'Star Wars' series joins growing trend of 'spin-off' movies
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
Much has changed since "Star Wars" last appeared at the multiplex. Hollywood聽is fascinated with 鈥渦niverse-building,鈥� and those behind 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� are following suit with their upcoming projects.聽
The new film, 鈥淪tar Wars: The Force Awakens,鈥� is the next chapter in the galaxy-spanning saga. 鈥淔orce鈥� features the return of characters like Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa as well as new characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega). It鈥檚 a direct sequel to the 1970s and 鈥�80s 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� trilogy.聽
By contrast, the next 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� movie scheduled for release, 鈥淩ogue One,鈥� strikes out on its own. The plot of 鈥淩ogue,鈥� which will be released in December 2016, centers not on Luke and his friends, but a whole new group of characters. The story is shrouded in secrecy but expect to see the tale of a group of rebel spies working to obtain the plans for the evil Empire鈥檚 first Death Star battle station.聽
In this new Hollywood universe-building paradigm, the audience doesn鈥檛 follow one group of characters from movie to movie. Instead, a new film could introduce a new character that鈥檚 living in the fictional world already familiar to moviegoers.
Marvel is the current king of this strategy. The studio continues to produce standalone movies about individual heroes like Iron Man and Thor, then has them meet in 鈥済roup鈥� films like 鈥淎vengers: Age of Ultron鈥� or has one character cameo in another鈥檚 film, as seen in this summer鈥檚 鈥淎nt-Man.鈥澛�
Marvel movies have proved extremely popular and so of course others in Hollywood are following suit. The upcoming Warner Bros. movie 鈥淏atman v. Superman鈥� will see the two heroes come together along with characters like Wonder Woman.
The newest 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� movie, which will be released in November 2016, will center not on Harry but on the wizard Newt Scamander, an expert on magical creatures living decades before Harry was born.
The upcoming 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� 鈥淩ogue鈥� movie will be the first time the franchise has tried this strategy at the movie theater. Will fans follow the 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� universe to this new film?聽
Dan Brooks says he鈥檚 a fan of the series and would be interested to see 鈥淩ogue鈥� if it embraces the older technology seen in the original 鈥�70s and 鈥�80s movies (and, to some extent, the new 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� movie 鈥淔orce鈥�).聽
鈥淚 wasn't so much a fan of the computer-animated effects,鈥� Brooks says of the prequel 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� films.聽
Sean Carmichael saw the original 1970s and '80s movies in theaters and has followed 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� ever since. He says he鈥檚 intrigued by new movies in the franchise since Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012. Carmichael has been impressed by the Marvel movies, which are also released by Disney.聽
鈥淒isney hasn鈥檛 let us down,鈥� Carmichael says.
