Advertisement
It’s not uncommon for fans to let their imaginations run wild with thoughts of how they would handle the beloved characters and stories from the Star Wars universe. It appears that director Matthew Vaughn shares this sentiment, but he’s aware that his ideas might be considered a bit bold.
Let’s face it, there’s probably at least one installment in the Star Wars timeline that doesn’t quite resonate with each fan. For me, my Star Wars movie journey concludes with The Last Jedi, as I prefer not to let The Rise of Skywalker overshadow the enjoyment.
However, I wouldn’t go as far as proposing a complete reboot of the entire franchise. But Matthew Vaughn would. The renowned filmmaker, known for his work on Kick-Ass and The Kingsman, has openly expressed his desire to reimagine iconic Star Wars characters like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo from the very beginning.
During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Vaughn touched upon the notion of taking on a project within the Star Wars series and divulged his somewhat controversial intentions.
When asked what he’d do if given the opportunity, Vaughn remarked: “To play with the characters I loved. So if they said to me we’ll… reboot Star Wars and actually have Luke Skywalker, Solo, and Vader and you do your version of it – everyone would say you’re an idiot to try – but that would excite me.”
To his credit, Vaughn acknowledges that his approach would be seen as sacrilegious. It’s worth noting, of course, that he’s speaking in hypotheticals, and there’s always the allure of reimagining the original Star Wars cast and molding the franchise to one’s own vision. But what if it ends up backfiring?
Consider what happened when LucasFilm and Disney attempted to “fix” the perceived issues stemming from The Last Jedi. In their effort to appease a portion of the fan base, The Rise of Skywalker ended up feeling contrived, laden with forced callbacks to the Skywalker Saga, executed with the subtlety of a bantha piloting an X-Wing.
What Rian Johnson achieved with The Last Jedi—deconstructing our heroes and demonstrating that anyone can be extraordinary regardless of their lineage—was a pivotal move for the franchise. It urged us to let go of preconceived notions and to accept that things don’t always unfold as we might hope. The approach that The Rise of Skywalker took, and judging by Vaughn’s sentiments, what he envisions doing, is akin to playing with your Star Wars action figures and pretending that Luke Skywalker is your closest companion.