Remakes: The reboot I want to see [Commentary]

In the first and second parts of this series, we discussed the problems with remakes and when remakes get it right. Today we’re going to talk about a sequel that never happened and likely never will. But it’s the one remake I would gladly see.

Back in my younger days — and I’m dating myself by saying this — I was one of those kids who saw Star Wars over and over again in the theater.

Star Wars? Really? Do we have to listen to another rant about how much the prequels sucked?

I hear you. And the answer is no.

In the alternate universe on FOX's Fringe, the sequel Star Wars: Legion of the Droids was a big hit in 1985.

I’m not going to rant about how great the original trilogy — Ewoks not withstanding — was, or how the prequel was a fair (but fun) imitation of the original.

Instead, I’m going to talk about the sequels to the original trilogy. I’m going to talk about Episodes VII – IX, the sequels that were promised to us but now only exist in the Fringe universe.

These are the sequels that George Lucas promised us back in the 1980s but — for reasons unbeknownst to anyone but the man himself — we never received. For those of you too young to understand, let me elucidate.

The year was 1980. In a review of The Empire Strikes Back, Time magazine reported:

The very first surprise in The Empire Strikes Back comes in the opening credits: the movie is identified as Episode V. … Lucas has begun his space saga in the middle, and both pictures are the centerpieces of a projected nine-part series. The remaining movies, fore and aft, have not yet been laid out in detail, but Lucas has the framework, a kind of history of what happened in that galaxy long ago and far away.

If that’s not enough to convince you, how about hearing it from Lucas? In the foreword of the special edition of Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, he wrote:

As the saga of the Skywalkers and Jedi Knights unfolded, I began to see it as a tale that could take at least nine films to tell — three trilogies.

So, where are the sequels? What happened to the further adventures of the Skywalkers and Han Solo? For the most part, they were continued in the Star Wars books, beginning with Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command). Other than the books, not much has been done to create a sequel trilogy.

Now, I know you probably expect me to invoke the name of George Lucas as a god of cinema and demand that he start work on the sequel trilogy as his next project. In fact, there have been numerous rumors floating around the Internet that he is doing just that. Or not.

But here’s the thing. Are you ready for the thing?

I don’t want Lucas to make these films. Even though I loved the first Star Wars trilogy, I will be the first to admit that the films have wonderful characters, but are poorly written. The prequels have shown me that even though I love the Star Wars franchise, Lucas is not the best person to handle it. He’s too close to it, and THINKS he understands it best.

Instead, I would like to see Lucas hand over the reins of the sequels to another team of writers, directors, and artists who could reboot the series and make it something great again, instead of the obsessive self-involved subgenre it has become.

How would the Star Wars saga be different if it were written by David S. Goyer, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Frank Darabont, the Wachowski brothers, or the Coen brothers?

I’d love to see what a younger, more invigorated director like J.J. Abrams, Christopher Nolan, Sam Raimi, Joss Whedon, Jon Favreau or even (God help us) Michael Bay might do.

The point here — and I do have one — is not all remakes are a bad thing. Just as Abrams rebooted the Star Trek franchise in 2009, I believe a talented writer and a director with vision could reboot the Star Wars franchise in dramatic fashion. I would love to see a sequel trilogy with some fresh blood behind the camera.

Yes, I’m not above the fanboy frenzy. I would love to see the original cast making cameos as older, wiser heroes from my youth.

And maybe we could squeeze in a cameo for Lucas too.