It looks like Star Wars runs in the Kasdan family, as Willow showrunner Jonathan Kasdan has some Marvel-inspired ideas for how the beloved sci-fi franchise should handle things going forward. Some who only know Kasdan for his current work on Willow may find this a bit odd. But he's got more than just a passing interest in the Star Wars universe.
Like his father Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote the scripts for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the younger Kasdan has experience with Star Wars via co-writing the script for Solo: A Star Wars Story after Lawrence Kasdan had to depart the project in favor of Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Coincidentally, the Willow showrunner even said his series was inspired by The Force Awakens. That's a nice nod to family. But as for his thoughts on Star Wars, it looks like he's taking inspiration from another beloved Disney-owned franchise.
In a recent interview, Jonathan Kasdan spoke about whether he'd be willing to return to the characters and ideas introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and how he'd like to go about doing such things. "I don't honestly know. I'm always afraid to ask [Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy] because she can see right through me. She can see my desire to tell more stories there," Jonathan Kasdan said candidly to The Hollywood Reporter. "But in recent months, I have been intrigued by the wonderful Werewolf by Night as a potential form of storytelling … So I would love to see Lucasfilm embrace a short-form novella version for telling some of their stories. That certainly seems like a place where future stories about those characters could live."
Marvel's "special presentation" structure has allowed for well-received standalone projects like Werewolf by Night and the Easter egg-filled Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and it looks like Jonathan Kasdan wants something similar for Star Wars. It could certainly offer some unique opportunities for stories to be told that don't necessarily connect to the greater Star Wars mythos. Many have asserted that one of the franchise's biggest problems is its unwillingness to try new ideas and break from the more central group of characters and lore. So Jonathan Kasdan's idea is not a particularly outlandish notion. Sure, it might feel a bit odd coming from someone currently putting out a direct sequel series with Willow, but that shouldn't disqualify the idea.
One could argue that Star Wars has already proved the effectiveness of such concepts. The Disney Plus series Andor has earned almost universal praise for its more grounded approach to the Star Wars formula, with many calling it a perfect Star Wars show for those unfamiliar or uninterested in the larger franchise. Meanwhile, the anime anthology series Star Wars: Visions offers several disconnected stories told through animation that viewers would have likely never experienced otherwise.
The idea of more standalone Star Wars stories released in mainstream media is certainly enticing. It could open the door for so much more potential, and even the less well-received offerings would bring something new to the table. Star Wars could use all the help it can get in keeping things from becoming stale, and this feels like one of the best options.
Willow debuts new episodes on Wednesday on Disney Plus and the Star Wars saga is now available on the platform.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter