MOVIE NEWS – Disney has asked Simon Farnaby and Paul King to transform their rejected Star Wars droid pitch into a standalone science-fiction movie. The creative duo behind Paddington 2 and Wonka is now rebuilding the concept as an adventure with no connection to the galaxy far, far away.

Numerous Star Wars films announced or developed after Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 have never reached the screen. Projects associated with Patty Jenkins, Taika Waititi, J. D. Dillard and Steven Soderbergh all stalled, while Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss also saw their plans fall away.

The newly revealed proposal stands out because Simon Farnaby and Paul King had never formally been announced as members of a Star Wars creative team. Speaking to Variety, Farnaby explained that the pair met with Lucasfilm after the success of Paddington 2 and presented a completely original story built around a droid.

Lucasfilm wanted stronger Star Wars connections in the droid story

The concept was not tied to any familiar character or previous event from the franchise. Farnaby recalled that this independence became the central obstacle, since the studio felt the proposal lacked the elements required to make it unmistakably a Star Wars film.

“They were like, ‘We really need it to be a Star Wars movie,’ which is probably why it didn’t get turned into a Star Wars movie! But we never really nailed it,” Farnaby said.

Lucasfilm ultimately declined to move forward with the project inside the franchise, but Disney apparently continued to see promise in its central idea. The company invited Farnaby and King to remove the Star Wars framework and reshape the concept into an original science-fiction feature.

“They basically said, it’s not right for Star Wars, but do you want to rework it as a sci-fi film? So we’re working on that now,” Farnaby added.

Disney could be taking a rare chance on large-scale original sci-fi

Farnaby disclosed no further plot details, and it remains unknown whether Paul King will direct the eventual movie. Even so, the project is notable at a studio whose live-action schedule over the last decade has been dominated by Marvel adaptations, Star Wars productions, sequels and remakes of animated favorites.

MovieWeb argues that a more original direction may be particularly welcome after the disappointing box-office results of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu and the live-action Moana, which demonstrated that familiar brands alone cannot guarantee success.

This would not be the first rejected Star Wars pitch to become an independent science-fiction property. Zack Snyder transformed the Seven Samurai-inspired idea he had taken to Lucasfilm into Netflix’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire and Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. Their poor critical reception, however, gives Disney every reason to hope Farnaby and King’s droid story fares better.

The pair’s record offers grounds for optimism. Paddington, Paddington 2 and Wonka showed their ability to make warm, funny and emotionally engaging family adventures. If the new project survives development, it could give Disney another lovable robot movie to stand alongside WALL-E.

Source: MovieWeb