Unless you’ve been smuggling spice in the Outer Rim, the chances are you’ve heard that Simon Kinberg is working on a new trilogy of Star Wars movies.
According to Variety, Kinberg – who’s probably best known for his work on the X-Men movies – will write three sci-fi movies set in a galaxy far, far away and produce them alongside Star Wars veteran Kathleen Kennedy. Moreover, it’s rumored (but not confirmed) that these new Star Wars movies will be Episodes 10-12 and continue the Skywalker Saga.
Now, you might expect this news would be met with a celebration online, but honestly, the reaction’s been more muted than a Jedi who’s taken a vow of silence. So what’s the problem?Well, we’ve identified three reasons behind the fan apathy (General Grievous was busy), and honestly, they’ve kind of got a point.
Empty Promises
One of the biggest issues fans have is that they genuinely don’t believe this new trilogy will happen.
A quick skim of the Star Wars subreddit will reveal countless comments similar to this one: “I can’t wait to hear nothing else about this project for two years until we get the big exciting update that Kinberg has left and LucasFilm is searching for a new writer!”
There’s just a feeling in the Star Wars fan community at the moment that Disney has made too many promises and then failed to deliver on them.
Remember when they hired Patty Jenkins to direct a Rogue Squadron movie? That turned out to be a big nothing ball, didn’t it? What about Rian Johnson’s trilogy of films? Or the Rey movie everyone was excited about?
In fact, since Disney took over Star Wars, they’ve announced three new trilogies and eight movies, none of which have materialized. When you’re constantly promising fans the galaxy and then not delivering, is it any wonder people are turning their back on Star Wars?
Not the guy
Secondly, and we don’t mean to get personal here, Simon Kinberg isn’t a filmmaker who excites fans (proving this point entirely, my editor asked if we should even put him in the headline).
His writing has been mixed, to say the least, and he’s worked on some of the worst superhero movies ever made – X-Men: Last Stand and Fant4stic. Now, he did write some beloved films, like Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes and Days of Future Past, but honestly, he misses more than he hits.
Kinberg’s clearly a talented producer, and his producer credits are far more impressive, but that’s not exactly something people get hyped about, is it? Especially when his writing work has generally been quite poor.
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I appreciate that someone like Rian Johnson was a divisive choice when his Star Wars trilogy was announced (Last Jedi is innocent), but at least it got the blood pumping a bit.
The news that Kinberg’s working on a trilogy is a bit like being told you’re having frozen chips for dinner; you’re not going to complain, but you’re not going to boast about it on Instagram, are you?
Sky-bore-ker Saga
Finally, and I don’t know how many times we have to try to teach Disney this lesson, the Skywalkers are boring.
Ok, that’s not entirely fair. The Skywalker family is an important part of the Star Wars mythos, and we love Anakin, Luke, and Leia. Yet, they’ve had their time. Their story is done. They brought balance to the Force and saved the galaxy. It’s time to move on or, as Kylo Ren once said, let the past die. Kill it if you have to.
The constant need to return to the Skywalker well is holding back the franchise. It demonstrates a complete lack of faith in the wider franchise, and it limits what people think a Star Wars movie can be.
Yes, we want the iconography we love – lightsabers, Sith, and Jedi – but we need fresh ideas. You’d think this was obvious considering how much fun Star Wars fans have had mocking the line “Somehow Palpatine returned,” but it appears no one at the House of Mouse has managed to get this into Mickey’s thick skull.
So Mr Disney (if you’re ereading_), there you have it, the three reasons no one’s hyped for your next trilogy.
We don’t believe it will happen; Kinberg just isn’t the visionary you want leading a project like this. Finally… and perhaps saddest of all, no one cares anymore.
Thankfully, though, there’s still hope. If expectations are this low, you have the perfect opportunity to be bold and brave and make us fall in love with Star Wars all over again!
Speaking of Star Wars, want to know what’s next for the brave Rebel Alliance? Well, check out our guide which breaks down everything you need to know about the Skeleton Crew, and we also have a ranking of the best Star Wars characters.
