When people think about the ‘Star Wars’ phenomenon, the first person’s name to come to mind is most certainly George Lucas. As the father of the franchise, it’s because of his mind that such beloved characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi even exist in the first place. These days, people may name J.J. Abrams immediately following Lucas since he’s helming ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, the first installment of the highly anticipated sequel trilogy. However, veteran screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan should not be excluded from this conversation considering that he co-wrote ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’. Some may even make a case that Kasdan is just as important as Lucas was in the formation of the galaxy far, far away. That’s probably why he was brought in to share scripting duties (along with his son) with Abrams on ‘Episode VII,’ the upcoming Han Solo ‘Star Wars Anthology’ film. But it sounds like after his work on Captain Solo’s spinoff, Kasdan will hang up his blasters and call it a day.
According to The Supernaughts, Kasdan told German publication Bild that the Han Solo movie directed by Chris Miller and Phil Lord of ‘The Lego Movie’ will be his “last film for this saga”. After saying that writing four films in the series is “more than enough”, the legendary writer added that he wasn’t even fully on board to work on the Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology Film. But since his family (or probably more specifically, his son) loved the idea, he agreed to contribute one more time.
Now that he’s looking to leave ‘Star Wars’ behind him, what is Lawrence Kasdan planning to do next? Apparently, he’d like to get back into the director’s chair. In addition to writing two of the most celebrated ‘Star Wars’ movies, Kasdan wrote and directed a number of films such as ‘The Big Chill’, ‘Silverado’, and ‘Wyatt Earp’. He last directed ‘Darling Companion’ in 2012, but it seems like he’s getting the itch once again.
After racking up four ‘Star Wars’ credits over the years (or five if you count the ‘Shadows of the Empire’ game), it’s understandable that Kasdan is trying to move on. Though it’ll certainly be a loss to the franchise, he’s leaving it in the capable hands of some of the most talented young voices in the industry right now. And who knows? Even if he’s no longer writing ‘Star Wars’ movies, who’s to say that he won’t return to direct one? No matter what happens though, the force will always be with Lawrence Kasdan and we are thankful that he has shared it with us this long.
What do you think about Lawrence Kasdan’s decision? Are you sad to see him leave the ‘Star Wars’ franchise in pursuit of directing? And do you think that the new generation of storytellers will be able to live up to Kasdan’s contributions to the series? Sound off in the comments below.
