New Rey Skywalker Movie Screenwriter Shares How George Lucas' Vision Is Inspiring His STAR WARS Film
The upcoming Star Wars movie centered around Rey Skywalker has been in development for quite some time, and it was recently announced that George Nolfi has stepped in as the new screenwriter, replacing Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, who exited the project last year.
Nolfi recently spoke with Film Stories about his approach to the script, revealing that he plans to lean into the deeper philosophical and political themes in Star Wars, a direction inspired by George Lucas himself.
“If you think about George Lucas, the six movies that he did, and the universe that he created, it’s actually very steeped in broad notions of politics.
“It’s not talking about today, per se, but there’s the Empire’s Nazism slash Roman Empire. The democracy of the Roman Empire collapsing and becoming an empire and the perennial story of human beings organizing themselves and against chaos, and then the tools that help human societies tamp down on chaos becomes oppression.”
This perspective is in line with Star Wars' exploration of power, governance, and the nature of oppression and resistance. It’s a core element of Lucas’s original vision, which infused the saga with historical and political allegories.
Nolfi went on to talk about how science fiction, and Star Wars, offers a unique platform to tackle significant issues without feeling like a lecture.
“So that is really very core to what I think George Lucas was trying to talk about. And one of the wonderful things about science fiction and Star Wars, which is more almost science fantasy or space opera, is that you can raise the deepest issues without it feeling like a philosophy class, or a political science class, or something I read in the newspaper today…”
He added, “It can be about real things, deep things.”
It’s an interesting approach, and while Star Wars has always carried a political undercurrent, I’m curious to see how Nolfi takes these ideas and incorporates them into Rey’s next chapter.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is set to direct the film and she previously talked about the project, sharing her excitement for the next chapter saying: “I’m very thrilled about the project because I feel what we’re about to create is something very special.
“And we’re in 2024 now, and it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away.”
The film will take place over a decade after the events in The Rise of Skywalker, and it will focus on Rey as she builds upon the New Jedi Order.
Ridley said of the film: I'm very excited. The story is really cool. I'm waiting to read a script because, obviously, I don't have any other updates. It's not what I expected, but I'm very excited."
"I know the storyline for one film. That's not to say that that's all it is, but that's what I was told about. And I imagine it will be the next film, I think. I mean, again, I don't know, post strikes and everything, how quickly everything will start up again. But yes, so far, I know the story of one film and I think people will be very excited."
I just want Lucasfilm to make great Star Wars movies! Just tell great stories with interesting characters and the fans will show up! It’s really not too much to ask for.