The Kidd here...
Harry's scoop on a solo Yoda film being the start of the expansion of the STAR WARS Galaxy into stand-alone films outside of the core saga certainly has begun stirring shit up, as everyone under the sun seems to be doing what they can to jog loose some sort of information on what Disney and Lucasfilm have planned with these films, what characters may be getting their own extended branch, what options are on the table, etc.
We know that Yoda is being developed. We've long heard that Boba Fett is a distinct possibility, with Joe Johnston having made a strong plea for it long ago and fans really wishing to see something more of the infamous bounty hunter than how he came to be in the prequels and his weak death in RETURN OF THE JEDI. Entertainment Weekly is now claiming that Fett is definitely being thrown around; however the timeframe on that is far less concrete, with sometime between either A NEW HOPE and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK or between EMPIRE and JEDI in the realm of what could happen. However, it would be some type of bounty hunter adventure with Boba Fett at the center of it all... perhaps a race for specific cargo against other bounty hunters, showing off why Fett has always been regarded as one of the best.
But whereas Fett has always seemed like a certainty once these stand-alones were first announced, here's one that may not have been given much consideration in the past days as we've all been geeking out together, trying to figure out what other STAR WARS characters could handle their own solo film vehicles - Han Solo.
EW reports that an origin story of the beloved smuggler would rest sometime between REVENGE OF THE SITH and A NEW HOPE, giving us a sense of who Solo was before we ever came upon him in Mos Eisley, perhaps his early relationship with Lando Calrissian, the beginning of his partnership with Chewbecca, his acquisition of the Millennium Falcon... the possibilities are endless as to where this could go.
I don't think a young Han Solo tale was really on the radar, considering that the new trilogy of the core saga may very well bring Harrison Ford back to reprise his role. This would mean casting an actor who could fill such big shoes, as they'd instantly be setting themselves up for comparisons for Ford's portrayal of one of STAR WARS' main players. That is a tall task, only made more difficult if these stand-alones may be scattered around the releases of Episodes VII, VIII and IX.
There are a lot of different options being considered right now, and right now Disney and Lucasfilm are feeling out what they have to work with. They're getting all types of pitches and taking all sorts of meetings as to what filmmakers' dream projects would be if they were handed the keys to their very own STAR WARS film. So while they're seeing what ideas are out there, they have a lot of potential to weigh through. That doesn't mean all of these projects will happen. It's certainly possible over time. Only some of these concepts may indeed come to fruition... but make no mistake about it... at least for the time being, every character that has ever appeared in the STAR WARS Galaxy, especially in the Original Trilogy, is on the table right now.
But I'm definitely giddy at the prospect of more Han Solo, no matter what age he's being delivered... There is a new sense of enthusiasm for the STAR WARS that hasn't been felt in quite some time, dating back to before we ever saw a frame of THE PHANTOM MENACE, and. frankly, this is no place for skepticism right now. It's time to be hopeful that this new direction of Lucasfilm and Disney will set up the STAR WARS Galaxy to be fun and enjoyable again for fans both old and new. So new trilogy... stand-alones... I say "Hell yeah."
By the way, let me throw one other possibility out there for you... What're the chances we may see more Darth Maul at some point along the way, when you take into account how well he was received and then how quickly he was let go?
-Billy Donnelly
"The Infamous Billy The Kidd"
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