Maul Scene + Future of Franchise

After seeing “Solo” for the 3^rd time today, I wanted to address that Darth Maul scene and its implications on the future of the franchise…

Was Maul the best choice?

Darth Maul is the shocking twist at the end of “Solo” that everyone has been talking about. Some fans say that Maul is there to set up the Obi-Wan Kenobi film, but the truth may be even more sinister. Some have claimed that Maul was never in the original script and even the on-set-script stated “Insert Legacy-Character Here”. Today we examine these questions: ‘Who were the other Legacy Characters considered?’ and ‘Was Maul the best choice?’

Candidate #1: Jabba the Hutt

It is almost incredible that Jabba the Hutt is not in this film. Many fans were expecting it and the character is certainly tied to the crime syndicate. Jabba was probably not chosen to be the “shocker” at the end of the film because it would not have been a shock at all. I, for one, am happy that they seemed to only hint at the Hutt’s existence and that any Jabba related adventures have been saved for potential future films.

Candidate #2: Palpatine

When I first saw the hologram of the cloaked figure in “Solo” the only thing I could think of was Palpatine. Who else hides behind a shadowy cloak while communicating via hologram? Seeing Palpatine again on screen portrayed by Ian McDiarmid would have been incredible, but it wouldn’t really have fit. Afterall, Palpy is the Emperor of the darn galaxy, he is not a petty crime lord. Also, seeing Qi’ra buddying up with Darth Sidious may have made her character a tad more sinister, but perhaps that would have worked.

Candidate #3: Prince Xizor

As someone who grew up in the EU era, I would have lost my mind if Prince Xizor would have shown up. It would have been incredible! And Xizor’s character would have made so much sense. He is the leader of Black Sun, after all. Xizor is not currently a part of the new Disney Canon, but what of introduction this could have been. However, many fans (and certainly casual viewers) would not have recognized Xizor, so the shock would not have connected with everyone. Fingers crossed we will see this Falleen show up eventually.

Candidate #4: Thrawn

There are many reasons why Thrawn would have worked here. The character was recently reintroduced into the canon via ‘Star Wars Rebels’. Also, Timothy Zahn returned to write new Thrawn novels in back to back summers and the character currently has his own ongoing comic series. Thrawn is a big deal right now in the Expanded Universe and even casual fans probably would at least recognize his face, if not his name. Still, there would be questions about where “Solo” fits into Thrawn’s timeline. Would this be a pre-Empire Thrawn or Thrawn as a Grand Admiral? What would he be serving as a Crime Lord anyway? Does it really fit his character?

Candidate #5: Maul

There are many reasons why Maul works as the Legacy Character that Disney chose to be the “Twist” at the end of the film. It has already been established in the TV shows that Maul survived the Battle of Naboo. He has already been shown working with many of the crime syndicates in the Solo script. He is recognizable by the general audience, as well as the hardcore fans. Apparently, Ron Howard lobbied hard for Maul when Howard was brought on to direct the film. So I get why Maul was chosen. There are some reasons that Maul doesn’t work. Some fans claim that casual viewers would be confused because Maul died in The Phantom Menace. However, I call BS on this one. First of all, many casual viewers may not remember that Maul died and if they do remember, who cares? Characters come back from the dead in cinema all the time and there isn’t always an explanation for it. The other issue that fans have with Maul is that we just saw the characters death in “Rebels”. Why kill Maul off in Rebels, if he’s going to be reintroduced into the film series?

The truth might be that the Story Group behind this franchise has no idea what they are doing. And that is scary. Which brings me to my next question. Where does Star Wars go from here?

What Next?

With Solo bombing at the Box Office, Disney has to be wondering what they are going to do with this franchise. Where Kevin Feige of Marvel made cinematic universes seem so easy- other franchises have had a tough time replicating that type of magic. The MCU seems so perfectly planned out and right now Star Wars seems to be heading towards Chaos. What will happen to Star Wars post Episode IX? What will the next film be? Where is this franchise heading? Let’s look at the candidates for the 2020 Star Wars film.

