7 Star Wars Anthology Film Ideas

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story comes out tonight. I'm stoked! You guys stoked?!

Even more than last year's The Force Awakens, Rogue One ushers in a new era of hype and entertainment for Star Wars fans. It's the first of an infinite number of Star Wars spin-off or standalone or anthology or whatever-you-wanna-call-'em movies planned for the future. Star Wars content has been perpetually put out on all possible platforms for the past year or so, but nothing outside the main saga is potentially more exciting than the anthology movies. Since the first Star Wars came out in '77, all the best Star Wars content outside the original trilogy has exploited the inherent vastness of the Star Wars universe. The future anthology films are an opportunity to explore the rich terrain and far corners of our favorite galaxy far, far, away more successfully than ever.

With an infinite number of stories to be told, Disney has a chance to take risks with these movies and let their artist's tell these stories through unique lenses. Despite all the re-shoot and corporate control rumors surrounding Rogue One, the finished product will be a decent barometer of how far they're willing to let these movies go "off-brand" for the sake of worthwhile film-making. And on the off chance that Disney's listening, here are 7 of my favorite ideas for Star Wars anthology films--some I've read elsewhere online, some wholly my own. Just a heads up: I didn't include an Obi-Wan movie on my list because recent rumors suggest we're going to get one after Obi-Wan's role in the new trilogy is fully fleshed out. So here are some more hypothetical ideas. Enjoy...


1. Once Upon a Time On Tatooine

An iconic scene from Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West
provides a template for what a Star Wars Spaghetti Western might look like.

Among all the mythological and cultural influences that coagulated inside George Lucas' brain and gave birth to Star Wars, the American Western looms large. Han Solo--arguably the most popular character of the series--personifies that influence. Likewise, the desert planet of Tatooine and its seedy towns, farms and hermetic dwellings make for an undeniably Western world. I'd love to see a Star Wars movie go full Western, and I'd love to see that movie took an aesthetic queue from Spaghetti Westerns like Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy or Once Upon a Time in the West. Imagine a mexican stand-off like the one at the end of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, only on the outskirts of Mos Eisley spaceport, between some dangerous Outer Rim bounty hunters, with a soundtrack halfway between John Williams and Ennio Morricone. Frankly, I can't think of any Star Wars movie I'd rather see than a Space-Spaghetti Western called Once Upon a Time On Tatooine.


2. Suicide Squadron

It looks like we already have a Dirty Dozen-esque Star Wars movie in Rogue One, but what if we took that concept one or two steps further for a movie that's even closer to Suicide Squad or Inglourious Basterds? What if, after the Battle of Endor, the leaders of the New Republic bring together a vicious group of Imperials, bounty hunters and war criminals and force them into some crazy suicide mission? It'd be a great opportunity to portray the rebel alliance in a less heroic light, and spend some quality time with a cast of badass, morally ambiguous characters.


3. Star Wars: Underground

Star Wars 1313 Concept Art

Every Star Wars fan has uncharted corners of the Star Wars universe that peak their interest. At this point it should be clear that Star Wars' seedy underbelly peaks mine. We've had plenty of vivid glimpses of it--from the Mos Eisley cantina in A New Hope to the gathering of bounty hunters in Empire. Now, just imagine a whole movie focused on Star Wars' criminal underworld. Before Disney bought Star Wars, there were a couple projects in the works that intended to focus on this very concept. One was a planned live-action TV series called Star Wars: Underworld. The other was a video game called Star Wars 1313, which would have dealt with Boba Fett's early bounty hunting days roaming the literal underground of Coruscant's planetary metropolis. A crime movie in space, somewhere between these two projects, would be a Blade Runner/Heavy Metal-esque visual feast of a movie.


4. Princess Leia: A Star Wars Story

Moving forward, I think the key to the anthology films will be knowing which stories are worth telling and which ones aren't. For the most part, I think origin stories would fall in the latter category--especially ones involving the saga's most iconic heroes (needless to say, I'm already super skeptical of 2018's Han Solo movie). Having said that, I can't imagine not enjoying a movie about Princess Leia's formative years. The young female heroine archetype is quickly becoming the favored protagonist model for Star Wars, so why not make a standalone film for the original badass space princess?


5. Boba Fett: A (Non-Origin) Star Wars Story

Rumor has it a Boba Fett movie is already in the works. I hope to God they don't make it an origin story. The aura of mystery surrounding Boba Fett accounts for much of the character's longstanding appeal, and the best way to uphold the mystery would be to make a Boba Fett movie that takes place during or after the original trilogy. Fans of the old Star Wars expanded universe (now designated by Disney as non-canon with the title Legends) will remember that Boba Fett escaped the sarlacc pitt after Return of the Jedi. Now would be a perfect time to bring this story into the new canon and detail Boba Fett's post-ROTJ adventures. For a short glimpse of what this movie might look like, check out the epic fan trailer below:

6. Knights of the Old Republic

I've never played any of the Knights of the Old Republic games, but from what I hear they contain some of the most interesting stories and characters from the Legends canon. Right now, there's nothing in the new official canon that predates The Phantom Menace (though a Darth Maul prequel comic is set to come out soon). A Knights of the Old Republic movie would be a perfect place to start exploring the pre-saga history of the Jedi and the Sith. We'd get both large and intimate scale light-saber action, mysterious heroes and villains, and maybe even a story that could break down, or even subvert the myths that both the Jedi and the Sith have built around their equally dogmatic holds on the Force.


7. Droids

Early reviews of Rogue One are already touting it as the first Star Wars film completely for the grown up fans. If that's the case, we should let the kids have a Star Wars movie all their own as well. When I was a kid, I loved R2-D2 and C-3P0 more than any other Star Wars character, and I was a huge fan of the '80's Droids cartoon. A feature-length animated reboot of Star Wars: Droids would be the perfect way to please the kiddies. And I'd still watch it, because c'mon, droids are fun AF.


Now that you've heard my two-cents, what are some of your favorite Star Wars anthology ideas? Comment below...