When Star Wars: The Force Awakens filmed on physical 35mm and IMAX film, the retro wave of filming with physical media basically became the default setting for every director to follow J.J. Abrams into the series. However, Colin Trevorrow has an idea that'll literally put Star Wars: Episode IX among the stars, as he wants to film IMAX footage in the depths of space.
During an appearance at the Sundance Film Festival, Trevorrow remarked about an early request that he's made pertaining to this approach. And sure enough, The Hollywood Reporter grabbed the exact quote from the Jurassic World director, which is recalled as follows:
I asked the question, 'Is it possible for us to shoot IMAX film plates in actual space for Star Wars, and I haven't gotten an answer yet, but they've shot IMAX in space!
Let's take a moment to appreciate this flat out awesome request by Colin Trevorrow to the higher ups at Disney. Not only is he sticking with the physical film medium that J.J. Abrams reintroduced to the Star Wars franchise, but he's now lobbying to use actual outer space for use as backdrops in the final entry in the current trilogy. The plus side of this gambit is, if he's given approval, Trevorrow will literally have the most realistic looking depiction of outer space in the Star Wars trilogy. Imagine TIE Fighters and Resistance X-Wings flying through the stars of our own galaxy! Though come to think of it, this could be as much of a curse as a blessing, and it all comes down to one factor: science.
Star Wars: Episode IX, much like the rest of the Star Wars universe, takes place "in a galaxy far, far away." That very specification is in the very first title card for every single film in the Star Wars series. So while filming in our galaxy would be an awesome slice of our reality, it would be going against the reality that the films before it have set up. Which means that if the Star Wars series wasn't already afraid enough of Neil deGrasse Tyson tearing it a new one over scientific inaccuracies, they'll surely have more reason to fear after such a decision.
Using actual footage of space that's filmed specifically for Star Wars: Episode IX would be an awesome opportunity in a film-making, and it would be really neat to see IMAX footage of actual space intermingled with the vehicles and characters of the franchise. However, the spectacle might prove to be a little more distracting than complimentary to what Colin Trevorrow is trying to do with the final installment of the trilogy that will wrap up the stories of Rey, Finn, and Poe. Still, it's a concept that deserves a good amount of thought; as well as a couple of phone calls or tweets to Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Star Wars: Episode IX is scheduled for May 24, 2019 – but if the recent release date change for Star Wars: Episode VIII works out like Disney hopes, we might see this date change in the future.
