Shawn Levy Talks About His Goals For The STAR WARS Film He's Making
As director Shawn Levy is riding high off the success of Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine, he’s got another big franchise film project on his mind with the Star Wars film he’s developing for Lucasfilm.
We don’t know much about his Star Wars movie, but he does have goals in mind for it, and he’s just looking to make a movie that isn’t redundant on what’s been done in the past with the franchise. He’s looking to do something fresh and unique.
During a recent interview with Happy Sad Confused, the director was asked what he loves about the franchise, and he replied:
“I’ll say that the experience of crafting this story has forced me to think about that question. Because there’s only so many times that Star Wars movies can revisit the same section of the timeline. … Because I don’t want to do a Star Wars film that is redundant to others.
“Nor am I interested in doing one that has to serve another movie. I really wanted to craft something that felt organic to me both in tone and characters.”
It makes sense that the filmmaker would want to make a standalone Star Wars film that doesn’t connect to anything else that has been done. I think it’s cool and exciting to open up the universe and expand into telling new stories. It can work with a great story, writing, and direction.
Levy adds: “So I think that there is certainly the Force and a connection to something bigger than our individual selves, and the way that that can make us powerful. Those themes, combined with visual delight and wish fulfillment, that’s Star Wars to me.”
Levy is reuniting with The Adam Project screenwriter Jonathan Tropper for the movie. When previously talking about the opportunity to direct it, he said it was a "bucket-list thing."
Levy shared: "Getting that call was a great day. I was in the edit room on All the Light We Cannot See, and I look at my phone, and it's [Lucasfilm president] Kathy Kennedy.
“Thus began a conversation that led to her inviting me in to develop and make my Star Wars movie. I'm putting everything I have into it, because I love that world, and it is a privilege to get to join that galaxy."
When previously talking about his excitement for the project, he said: "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."
Levy also addressed the other Star Wars projects that have stalled out over the years, and in regards to that, he explained his attitude toward it.
He explained: “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."
Levy’s Star Wars movie is still a very long way out, but it will be interesting to see what kind of story he puts together.