Kevin Feige's Star Wars Movie: Writer Hints at Family Themes
It's going to be a very long time until fans will be in theaters watching Kevin Feige's Star Wars film.
That doesn't mean it isn't too soon for Feige and the movie's screenwriter, Michael Waldron, to start fleshing out early ideas. The writer is currently in the midst of overseeing several projects in the MCU, including the currently streaming Loki, but took the time recently to mention that he's a Star Wars fan first and foremost.
With no pen having hit paper for the film, it's impossible to say what exactly the nature of the project may be, though there are plenty of fan theories. While the story hasn't yet been nailed, there are thematic elements that all Star Wars stories follow, and Waldron says this movie will be no different.
FEIGE'S STAR WARS FILM TO FOCUS ON FAMILY?
In an interview with GQ, writer Michael Waldron said that the family themes found in the MCU and Star Wars are the heart of the stories:
"I think the success of the MCU is, for all the amazing science-fiction and concepts and all that stuff; ultimately the success is built upon the characters, their humanity, their very relatable conflicts, friendships, and the family that is the MCU. And I think Star Wars, at its best, is a story about family."
This will be something important and the Feige-produced Star Wars film as well, which Waldron says is no surprise:
"Han, Luke, and Leia were a family; you love seeing them together, and you hated it when they were split apart. It’s great characters. That’s nothing new. I am not going to blow anybody’s mind with that headline—but that’s my biggest takeaway."
Is there anything else Waldron can say about the film? Nope:
"It’s very early days on [Star Wars]. That’s probably the thing I can say least about, unfortunately."
THE POWER OF FAMILY
As Waldron alluded to, the original family built in Star Wars between Han, Luke, and Leia paved the way for a theme that has carried the franchise for decades.
There have been more complicated things to enter the stories than the friends made along the way - a certain evil father comes to mind - but the bonds that characters make as they begin their journeys in the galaxy far, far away are what makes the franchise so special.
Family has been perhaps the single biggest theme that Disney-era Star Wars has taken from Lucas' films and applied to newer projects. The tight-knit crew in Star Wars Rebels was very much a family unit that grew together as the show progressed, and even the team in Rogue One had an accelerated family arc. In the sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren's family is his driving motivator to do evil, and Rey manages to find a family in new friends on her own.
Then, of course, there's the now-iconic father and son duo in Din Djarin and Grogu. While Mando and the Child may have said goodbye in The Mandalorian Season 2's finale, it certainly won't be the last they've seen of each other. The show is another example of Lucasfilm's commitment to forging unexpected bonds, and Feige's film will undoubtedly do nothing less. Who knows - maybe the beloved tag team will even appear in the film themselves.
It isn't much, but it's good to hear that Waldron has an understanding of the key components of Star Wars. George Lucas always saw his saga as the story of a man who made mistakes being redeemed by kids, and that tale has become timeless.
In the words of the late Carrie Fisher, there's one reason Star Wars has the cultural impact that it does: "It's about family, and that's what's so powerful about it."
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