Instead Of That Obi Wan Spinoff, How About Some Jean-Luc Picard?

By Tori Preston | TV | June 20, 2018 |

By Tori Preston | TV | June 20, 2018 |

Whether you loved or hated Solo: A Star Wars Story, the film is destined to leave its mark on the Star Wars universe. But maybe not in the way anyone at Lucasfilm had hoped. Today Collider revealed that in the wake of Solo’s disappointing box office returns, the creative team behind the franchise may be putting any future spinoff films on hold.

To be fair, this doesn’t seem that surprising. Star Wars is doing just fine (despite the best efforts of its fandom), and Lucasfilm has got plenty on their plate already with the upcoming Episode IX, plus a brand-new trilogy in the works from The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson and a whole other series of films from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. So all that’s at stake, that we know of, is an Obi Wan-centric prequel from Stephen Daldry (The Hours) and that questionable standalone Boba Fett vehicle from James Mangold (Logan). And maybe whatever they might have had in mind for Donald Glover’s Lando.

And yes, maybe they should rethink their solo (get it?!) strategy moving forward, but that doesn’t mean these standalone spinoffs don’t have any creative merit. Rogue One presented an interesting new chapter in the saga — and that’s something that some people feel was lacking in Solo. Then there were all the behind-the-scenes shake ups to consider, and how those may have impacted the final film. There are lessons to be learned, surely, but “on hold” doesn’t necessarily mean “cancelled forever” and honestly if I could get a little more time with Ewan McGregor’s Obi Wan Kenobi, I wouldn’t be mad.

The Star Trek franchise has also had a recent upheaval, but things might be taking a more positive trajectory over in that final frontier. It was recently announced that Star Trek Discovery showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts had been fired over leadership issues (like ballooning budgets and complaints of staff mistreatment). Alex Kurtzman will be taking over showrunner duties as part of his renewed overall deal with CBS Television (worth $25 million over the next 5 years), in addition to expanding the franchise.

According to Variety, a few ideas for potential new Star Trek shows include:

— A series set at Starfleet Academy from creators Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz (Runaways, Gossip Girl). I am SUPER on board with this, tbh.

— A mysterious, under wraps limited series.

— A different limited series based around the Wrath of Khan story.

— An animated series (also mysterious, also under wraps).

But The Hollywood Reporter has a particularly juicy tidbit to share, which might pertain to one of these shows or be something else entirely: a reboot centered on Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Apparently the idea of Patrick Stewart reprising to his iconic Star Trek: The Next Generation role isn’t completely out of the question — and honestly, that could work as a limited series or even an animated one (he gives good voice!). I don’t see him signing up for a whole new, ongoing series. But who knows. It’s not like any deals have been signed yet anyway!

Mostly I just wanted an excuse to run this photo:

Love me some silly Stewart.