STAR WARS REBELS Might Cross Over With STAR WARS Live-Action Films
We've heard time and time again that Star Wars Rebels is set in between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. With the Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One standalone film being developed which takes place in the same time period, will we see Rebels crossover with any of the live-action films being made?
According to Rebels producers Simon Kinberg and Dave Filoni, it could very well happen. During an interview with /Film, it was revealed that the show is not bound to any timeline, and that there could be crossover with the films on the animated show itself. There's also a possibility that we could see characters from Rebels show up in the live-action movies!
When asked if there was talk of the animated series crossing over with the live-action film, Kinberg said:
"Absolutely there’s been conversation about it. That this story could be a story that crosses over into other films, whether it’s A New Hope or other movies. And that movies could potentially even enter into our timeline and our moment. It’s a big galaxy. So, you know, things are happening all over the place that don’t necessarily have to react to each other, the way we react to news around the world. We never meet the Chilean miners that are trapped in that mine. We know about it and the world reacts to it. So each of the different stories has to acknowledge the reality of what’s ever happening in that moment in time.
"But sure, and I think one of the things that’s really fun about Rebels, and potentially some of the films, is there’s a sort of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern version of these stories. I mean, the stories that George [Lucas] told were stories about specific characters in a massive galaxy. And so there are a lot of other characters’ stories that he hasn’t told."
Filoni is then asked if we could possibly see the animated characters in live-action form, to which he replied:
"I would never say never to that. I mean, now that Lucasfilm is so integrated in story from top to bottom in all different forms of media, we already have had our characters cross over into novels. We’re gonna have our crossover into comic books. I would say it’s entirely possible. And I would encourage it.
He went on to say that he has talked to the the creators of the films being made, and he's made it clear to them that if they want to use any characters from Rebels, they just need to let him know. He thinks that it will make the experience stronger for the fans. It's something he would love to see eventually happen, and I'm sure the fans would love it too.
Just because there has been talk doesn't mean that it's going to happen for sure. But the seeds of the idea have been planted, and if someone wants to pull the trigger on it, it sounds like everyone involved would be on board to push it forward.