It all started a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, when the rebel alliance decided to strike back at the galactic empire in ‘Episode IV: A New Hope’. Back in 1977, George Lucas created a world so vividly complex that it was destined to live on beyond eternity through its sheer brilliance.
It all begins again on December 18, 2015, when the first installment of an all-new Star Wars trilogy is set to be released. The epically-hyped continuation of the blockbuster series has been given its official name as filming finally concludes.
‘Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens’
The film directed by J. J. Abrams with George Lucas as creative consultant, is to take place approximately 30 years after the events of ‘Episode VI: Return of the Jedi’ (1983).
Episode VII will reprise some of the cast from the original trilogy, including Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia along with C-3PO, R2-D2 and Chewbacca, who have all been confirmed to return, and will be supported by a younger cast of actors.
Mark Hamill stated that back in 1976, while filming the first film in Tunisia, Lucas told him in that four Star Wars trilogies were planned.
In an interview with American graphic artist Jim Steranko for Prevue magazine published in late 1980, Lucas reportedly said he also had ideas for films about robots and wookies, with no humans in them which he called ‘odd movies’. “Eliminated the odd movies, because they really don’t have anything to do with the Star Wars saga. … I’m just going to keep it pure. It’s a nine-part saga that has a beginning, a middle and an end. It progresses over a period of about fifty or sixty years with about twenty years between trilogies, each trilogy taking about six or seven years.”
In a 2008 interview with Total Film, Lucas ruled out anybody else making Star Wars films. When asked if he was happy for new Star Wars films to be made after his death he said, “There will definitely be no Episodes VII–IX. The Star Wars story is really the tragedy of Darth Vader. That is the story. Once Vader dies, he doesn’t come back to life, the Emperor doesn’t get cloned and Luke doesn’t get married…”
Turns out Lucas found his own lack of faith disturbing… In 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm and spearheaded the production of a third trilogy, which are to be the first films of the saga not to be distributed by 20th Century Fox. This third trilogy is supposed to be the conclusion of the Star Wars saga (unless they decide to shoot a trilogy based on Chewbacca, R2D2, and Jabba the Hut).
After a gap of 15 years let’s hope the force is strong with this one.