Solo 2

With the way the first film “bombed” at the Box Office combined with its troubled production, “Solo” might not seem like the strongest candidate for a sequel right now. However, there are some arguments to be made for the continuation of the Han & Chewie adventures. First of all, audiences like consistency. One of the reasons “Solo” was not a box office success is that casual viewers are confused. We have jumped from the adventures of Rey (which takes place 30 years after the Original Trilogy) to the adventures of Jyn (which takes place concurrent with the Original Trilogy) to the adventures of Han (which takes place 10 years prior to the Original Trilogy). Fans can keep track of this stuff, but casual viewers can’t. The reason that the MCU works is that it continues to drive the plot forward whilst using old characters to help introduce new ones. Now that Disney has established “Young Han” why not keep it going? Give casual viewers something that is easy to follow. Or at least use the characters set up in “Solo” to drive that story forward, which brings me to…

Lando: A Star Wars Story

Donald Glover is a rising star and a Lando standalone film with Glover in the lead could translate to a lucrative box office. One pitfall here is that Lando has less room to grow as a character. Glover’s Lando in “Solo” is very similar to Billy Dee’s Lando in “Empire”. So how do you make a film starring a static character? It would almost have to be a “James Bond” in space type story. But then again, what is the plot? Lando is not a hero. He’s not a rebel agent. He doesn’t really have a mission. He’s just Lando. One way I could see this working is if Billy Dee Williams would return to help frame the film. We’d see an old Lando on an adventure and then we would flashback to a younger Lando. It could work.

Kenobi: A Star Wars Story

Ewan McGregor is always a strong option for any studio. When is the last time McGregor was in any film that didn’t perform well at the Box Office? McGregor’s Kenobi was soundly established in the prequels and fans would love to see what McGregor could do with a script not written by Lucas. Disney could also produce a Kenobi film on a very small budget. If Kenobi sticks to Tatooine, we are talking about limited sets, limited costumes, and a limited cast. Is McGregor a strong enough actor to carry a Star Wars film which never leaves the desert? My guess is “Yes”.

Boba Fett?

There have been rumors for years that Disney has been trying to produce a Boba Fett standalone film. But, I don’t really get it. Sure, Fett appeals to hardcore fans, but what about the general audience? No one really knows who Fett is. Rumors are that James Mangold is currently attached to this project. Mangold made a really great R-Rated “Logan” film. That said, Wolverine is an established character that audiences are very comfortable with and Hugh Jackman is an A-List actor. Who is even going to play Boba Fett? What is he going to look like under his helmet? There are so many questions, and I doubt that we are going to get satisfying answers. I kind of hope this project just falls through, though current rumors suggest that this will be 2020 Star Wars film.

Rian Johnson: A Trilogy

Star Wars fans have a strong visceral reaction to Rian Johnson. Some hate the guy and some love him to pieces. There is no question in my mind that Johnson could make an incredible Star Wars trilogy, but how would Disney market it? Would the Trilogy come out back-to-back-to-back like Lord of the Rings? When would it take place in the Saga? From what I understand, Diseny has given Rian a blank-check to make anything he wants, but is this a good thing? Can Rian win over fans or the rest of the movie-going audience? We will find out someday, but probably not anytime soon.

David Benioff & D. B. Weiss: A Trilogy

People love “Game of Thrones” and universally agree on its quality. That said, David Benioff & D.B. Weiss have not done much else in their careers. Adapting a series of books to screen is one thing, but can these two really develop their own characters and a strong enough story to bring viewers out to the cinema? TBD.

A Grand Experiment

Ultimately, this yearly-Star-Wars film experiment is still brand new. Lucasfilm probably doesn’t have a solid plan moving forward. Many of these films have already been susceptible to rewrites and replacement directors. However, Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm have, thus far, released four very good films and I think there is still money to be made for this franchise. The fact that this franchise could be heading into any unknown direction is part of the fun.