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Nowadays, few blockbuster movies are made that aren’t intended to produce a bunch of sequels. In particular, Disney‘s acquisition of the Star Wars franchise has spawned numerous new movies. Not only the three new saga episodes, but also several anthology films. Given that, it is surprising to hear that this December’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is fully intended to be a standalone. Though, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
Speaking in the latest issue of Empire Magazine (via /Film), Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy put the record straight by 100% confirming that Rogue One will not get a sequel – which she jokingly referred to as Rogue Two. Director Gareth Edwards clarified things by saying that, if Rogue One were to get a follow-up, it “will be directed by George Lucas.” In other words, the movie is a direct prequel to the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope. There is no more story to tell in that period.
That said, we will have to wait until the movie comes out to see if Kennedy speaks the truth. If Rogue One smashes box office records, you can bet that Disney and Lucasfilm will at least consider making more. If they really wanted to, a sequel could take the form of a sidequel that explores what these characters were up to during the events of the original trilogy.
If not, then the Star Wars Anthology series will move forward as planned with the Han Solo prequel movie. Starring Alden Ehrenreich as the young smuggler, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian and Emilia Clarke in an unnamed role, the movie is slated to arrive on 25th May 2018. After that, standalone movies for the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett have been discussed.
Rogue One stars Felicity Jones, , Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. It arrives in this galaxy on December 16th.
Image via Disney/Lucasfilm
