Rumour: First Star Wars Spin-Off Plot Revealed

Although the first ‘Star Wars’ spin-off film remains shrouded in mystery, it looks as though it could take us back to the time of the original trilogy.

Disney and Lucasfilm are looking to rapidly expand the ‘Star Wars’ universe with a number of spin-off films with the firstdue as early as 2016, but we’re yet to find out anything about this new tale from the galaxy far, far away. But now a new rumour suggests that it may take us back to where it all began.

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According to Slashfilm, the first ‘Star Wars’ spin-off – written by Gary Whitta and directed by Gareth Edwards – will take us back to the mounting rebel assault on the first Death Star… and the ensuing struggle to get hold of those plans.

“We’ve heard the 2016 Star Wars spin-off movie is about the group of people which are out to pull off the ultimate heist in a galaxy far, far away,” they explain. “What the group is trying to steal is one of the most important linchpins in Star Wars history — they are out to steal the plans for the first Death Star.”

Of course, it’s this one action that sets Luke Skywalker off on a journey of self-discovery. And this courageous strike back from the Rebels might just make the coolest heist movie of all time. But apparently, it’s a bunch of mercenaries that pulled it all together…

“That’s right, the story is set during the A New Hope era. However, it’s not the Rebel Alliance as we’d all assumed,” they added. “As rumor has it, the story follows a group of bounty hunters who were hired for the job — think the Seven Samurai or Suicide Squad meets Ocean’s Eleven in the world of Star Wars.”

How’s that for a cool setup?

Obviously, we’ve heard Boba Fett rumoured for a role in the ‘Star Wars’ spin-offs for some time… but it’s currently unclear whether or not he’ll play a role in the Rebellion’s plans. But it certainly wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to see the coolest bounty hunter in the galaxy get involved.

“Fett was never mentioned in any of the conversations we had about this film,” they explain. “But if this is a movie about bounty hunters, you could easily include him. I repeat: we do not know if Boba Fett is in this film. We just think the idea of the Rebels hiring a bunch of bounty hunters, who don’t have a real allegiance, is a logical and cool plot.”

It’s certainly a very cool idea and one that makes a lot of sense. I mean, let’s face it – the Rebels don’t have the resources of the Empire to throw at their military presence. We’ve seen that throughout the ‘Star Wars’ trilogy with their scruffy-looking vehicles and cobbled-together bases.

Would they turn towards a small group of hired guns to get the job done? Perhaps and I wouldn’t mind betting we see a few familiar faces. But with a larger cast, who can we expect to be our main character?

“Another piece of the rumor we heard is the main character of this film would be introduced in ‘The Force Awakens’,” they reveal. “If that’s the case, they would have to be much older in that the new film. Maybe in their 60s to 80s.”

Of course, this seems to point firmly towards Max Von Sydow and ever since he was first announced as joining the cast of ‘Star Wars VII’, I couldn’t help thinking he’d be used to link the sequel trilogy back to the original movies.

This isn’t exactly the same, but it certainly brings us back to that era. And it’s an excellent way of expanding the stories of the original trilogy while keeping the main storyline intact.

But will Gareth Edwards attempt to recapture the visual style and tone of the originals? Will J.J. Abrams’ love of practical effects rub off on the ‘Star Wars’ spin-off? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.

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Picture Credit: Lucasfilm