Movies - Sequel trilogy

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The sequel trilogy was a rumored film trilogy sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, to be made by Lucasfilm.

Initial details

After the initial success of Star Wars, a sequel was inevitable, but over time, conflicting reports have spread as to how many sequels were planned. In 1978, a Time magazine article reported that the newly formed Star Wars Corp. would be producing "Star Wars II, and then, count them, ten other planned sequels."

In 1979, director George Lucas said in an interview on the set of The Empire Strikes Back, "The first script was one of six original stories I had written in the form of two trilogies. After the success of Star Wars, I added another trilogy. So now there are nine stories. The original two trilogies were conceived of as six films of which the first film was number four." Lucas backed this up with a 1980 interview with the L.A. Reader, stating "Star Wars is really three trilogies, nine films... it won't be finished for probably another 20 years."

The sequel trilogy

Based on early statements from Lucasfilm, this set of films would have taken place from approximately 40 years after the events depicted in Return of the Jedi. A detailed fan timeline has suggested narrowing this further to 39 years after the original trilogy (and one year after the Legacy of the Force novel series), though this remains conjectural. The series would have been Episodes VII, VIII, and IX.

This sequel trilogy was to feature Luke Skywalker as a Jedi Master in his sixties, passing the torch to the next generation of Jedi, the rebuilding of the Republic and the reestablishment of the Jedi Order. According to a 1983 Time article, its main theme was "the necessity for moral choices and the wisdom needed to distinguish right from wrong". Based on statements at the time from Lucas, a major villain in the sequel trilogy would have been a figure previously frozen from Episode III.

Gary Kurtz, the producer of Epsiodes IV and V, recalls that the outline for a sequel trilogy was "very vague", outlining Skywalker's journey to becoming the premiere Jedi knight in the Obi-Wan Kenobi mold, and his ultimate confrontation with the Emperor. According to Kurtz, early plans for this trilogy would have included the introduction of Luke's sister (who was not slated to be Leia), and the first appearance of the Emperor, elements that were incorporated into Return of the Jedi once Kurtz and Lucas parted ways after The Empire Strikes Back.

In a 2004 interview, Mark Hamill said that Lucas told him that he planned to produce this trilogy around 2011, and asked him to return for cameo appearances then, although Lucas dismissed the comment as "off-hand".

Further episodes

A further trilogy was potentially planned, as the series was initially reported to have 12 episodes total. No information has surfaced regarding further storylines, other than that they were to be from "The Adventures of Luke Skywalker" series, according to a 1978 issue of Bantha Tracks, the Official Star Wars Fan Club Newsletter.

Novels

Although no longer widely accepted, it was once commonly believed by fans that Timothy Zahn's novels Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command (collectively known as the Thrawn Trilogy) formed the sequel trilogy to the original films. Revelations in the plot since the 1999 release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, however, have shown that Zahn's novels are incorrect on numerous details. Zahn later followed up his trilogy with a duology, the Hand of Thrawn cycle, the last novels published under Bantam Spectra's contract with Lucasfilm.

Current possibility

Official

Currently, there are no firm plans to produce these films. Lucasfilm's stance is that the six Star Wars films comprise the entire story Lucas intended to tell, despite mentions to the contrary in the press and official publications over time.

In a 1997 issue of the Star Wars Insider, Lucas said " six episodes....If I ever went beyond that, it would be something that was made up. I really don't have any notion other than 'Gee, it would be interesting to do Luke Skywalker later on.' It wouldn't be part of the main story, but a sequel to this thing."

In a 1999 interview with Vanity Fair, Lucas denied ever having any plans to make nine Star Wars movies. "When you see it in six parts, you'll understand," Lucas said at the time. "It really ends at part six." When asked about the possibility of someone else taking over the film franchise, Lucas said "Probably not, it's my thing."

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