Laeta Kalogridis, who executive producedAvatar, has been tapped to write a newStar Warsmovie based on the beloved 2003 video gameStar Wars: Knights of Old Republic–and the kicker is that it’s supposed to serve as the first film in a new trilogy, according toBuzzFeed News.
A representative for Disney/Lucasfilm declined to comment, while representatives for Kalogridis did not immediately respond to a request for comment. I typically like to confirm major news like this on my own, but given the secrecy surroundingStar Warsand the fact that it is coming from a well-respected journalist likeKate Aurthur, who confirmed her info with three separate sources, I’m willing to bet it’s legit.
Kalogridis marks the first femaleStar Warswriter sinceLeigh Brackettco-wrote 1980’sThe Empire Strikes BackwithLawrence Kasdan. She’s one of the first writers I’d turn to for a project of this size and scope, given her knack for world building and experience working on big-budget projects, both credited and not, so I’m not surprised she got the gig. To anyone surprised that any “she” landed aStar Warsgig given Lucasfilm’s recent track record of hiring only white men to serve as the gatekeepers of a galaxy far, far away, allow me to point you to thisTracking Boardarticle I wrote back in February of 2018 that pointed towards legitimate evidence that Lucasfilm was already developing several top-secret projects with female filmmakers and storytellers of color. According to BuzzFeed, Kalogridis was hired in the spring of 2018. It must be tough to be a studio in this day and age, and suffer certain slings and arrows online in the name of secrecy. But obviously, it’s about damn time. Her credits includeMartin Scorsese’sShutter Island,Robert Rodriguez’sAlita: Battle Angeland 2015’sTerminator: Genisys.
BuzzFeed goes on to report that “Kalogridis is close to finishing the first script of a potentialKOTORtrilogy,” which mostStar Warsexperts I follow online assume to be adifferenttrilogy than the ones thatRian JohnsonandGame of ThronescreatorsDavid BenioffandD.B. Weissare separately working on. Either way, the nextStar Warsmovie to hit theaters will beJ.J. Abrams’The Rise of Skywalker, which will end the Skywalker saga after nine films. After that, fans will have to wait until 2022 for the first film in Benioff and Weiss' trilogy, which will bow a new installment every other December, switching each year withJames Cameron’sAvatarsequels. And don’t forget the upcoming Disney+ seriesThe MandalorianfromJon Favreau, or theRogue Oneprequel series that will center around Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). What I’m saying is, there will be plenty ofStar Warscontent to keep fans engaged in the franchise, which has obviously withstood much longer gaps between entries.
So, who are theKnights of the Old Republic? What’s this movie all about? I have no idea, I just work here! Apparently it’s about the Jedi and the Sith – including a Jedi Knight named Bastila Shan and a Sith Lord named Darth Malak – duking it out 4,000 years prior to the events in the original 1977 filmStar Wars: A New Hope. Such a film was widely expected to be in the works after Lucasfilm presidentKathleen Kennedytold MTV News, “Yes, we are developing something to look at,” upon being asked aboutKOTORduring Star Wars Celebration in April.
It took a joint MTV News-BuzzFeed News effort, but we now have a much clearer idea of what the future ofStar Warsmay look like. May we all sleep a little easier tonight!
