Well, this is a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one! According to Buzzfeed, Disney has greenlit a movie based on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, a beloved Star Wars role-playing game developed by Bioware and released for the Xbox back in 2003. It might even be part of a new trilogy, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The first movie will be written by screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis (Alita: Battle Angel, Avatar).
The Old Republic era happens thousands of years before the events of the mainline movies. During this time, thousands of Jedi and Sith warred across the galaxy in a bid to eradicate each other from existence. The Jedi Order was a very different organization compared to what it became.
As for the video games, KOTOR received a sequel in 2004, and then wrapped up with an MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game) called Star Wars: The Old Republic that is still going strong today.
Kalogridis was hired in the spring of 2018 to begin working on a script. That basically lines up with the announcement that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss would be making a new Star Wars trilogy. There have also been rumors that the duo’s movie would be set in the Old Republic era. Are we looking at Benioff and Weiss’ trilogy here?
RELATED PRODUCT
New York Mets Game Of Thrones White Walker Bobblehead
Buy Now!
Buy Now!
During April’s Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy acknowledged that Disney was looking into the Old Republic era as inspiration for potential movies (1:28 mark).
#Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy talked to us about the future of #StarWars – including a Knights of the Old Republic movie and female filmmakers taking the helm, as well as Palpatine’s surprise return in the trailer for @StarWars #EpisodeIX pic.twitter.com/HCjEhdlRv7
— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) April 16, 2019
Star Wars fans have been clamoring for a Knights of the Old Republic live-action series or movie for years now, and even circulated a petition that gained quite a bit of steam back in 2017. It’s all coming together!
Anyway, Kalogridis is the first female writer for a Star Wars film since Leigh Brackett got a writing credit with Lawrence Kasdan for The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. After Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker hits theaters this December, Disney is taking a bit of a break from the galaxy far, far away, but it has new Star Wars movies scheduled for 2022, 2024 and 2026. Connecting the dots, it looks like the 2022 movie could be the one Kalogridis is writing, with Benioff and Weiss at the helm with two possible follow-ups waiting in the wings.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels