‘Star Wars’ News: ‘Anthology’ Films And Darth Maul Spinoff

Excitement for the Star Wars franchise is at a fever pitch following the stellar teaser trailer for J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Seeing the continuation of the original saga after over 30 years has been the stuff of dreams for most fans, and to see it come to life on screen has truly been a worldwide celebration. Of course, the rising tide raises all ships, and it’s not just The Force Awakens that will be getting all of the attention, but rather the entire Star Wars franchise, including the standalone films that fans will be getting every other year for the foreseeable future. These standalone films, according to Polygon, are officially being branded by Disney as “Anthology” films.

The first Star WarsAnthology film, Rogue One, will be hitting the big screen in December, 2016, and will follow a Rebel soldier involved in a mission to steal plans for the death star. According to the Verge, the film will be shooting for a realistic tone — which isn’t the usual direction for the typically mystical Star Wars films.

“It’s the reality of war,” Rogue One director Gareth Edwards said at Star Wars Celebration. “Good guys are bad. Bad guys are good. It’s complicated, layered; a very rich scenario in which to set a movie.”

Rogue One is only the first of many Star Wars Anthology films to come down the pipeline, and while we have no information on what these other films could be, that hasn’t stopped folks from speaking their mind on what they could. You can add actor Ray Park (who played Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace) to the list of those who have expressed their own thoughts on where the franchise could go.

While at Star Wars Celebration, Park opened up that he’d be up to doing a Darth Maul-centered flick, IGN reports.

“I would love to be disciplined, like not eat anything for four months, and be shredded and do the whole tattoo body effect like you see in the comics and the novels. I’d love to do that!… If Darth Maul was coming back, he should be topless, tattooed, bigger horns, robotic legs! I would love to do it!”

While The Phantom Menace has been loathed as perhaps the worst entry in the Star Wars franchise, there were a few things the films did right. From the podracing scenes to the lightsaber fights and the creepy look of Darth Maul, the film had its (albeit small) share of things that really sold the film. Seeing a great return of Darth Maul could be an interesting direction to take one of the films.

Are you excited to see where these Anthology films go? Do you think a Darth Maul film could be a way to go? Let us know in the comments below!

[Image Credits: Star Wars Wikia, Peter Sciretta Twitter, Cinema Theiapolis]