Star Wars Finally Looks to Old Republic as James Mangold Confirms Movie About ‘Dawn of the Force’
Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the most beloved eras in the Expanded Universe, yet it’s barely touched upon by Disney’s movies and TV shows. That could change, though, if the timeline you see in Star Wars Celebration is fine.
Right before announcing several new Star Wars films, LucasFilm Studio Head Kathleen Kennedy took the stage to share her vision of what Star Wars could look like in theaters. That meant “expanding the timeline,” Kennedy said, and images emerged highlighting seven major eras.
Kathleen Kennedy outlines her vision for the future of Star Wars movies. #Star Wars Celebration pic.twitter.com/36qGtiIKKc
—IGN (@IGN) April 7, 2023
Old Republic: The era first depicted in BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic series. While it remains a fan-favorite era, it has rarely been acknowledged by Disney until now.
High Republic: A golden age that has been the focus of many books. The first show set in the High Republic is the Star Wars Acolyte, which was fully revealed during the Celebration.
Fall of the Jedi: This is the prequel era.
Rise of an Empire: This is the era depicted in Star Wars Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi, covering the period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
Age of Rebellion: This is the time period covered in the original Star Wars trilogy.
New Republic: The era that follows “Return of the Jedi,” which The Mandalorian is currently covering.
Rise of the First Order: A sequel trilogy starting with The Force Awakens.
Kennedy went on to announce several new films, including a film loosely set in the New Republic era led by Dave Filoni and Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy starring Daisy Ridley. Then there’s the Logan and Indiana Jones movie and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold. This is a “biblical epic” that tells a story about “Dawn of the Force” set before the Old Republic.
Disney’s clear nod to the Old Republic and its promise to “expand the timeline” seems to indicate that more projects set in that era are on the way.
Star Wars finally does the Old Republic!Give Me Revan #Star Wars pic.twitter.com/hqdjfGwmpj
— Blurayangel 🦇 (@blurayangel) April 7, 2023
They’re actually making a movie set in the Old Republic and a movie set after the sequel, directed by a real GOOD director pic.twitter.com/OQknpSoQaC
—JT (@JayTaylor009) April 7, 2023
THE OLD REPUBLIC IS CANON AGAIN OH MY GOD WE STAY WINNING pic.twitter.com/ExOgyZPkqS
— Willie (@wheeliethebin) April 7, 2023
Fan appreciation for the Old Republic era dates back to 2003, when KOTOR was first released for Xbox. It came out at a time when the prequels were widely hated and was seen as a ray of light for disgruntled Star Wars fans. It continues to gain support. The remake is also currently in development, but we are experiencing dramatic development troubles.
Despite this, Disney has mostly avoided the KOTOR era, preferring instead to focus on more familiar situations such as the Galactic Civil War. Despite this, The Old Republic remains widely popular among Star Wars fans who hoped Disney would one day explore this era in a live-action setting.
Now that hope is beginning to come true. We hope to see Darth Revan on the big screen soon.In the meantime, check out everything announced at Star Wars Celebration.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s Senior News Editor and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Any tips? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
