— Ch. 1 · Origins And Cancellation —
Star Wars sequel trilogy.
~7 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
In 1976, George Lucas told actor Mark Hamill that he planned three or four Star Wars trilogies. He imagined filming the ninth episode by 2011. By late 1980, Lucas had written story treatments for all nine episodes and held twelve-page outlines for each film. Gary Kurtz, producer of the first two films, knew about proposed elements for Episodes VII through IX before 1980. In an interview with Jim Steranko in Prevue magazine published in late 1980, Lucas described how the expansive scope started with an overlong screenplay. He stated that Episode I would explore Jedi methodology while Episode II developed Obi-Wan Kenobi's backstory. Episode III explained Darth Vader's rise, and Episode VI featured Leia as an isolated monarch. Han Solo was to die, and Luke would confront Vader before exiling himself. In September 1981, Lucas announced he had decided to make only one trilogy. He canceled plans for the sequel trilogy after The Empire Strikes Back release due to stress from producing the first three films and pressure from his wife Marcia. By 1983, Lucas said if his character returned it would be on another plane of existence. He later stated that the saga ended at part six because there was no story beyond that point.
Disney Acquisition Revival
In May 2011, George Lucas attended a breakfast meeting with Disney CEO Bob Iger in Orlando, Florida. Iger asked if Lucas would sell his company to Disney. Lucas considered directing Episode VII for a May 2015 release but decided to leave the franchise to other filmmakers. He announced in January 2012 that he would step away from making blockbuster films. Kathleen Kennedy began working for him on the 1st of June 2012. They brought in Michael Arndt to write a draft of Episode VII based on Lucas's synopsis. Lawrence Kasdan joined as screenwriting veteran support. At Star Wars Celebration VI in late August, Lucas took Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher to lunch. They agreed to reprise their roles alongside Harrison Ford who received promises of meaningful closure for Han Solo. By June 2012, Lucas agreed to sell his company provided Kennedy replaced him as president. Disney insisted they have final say over future movies. In October 2012, Lucas gave Kennedy the final draft of his story treatments during the sale. The same month, Disney announced the sequel trilogy production and a 2015 release date. Lucas stated he was unwilling to turn it over to Kathy to do more. Both plot outlines written in the 1980s and early 2010s were given to Iger around the time Disney acquired Lucasfilm.