If you ask a genre filmmaker if they have an idea for a Star Wars movie, chances are they’ll be able to think up a compelling pitch for a story set in a galaxy far, far away. Such was recently the case for Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson, who shared his idea for a Star Wars tale set on Hoth, the snow planet where the events of The Empire Strike Back kicked off.
However, Scott Derrickson is now making it clear that he did not pitch this Star Wars movie to the folks over at Disney and Lucasfilm; it’s just something he came up with while engaged in a dinner conversation. In his words:
So the record has been set straight, and Scott Derrickson added on Twitter that he thought his idea for a Hoth-set Star Wars movie was cool, and so did everyone else at the table, hence why he tweeted about it. Derrickson then said he “should’ve known better.” In case you missed his original tweet, which has since been deleted, about what kind of Star Wars movie he’d like to make, here’s what he wrote:
Just asked what kind of Star Wars movie I would make. I answered that I would make HOTH - an R-rated frozen planet horror film in the vein of The Thing or Lovecraft’s In The Mountains of Madness, with zero connection to any previous characters or storylines.
As far as standalone Star Wars stories go, this sounds incredibly compelling, and if you’re gonna set the action on Hoth, then pulling from The Thing and At the Mountains of Madness is a smart movie. I’m curious if wampas would be the main threats the protagonists in this story would have to deal with, or if a more mysterious creature would be wreaking havoc.
Plus, since this would be a horror movie, Scott Derrickson would be a great fit for this Star Wars story. His previous horror directorial credits include Hellraiser: Inferno, Sinister and Deliver Us from Evil, and he also previously contributed to the Disney landscape by helming Doctor Strange for the MCU.
In any case, as cool as this sounds, it’s perfectly clear that this is not an official Star Wars project in development. Besides, considering that Disney and Lucasfilm keep Star Wars as family friendly as possible and never venture past the PG-13 realm when it comes to violence, themes, etc, the chances of an R-rated Star Wars movie ever being made are extremely slim. But one can hope, right?
Until this past January, Scott Derrickson was on board to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but he’s since stepped away from those duties, though he’ll still contribute to the sequel as an executive producer. It’s since been reported that Sam Raimi is being lined up as the sequel’s new director, but it hasn’t been confirmed yet if the job is his.
As for Star Wars, it’s unclear what the next era of the franchise’s film side will look like. Among the Star Wars cinematic projects we know are in development are a trilogy being overseen by The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson, a movie that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is producing and a separate movie that will be directed by J.D. Dillard and written by Matt Owens. However, along with no plot details being revealed about any of these projects, none of them have release dates attached.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates concerning the Star Wars franchise as they roll in. For now, keep track of the movies coming out this year with our 2020 release schedule.
