Disney and Star Wars: A New Hope?

Star Wars has been in the news a lot recently.

The sale of Lucasfilm to Disney provided the first shock, to the tune of $4 billion and the idea that George Lucas was relinquishing control of the company he had worked so hard to build.

But when this announcement was followed up by the revelation that we'd finally get to see the fabled third Star Wars trilogy, Episodes VII to IX... well, the internet went into meltdown.

You can let the Phantom Menace go now R2. It's going to be okay...

Except it didn't. Well, not as much as it once might have. 

Mainly because of those films that shall not be named. You know the ones. Begins with 'P', rhymes with 'equals'.

I'll admit that when they first came out, I was at the midnight shows for all three. And I enjoyed each one at the time. Perhaps it was the music, the opening scroll, or the stunning visuals. I don't know. But the chance to see Star Wars on the big screen again was an opportunity not to be missed and I thoroughly enjoyed treating the 7-year old me, with all grown-up criticism set aside for later.

Of course, each time I've watched them since that criticism has grown stronger. Not because they are utterly irredeemable movies (they're actually more fun than most of the dross served up these days), but because of what could have been.

Star Wars changed a lot of lives. The Empire Strikes Back is one of the best films ever made. Return of the Jedi packed an emotional punch (if you could make it past the ewoks).

So when we discovered the creator himself was going to return to his galaxy far, far away and follow this legendary trilogy with a set of prequels that detailed the rise of Darth Vader? HELL YES! What could be better?

As it turns out, The Lord of the Rings was better. By at least three Middle Earths.

Done well, for the right audience, with the right characters, the prequels should have blown away any competition for a long, long time. Unfortunately whether through misdirection, overuse of CGI, confused plotting (slapstick vs senate vs yippee), the focus on the charm-free Jedi, or simply because the films seem to have been designed first and written as an afterthought (see the DVD extras, and don't even get me started on the whole 'dialogue as a sound effect' thing), they failed to find the sweet spot. Or even a spot near that.

To compound frustration, we then learned that all the Star Wars focus after that was solely reserved for the Clone Wars cartoon - which could have been an exciting adventure, if it wasn't for the fact that we know all the main characters survive for the third movie! Where's the excitement and tension in THAT? 

To be fair, I've heard the series is good. I haven't had time to watch too many episodes to confirm this, but perhaps in the hands of fans-turned-storytellers they are doing what the movies should have. I've certainly noted that the creators of many of the Star Wars games seem to have a handle on what the feel of Star Wars should be (Knights of the Old Republic I and II especially). Which, for me, is something like this:

or quite possibly this:

Yet these moments seem few and far between. And with Star Wars recently selling out to Angry Birds and *shudder* dancing for Xbox Kinect, it seemed that any trace of the magic that had once shot first was now being slowly digested in the belly of a sarlacc over a thousand years.

Until Disney.

Since taking over Lucasfilm, Disney has not put a foot wrong. Every noise coming from their direction is the right one, speaking to fans of all ages, but especially winning back the ones that made the franchise what it was in the first place. The ones who have since fallen by the wayside, too distressed about the lack of originals on blu-ray, or all the revisions to great character moments in the Special-Special-Special Editions.

Under Disney's direction we now have an Oscar-award-winning writer (yes, a WRITER!) to pen Episode VII! A proven director who happens to be a well-known fanboy! The return of Lawrence Kasdan! The potential return of Drew Struzan! George Lucas sitting back as an adviser!

It's pretty much what we wanted from Lucasfilm all along. Why it never happened, we'll perhaps never know. And I'll always be a little sad that it didn't work out as Mr Lucas probably hoped it would, because he gave us this universe in the first place, changed all our lives for the better, and I'll always love him for that. 

But the fact is Disney has reignited our excitement in the franchise. Not only that, but they've given us a new hope of what could be.

Of course, things could always go tits up. But at least this time we're all heading into the new-trilogy hyperdrive a little better prepared than we were 15 years ago.

And that bodes well. 

UPDATE: How to cast Han Solo...

Some interesting news has just been revealed that shows Star Wars is about to pull an Avengers, with spin-off movies to the new trilogy that will be based around some of the more iconic characters.

While Yoda* was touted as being the first, I'm a little relieved to hear that focus will instead be on Han Solo and Boba Fett.

Of course, the idea of someone stepping in to fill Harrison Ford's unfillable shoes in this role has always filled me with cold dread. Especially when movie website casting polls throw names like Chris Pine, Paul Walker or Channing Tatum at us (fine as they all are in their respective areas, I'm sure).

If it's going to be done at all, it needs to be an unknown. In fact, I'd want unknowns for all the films where possible, but especially any involving Han Solo. The actor playing him can't bring any baggage with them. They have to be the character, as Mr Ford once was. 

And to that end I happened across this YouTube video. A young actor called Anthony Ingruber, playing Harrison Ford, playing Han Solo.

Suddenly the cold dread has disappeared. I'm excited, actually EXCITED for the possibilities here.

Disney, this is the guy. This is your young Han Solo.

You know it to be true. 

*Sadly the creator of Yoda, British make-up artist Stuart Freeborn, died a couple of days ago aged 98. You should go read about him. What an incredible career.

Top Photo: credit rtcosmin via photopin cc