Zack Snyder’s Star Wars film may hit the big screen after all…just not in the way originally intended.
The director revealed that he is reworking his once-announced solo Star Wars spin-off film into an original story. It promises to be a thrilling adventure that puts a sci-fi spin on an iconic movie.
The Seven Jedi?
Back in 2013, shortly after Disney bought Lucasfilm but before J.J. Abrams was announced to be making Episode VII, a report came that Snyder was working on his own unique solo film for the franchise.
Vulture reported the rumor was that the movie would be a Star Wars version of the Akira Kurosawa masterpiece The Seven Samurai.
The 1954 classic told of a band of warriors hired to protect a village from bandits. It has been one of the most influential films ever made from its direction to the plot and characters.
That includes inspiring the equally classic Western remake The Magnificent Seven.
The choice of that film is interesting as Kurosawa was one of George Lucas’ idols. Lucas has long cited the director’s The Hidden Fortress as one of Star Wars’ key influences. He even wanted to cast Samurai and Fortress star, Toshiro Mifune, as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The new film
At the time, Snyder put out a statement that he never had plans for such a film. But talking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Army of the Dead director confirmed he did indeed briefly talk to Lucasfilm.
While it didn’t go beyond those initial stages, Snyder reveals he still plans to use the Samurai-styled movie, only without the Star Wars tie-in.
“We talked about it, but it never [happened]. I’ve been working on it away from the ‘Star Wars’ universe, on my own, as a sci-fi thing…It’s still a sci-fi thing. It’s the same story. Now, I’m just going to let Star Wars be Star Wars. It was me saying, ‘Give me the keys and let me take it for a spin.’”
The director has had a busy 2021 between putting the finishing touches on the Justice League Snyder Cut and Army of the Dead.
Snyder has more plans in store with the delayed Horse Latitude and a retelling of the King Arthur mythology. But he still seems intent on producing this sci-fi samurai tale and even enjoying telling it without the Star Wars touches.
“The 11-year-old me still wants to make that, and now, I know how to. So, maybe we’ll see that someday.”
While it might have been fun to see Snyder playing with the Star Wars universe, the director seems satisfied to put his own unique spin on a classic tale.
Army of the Dead now streaming on Netflix.