Disney's STAR WARS: GALAXY'S EDGE Attraction Was Originally Set on Tatooine But Kathleen Kennedy and Bob Iger Changed The Direction

Some interesting new details have surfaced regarding Disney’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge theme park attraction and what was originally being planned for it. The attraction that fans are currently enjoying is set on a new Star Wars planet named Batuu, but it was initially supposed to be set on the classic Star Wars planet Tatooine. That is until Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Disney Studios head Bob Iger changed it up.

During a recent interview with WDW Radio host Lou Mongello, former Walt Disney World Resort Vice President Dan Cockerell offered some new details about how Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge came to be. While the team was designing an attraction set on Tatooine, Kennedy and Iger called them in to tell them they were changing the direction. Cockerell explained:

“Kathleen Kennedy, her point of view was, there are way more Disney Star Wars stories ahead of us than behind us. So we really should think about, do we want to build a Tatooine and build what all the 50-somethings remember Star Wars is? Or do we want to build something else which is going to appeal to all the upcoming generations who are going to know the new stories?

“And that day, Tatooine was killed at the studios, and all those concepts were put on a shelf. And I’m sure they’re sitting in a vault, and I’m sure people are going to be shown someday — about what that land would have looked like and what the attractions were going to be.”

I can understand that, but at the same time, no matter where the Star Wars land attraction was going to be set kids and fans were going to love it. Also, Batuu is very similar to Tatooine anyway, so in the end, they seemed to mix the old with the new as far as the design goes. It gave fans of the original trilogy something familiar and then interjected some of the newer elements and gave it a new name.

Cockerell went on to explain that Galaxy’s Edge was intended to be “just a planet that existed in the Star Wars universe, that didn’t have too much story associated with it so that it could be a place where all the Star Wars characters could visit.” He added:

“When I walk through Galaxy’s Edge, I’m certainly picking up, there’s a lot of remnants as people look at it. And you can see some of Tatooine there, and some of kind of what that feel was. But obviously you’ve added the other green areas and that. But it was designed to be timeless.”

I’m happy with how Star Wars: Galaxy Edge turned out. I’ve only been once, but it left quite an impression. I can’t wait to go back! What do you think about this new information? Would you have liked to see Tatooine used as the setting, or are you happy with Batuu?

Via: Inside The Magic