Kevin Feige Producing A Star Wars Film Begs The Question of Originality

After producing 23 hulk sized blockbusters in the MCU that have averaged close to a billion dollars each, Kevin Feige has climbed aboard the Millennium Falcon and will produce a Star Wars film. There is no word on what the story will be but one can imagine that with the creative mind from the guy that has done the impossible, it should be good. Right? But we know that it will most likely be good. The real question is “Will it be original?”

Since Disney bought Star Wars seven years ago for $4 billion dollars, they have made four films with The Rise of Skywalker coming in December to make it five. Compared to the 2015 release of The Force Awakens , the anticipation level has seemed to fade with each passing film. Why is that you may ask? Well, let’s start with the obvious.

J.J. Abrams signed on to do Episode VII to an initial mixed results from fans. He is a more than capable director, but one that seems to use and almost copy ideas and techniques from other directors. Not to mention, his other feature films were all franchise properties(MI:3, Star Trek, Super 8; well its basically Close Encounters meets E.T.)

Then we moved on to Rogue One with Garreth Edwards at the helm. A very troubling production, with many reshoots and constant studio interference. A story that fit in between Episodes III and IV, with “original characters” that felt different enough to stand alone but didn’t register with fans enough.

The controversial The Last Jedi came next with Rian Johnson taking over. Fans were ecstatic with the director of Looper and the very “original” Brick stepping in. The outcome…well we know what the outcome was. Solo followed quickly after and left even quicker. Lord and Miller were set to direct with a tone that probably would have changed the franchise for the better but were pushed out for the more corporate Ron Howard. Now we circle back around to JJ for Episode IX. Taking a much needed break until 2023, Star Wars will look to restart with new ambitions.

The most controversial fan-base has had mixed feelings on all of these films one way or the other, and Kevin Feige is not the answer folks. He has a proven formula that intertwines stories well and brings in the big bucks. But as a fan myself, I’m looking for an original product from a creative mind that can bring something new to one of the biggest franchises. It feels like we’ve been recycling stories from the original trilogy for five years now with comparisons that cannot be denied. Story lines match up almost beat for beat. We can almost predict what will happen in Episode IX based on what has already happened in previous films. This is not a good thing.

Where are the stories with no connections that introduce complicated, intriguing and entertaining characters? It doesn’t always have to be good vs evil. The Force vs the Dark Side. It could be something completely original in the hands of someone with an array of creativity. But is that truly Kevin Feige?

Feige is a machine guy. He runs the machine as the machine wants to be ran. This is ideal for a fast moving franchise that acts like a virtual comic book, but that’s not what Star Wars is. Star Wars was a completely stand on its own type of adventure that has nearly been swallowed by
a company that intends to squeeze every last ounce of nostalgia from its fans before a solid restart.

It’s hard not to speculate on the future of one of the most beloved series of films. These movies have inspired not only fans but countless films and filmmakers. Bring the inspiration back. Bring back original ideas. Lord and Miller would have brought something entirely new but never got the chance. Rian Johnson made a film completely his own within the new trilogy but was torn apart for bringing his own touch.

Depending on Feige’s idea for a story, we can only imagine that Disney’s cookie-cutter ways will only continue until otherwise proven wrong. Isn’t it time we stopped playing it safe and took a few chances?