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With Star Wars: The Force Awakens wrapped and currently in post production, and the fans are feverishly waiting for the the first teaser from the film, attention is starting to turn to the first of many spin-off films set to take place in a galaxy far, far away. The first spin-off film is set to debut in 2016, and is going to be directed by Gareth Edwards, hot off his success with Legendary’s Godzilla earlier this year. But while little is known about the project, a new rumor has surfaced that may unlock a big piece of the puzzle of what the film may be, and if it’s true, it’s certainly an exciting one.
Slashfilm, hot on the heels of announcing how The Force Awakens would debut this weekend, was the first to look into what this new spin-off film could be about, and they didn’t come away empty handed. According to their sources, but obviously taken with salt, says that the film would be a heist film starring the Bounty Hunters, dealing with them trying to steal the Death Star plans for the Rebels before A New Hope. It’s also said that one of the main characters will also be introduced, albeit much older, in The Force Awakens.
This is all very interesting for multiple reasons. First, this is a key moment in the Star Wars saga. We’ve never really dealt with how the Rebels got the plants for the Death Star, and it’s one that drastically alters the course of history in the universe. That alone makes it very fascinating and ripe for mining as a film. Secondly, the film being Bounty Hunter centric makes for a very intriguing concept as well. We’ve seen the likes of Boba Fett, IG-88, and the others in the films, but mostly in the backgrounds or in one or two scenes. This would give these highly loved and interesting rogues a really cool chance to shine. My only hope, if this is all true, is that the Bounty Hunters stay true to who they are, and we don’t see this as some sort of redemption tale. These guys are cold blooded mercenary types, and should be treated as such. But it doesn’t change that having them as the leads of a film like this could be a whole lot of fun.
While all this is rumor for now, it’s all very fun and interesting to think about, and seems like the perfect place for the spin-off series to use as a jumping off point. We can only hope that it ends up being the case. I’m sure we’ll learn more in the coming weeks about exactly what the spin-off will entail, because production will have to begin ramping up soon if they want to make their 2016 date. It’s all very exciting to think about though, and it’s great that we’re getting to return to a galaxy far, far away in such a big way.
