Typically, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
And let’s be frank for a minute: There’s tons of smoke billowing out of the House of Mouse currently.
Given that, it’s hard to blame fans for swiftly buying into a viral rumor that Disney and Lucasfilm’s new Daisy Ridley-focused Star Wars movies were indefinitely delayed due to creative differences with writer Steven Knight.
The movies, slated to focus on the heroine of the new trilogy, Rey, became an instant source of scrutiny when Disney abruptly announced the new Mandalorian-focused movie “The Mandalorian & Grogu.”
Between the suddenly crowded Star Wars scene (Apart from “The Mandalorian & Grogu” there at least three other Star Wars films being worked on, including the Rey movie) and the fact that Knight had publicly opted to focus on his “Peaky Blinders” movie, many fans surmised that this Rey movie was troubled.
From there, all it took was the small logical leap to “indefinitely delayed” for all manner of rampant rumors to swirl.
Well, Disney and Lucasfilm would like you to sheath those lightsabers, as it appears those rumors were much ado about nothing.
Speaking to io9, a Lucasfilm representative told the outlet that Knight was still working on the script, and that there were no grand disruptions.
“In fact, the company is waiting on [Knight’s] latest draft as you read this,” io9 wrote on Jan. 16.
Would you go see a Star Wars movie focused on Rey?
So no, it doesn’t appear this Rey-centric Star Wars movie is in any sort of existential crisis.
But it’s also fair to ask… should it be in an existential crisis? Or at least an existential observation?
Because — and this is coming from a huge Star Wars fan — the franchise is pretty oversaturated at this point and what does exist is of wildly varying quality.
Seriously, you’d have to go back to 2016 to “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” to find a Star Wars film with near-universal acclaim.
And before that? You’d probably have to go to 1983’s “Return of the Jedi.”
Even previously bulletproof Star Wars properties, like the seminal video game “Knights of the Old Republic” have been dragged through the mud anew thanks to Disney and Lucasfilm’s poor stewardship.
Even the smaller screen, a place that Star Wars has generally thrived with beloved shows like “The Clone Wars,” “Rebels,” and the first season of “The Mandalorian,” has seen a stark drop in franchise quality.
Not only have later seasons of “The Mandalorian” become increasingly meh, the less said about “The Book of Boba Fett,” the better.
Even “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” which starred the impeccable Ewan McGregor, turned into a nonsensical bit of fan service.
So no, it does not look like the Rey Star Wars movie is going anywhere, anytime soon.
But given the lack of consistent quality mentioned above… is that a good thing for the franchise?
