DEADPOOL 3 Director Shawn Levy Explains How His STAR WARS Movie Will Be Different
Shawn Levy, the director of Free Guy, Deadpool 3, and Stranger Things, is also currently developing a Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm. This is actually something the filmmaker is incredibly excited about doing, and as of right now, there are no real details on the project to share. But, the filmmaker was recently asked in an interview with Variety what he will do differently with the franchise that hasn’t already been done in the past. His response to that question was:
“When Kathy Kennedy brought me on board to make a Star Wars movie, her central mandate to me was ‘I want a Shawn Levy movie. I want a story and a tone that reflects you and your taste and what you bring to your movies — with a ‘Star Wars’ story.’ So I have felt extremely empowered. We are in early days, unfortunately, because the development process was abruptly paused [due to the WGA strike], but I feel very empowered to trust my instincts in the development of this story and movie.”
The filmmaker was then asked if Deadpool 3 has been good practice for the Star Wars movie that he’s making, to which he responded:
“The experience that I’m currently having with Marvel on Deadpool is showing me firsthand that it is indeed really possible to feel empowered and personal about making a movie within a universe that is bigger than any one film. My Deadpool movie is turning out to be exactly what Ryan [Reynolds] and I had hoped when we started off. So I’m going into the development of my Star Wars movie with a similar optimism, and faith that my instincts will be allowed to lead the way.”
When asked about his friendship with Adam Driver and if his Star Wars movie could be a prequel to Episode VII: The Force Awakens that would see Kylo Ren return for another story, Levy said:
“Your words, not mine! As you know Adam is a buddy, and I’ve always been a huge fan of Kylo Ren. But no comment.”
I’m going to say no. I think Levy is going to do something different than that. I also don’t think there’s really any interest from fans to see another Star Wars movie with Kylo Ren. One thing is for sure, Levy is excited about making a Star Wars movie and he previously shared:
"If you had told me back when I was directing Big Fat Liar that someday I'd be working on the biggest TV show in the world and directing Marvel followed by Star Wars, I would've told you ‘You're f**king nuts.’ But it is so thrilling. And it is the kind of big canvas storytelling that I've always dreamed of doing.
“I've gotten lucky because ironically it started with Night at the Museum where you're really building a world, and you're incorporating comedy and heart. And you and I have spoken a lot, that’s very much what I tried to do on Free Guy and Adam Project. And so to get the calls from both Marvel and Lucasfilm, really gratifying. Because I've done this job for a while and these are calls I definitely hoped I would someday get. And the fact that it's all coming now and that this is the next several years of my life is really... I'm just stoked. I don't have deeper words than that. I am happy and excited about it every day."
Over the years, Lucasfilm has announced several Star Wars films with directors attached that have yet to actually go anywhere. Levy is very aware of this, but he also explained his attitude toward the whole thing as follows:
“I have this golden ticket into a galaxy far away, and I'm going to devote myself to developing a screenplay that gives me the privilege of making this movie. I don't attach to things because it looks good in a trade announcement. I attach to things that I intend to make. And you better believe I'm not going to squander this juiciest of opportunities. I'm going to work my ass off. But first, I got to work my ass off on making Deadpool. So it's definitely longer-term planning, but I want to be one of the movies that gets to the starting line because these are rare opportunities, and I want to make the most of it."
It’ll be interesting and fun to see what kind of Star Wars film Levy actually ends up making. It will be awhile before we actually get to see it, but it’s something that he’s currently actively working on, so this could very well be one of the many Star Wars movie projects that actually gets made.