There’s been a lot of speculation about what’s next for the Star Wars film series following the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga at the end of the year. Lucasfilm is still officially remaining quiet on the subject, but news has come in that at least one movie, if not an entire trilogy, could be based on Knights of the Old Republic.
Back in April during Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said Knights of the Old Republic was being developed as “something to look at."At the time, it wasn’t clear if this would be for the movie or TV realm.
Knights of the Old Republic was a video game series that primarily consisted of two Xbox games and an online MMORPG, from 2003-2011. However, because the Expanded Universe was wiped away after Disney purchased the franchise, this period of Star Wars history (thousands of years before the movies) hasn’t been explored in official canon.
Now Buzzfeed has heard from sources that Avatar and Shutter Island screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis is penning a Knights of the Old Republic movie, but that could end up being the first entry of a new trilogy. Assuming this project moves forward, Kalogridis would be the first woman to write a Star Wars movie since Leigh Brackett, as she's credited as a co-writer on The Empire Strikes Back alongside Lawrence Kasdan.
It’s also worth mentioning that it was confirmed earlier this month that the next Star Wars movie to come out after The Rise of Skywalker will be from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Those two reportedly signed a three-picture deal, although it’s unclear if this translates to a full trilogy or three standalone movies.
Either way, this report about one or more Knights of the Old Republic movies indicates that Laeta Kalogridis is not writing them for David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and that she was hired in spring 2018 to “develop the property.” No plot details about this Knights of the Old Republic movie were revealed, but considering how far removed it would be from the in-canon Star Wars stories, it would have its own self-contained corner of the franchise to operate in.
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that this Knights of the Old Republic movie is not connected to what David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are working, and let’s also assume that their movies form a trilogy. That means that if Knights of the Old Republic becomes a trilogy, and taking into account the trilogy that The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is working on, that's three separate trilogies Star Wars fans can look forward to.
Given how deep and intricate the original Knights of the Old Republic mythos was, it’s hard to imagine whatever Laeta Kalogridis is working on being confined to just one movie. That said, it's too soon to tell if it would differ only slightly or significantly from what we got in the video games and the tie-in novels and comic books.
Many Star Wars fans have expressed interest in the Knights of the Old Republic getting big screen representation over the years since the Star Wars film series relaunched. Assuming this new information is legitimate, their wish has been granted, or is at least on that path.
Rest assured, we here at CinemaBlend will keep you updated on any developments concerning a Knights of the Old Republic and other cinematic Star Wars tales. For now, The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20, and the next three movies after that come out on December 16, 2022; December 20, 2024; and December 18, 2026.
