[HTR Googles “favreau star wars”]

Search result:

Google search Star Wars
Is Google in on this, too?

HTR’s Reaction:

Eric Theodore Cartman
“There is no escape…”

I understand Jon Favreau has a role in Solo: A Star Wars Story, but come on now.

LFL (LastJedi Fallout Laundering)

In the aftermath of the release of The Last Jedi, Disney employee Kathleen Kennedy has slapped the easy button and made some obvious moves.

She had to. She may not be backed into a corner, but the overall perception across the Star Wars fandom is that the saga isn’t exactly in the best hands.

From director firings and reshoots to reports of acting coaches and box office money left on the table, Kathy must be sweating inside her Star Wars t-shirt.

She has to do some laundry.

You Wanna Be Makin’ Moves On The Street?

Bringing back JJ Abrams was an easy choice. Despite what you may feel about The Force Awakens, Abrams’ movie made a nice profit for Disney and, more importantly, it reintroduced the Star Wars saga in an easy-to-swallow capsule.

Hiring Jon Favreau to write and produce a Star Wars tv show, to presumably launch with Disney’s version of Netflix, is also a no-brainer.

The official announcement describes it as a live-action series for Disney’s “direct-to-consumer platform.”

In my mind, this is a smart move. Favreau is the man who took a comic book character that I was largely unfamiliar with and turned him into the premiere role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man remains my favorite MCU movie.

Iron Man
“Jarvis, tell this guy that I had everything to do with the success of that movie.”

ABY (After The Battle Of Yavin)

Star Wars fans know that the timeline in the saga is reckoned in terms of the Battle of Yavin, which is the event during which Luke Skywalker destroyed the first Death Star as it orbited Yavin IV.

Now comes word that Favreau’s series will be set a few years after the Battle of Endor, which is the event during which Lando Calrissian, his co-pilot Nien Nunb, his flight crew of Alliance soldiers, and Wedge Antilles managed to destroy the second Death Star as it orbited Endor.

In my view, this is where things start to sound far less appealing.

It’s A Trap!

It seems like there are two ways that this series, given its setting, can go.

Firstly, it can flesh out the strange time between the Rebel Alliance’s victory over the Empire in Return of the Jedi and the abrupt appearance of new Stormtroopers in The Force Awakens.

Rian Johnson, in his infinite wisdom, has already blown the chance to add some depth to the history of the ill-conceived conflict between The Resistance and The First Order, at least in terms of general movie-going fans.

I know that there are novels and comic books out there that delve into that history but I have neither the time nor the inclination to explore them.

Imagine how much less a casual Star Wars fan cares about these books.

If the series goes this direction, I can say now that I won’t be anxious to see it.

Social Justice Wars

The second way this series can go is to focus on all-new characters and their struggle against… poverty? wage gaps? the patriarchy?

I don’t think any one of those story lines is going to sell a lot of toys.

In my mind, this makes the direction of the series pretty easy to see. Lord, yes, we gotta have those X-Wings and TIE fighters!

Star Wars helmets
Which helmet helps fight racism?

There’s Nothing Here For Me Now

By and large I am done following Disney’s efforts for the Star Wars saga. I don’t care to spend any more of my money on it.

However I do still have an emotional connection to the saga I’ve loved since I was a little kid. It bugs me how they’re treating it yet I do find it interesting to watch the moves they’re making with it, especially the hiring of Favreau.

If JJ Abrams can somehow inject life into the mess Rian Johnson made, great.

If Favreau’s series turns out to be engaging, wonderful.

I already know that I’ll be purchasing a subscription to “DisneyFlix” for my daughter, so stay tuned to FilmGoblin for my review of Jon Favreau’s efforts.

I’m expecting to say, “What a piece of junk!”

Maybe instead I’ll be saying, “The Force will be with you… always.”

Adios, amigos y amiguitas!

HTR

Vice-President of Stoicism at Film Goblin. Your resident American-Mexican! My parents blessed me with looks, charm, and a love of movies. Looking back on it all, I wish they'd blessed me with money instead. But hey, here we are, right? May Crom be praised, I LOVE MOVIES. I sincerely hope that you enjoy my work and that you genuinely laugh out loud sometimes. Yours, HTR