By now you probably know that Star Wars is doing something relatively unheard of in the realm of franchises. Rather than consistently follow specific characters, Lucasfilm has decided to produce a series of standalone Star Wars films that will constantly branch out in new directions in addition to the main Skywalker saga. This means that we won't see a sequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in the future, but that doesn't seem to bother Felicity Jones. The Rogue One actress explained:
It's quite special because they're one-off films... These films are auteur-driven movies. There's not a whole list of rules that they've got to conform to. It gives everyone a lot of freedom. It's quite wonderful that there's a real hands-off approach in terms of the esthetic and really letting the director dictate the tone.
Felicity Jones recently spoke to the Toronto Sun about the upcoming release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and as you can already tell, she seems pretty happy that there's no sequel in sight. The reason for this is the flexibility that is afforded to filmmakers when the overall franchise constantly branches out in different directions. If Lucasfilm took the easy route and simply followed Jyn Erso into Rogue Two, then it would constrict the filmmakers into matching the tone, style and aesthetic of the original, and that's far less interesting.
This genuinely puts Star Wars in a different category than most other franchises. From Captain America to James Bond, most beloved film series have to maintain some degree of consistency, but Star Wars is a brand that is completely free from that restriction. Lucasfilm can produce a dark, and gritty film about one set of characters, and then immediately shift gears, bring in another team and produce a much lighter film centering on a completely different corner of the galaxy far, far away. Beyond that, this wildly different method of storytelling allows Lucasfilm to delve into a lot of more obscure Star Wars stories in a much shorter period of time, because the franchise won't become bogged down in any single story for too long. It's a new approach, and it works because of the sheer size of the Star Wars galaxy.
What do you think of this new approach to the Star Wars franchise? Do you like the idea of one-off films, or would you want to see a Rogue One sequel at some point? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
CinemaBlend will keep you updated with more information related to the future of the Star Wars franchise as new details become available to us. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will hit theaters later this month on December 16!
Check out the final trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on the next page to get yourself even more pumped for the first ever standalone Star Wars movie!
