could crank out a solid indie for $30-50 million, and that’s even with a big name lead star attached instead of himself wearing multiple hats.
Someone has to ask the question in print. How many more Star Wars related tales do we need? How many times can the rebels or rebellion ultimately fail, or suck at their job? It’s either suicide, villains with breathing troubles, figuring out that the girl you have a crush on is your sister, boatloads of daddy issues, and a mysterious thing called the force. You name it, and the rebels have tried and failed to use it in order to defeat the Dark Side inhibitors… or whatever their name is.
The story of a world very far away (galaxies!) has gone on since the late 1970s, back when Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg thought their filmmaking buddy named George Lucas was crazy for trying to release something so outlandish. As it turns out, the idea didn’t live anywhere near crazy. It lives in the most greenest Hollywood inventions ever, as in a cathedral stuffed with revenue. Intellectual property that only gets richer with age.
I think it’s quite stale. Two seasons of “Mando” was enough for me. I didn’t indulge in Boba Fett, or whoever else participated in this latest Star Wars universe. How much is enough? It’s so big, that people can’t hide or unplug from the endless news and theories.
Between people guessing who will win Best Picture in 2024 or who should play James Bond (how about no one?), the world of film has overloads of traffic and conversation. Wrapping the head around a single day of news can feel overwhelming, and we’re talking about seeking out artful fun here!
Enter three more Star Wars movies, which were announced last week. They will explore different aspects of the Jedi and whoever, and will be released over the next 5-10 years. Expect more shows and specials too. Disney can’t help themselves.
What’s new? What will be new about them? Will they just create more fanboy and fan girl discourse, instead of putting fresh quality into the equation? The freshest S.W. movie since the original three was Rogue One, a glorious 2016 one-off that showed off the early rebellion tactics in trying to take down the Death Star. One and done.
Now, there will be three more movies. With the exception of the film that James Mangold is directing-he just doesn’t miss-I could pass on the other two. Nothing will be missed. I won’t get up after the release date, and scream out loud that my life isn’t complete until I’ve consumed every Star Wars feature.
With no offense to Daisy Ridley, I don’t find her character worth following for an entire movie unless she completely breaks bad, and takes this whole thing in another direction. If not, it’s a big yawn. She’s a female Luke Skywalker with a similar arc.
Also, killing off Harrison Ford was a mistake. Even Adam Driver looked bored in Rise of Skywalker.
I’m done. Maybe I have been for a while. More people should join me. I wish Favs didn’t make such a big splash that 15 more products had to follow baby Yoda and Mando. Use that cash to make original films, aka untouched parking lots of potential entertainment. Make another Pig, Rogue One, or just close up shop.
The day that Hollywood became a “make as much money as possible” factory, thus sacrificing quality and freshness, was the day that my care for seeing everything died.
That includes stories that exist in a land far, far away. I’ll stand by and await Chef 2.