When it comes to Star wars, it’s hard to argue that one of the biggest names in the franchise, right under creator George Lucas, is Lawrence Kasdan. As co-writer of the most popular Star Wars film of all time, The Empire Strikes Back, as well as the best-received film of the sequel trilogy, The Force Awakens, Kasdan is Star Wars royalty by any measurement. So what doe he have to say about the current crop of Star Wars creators?
Kasdan recently spoke to Comicbook.com about his upcoming six-part docuseries, Light & Magic, a history of Industrial Light & Magic — the groundbreaking motion picture visual effects company founded by George Lucas to make Star Wars. When Kasdan was asked his opinion of the directors and storytellers putting their own spin on the galaxy far far away that he helped create, the legendary screenwriter admitted he was impressed with the way the new crop is handling working in the decades-old world of the franchise:
“I’m impressed with all youth. I’m impressed with people doing things new. The people that work within the universe have a certain set. The environment is established, but what they do with the environment is just like westerns. I love westerns because you can tell any kind of story you want in a western, and Star Wars is a little like that. You’re not really pushed in any one direction. Now we’re getting people who weren’t even close to being born, and they’re writing Mandalorian and Obi-Wan, and I love that. They didn’t form their ideas from looking at A New Hope. They formed their ideas from being in this stew the whole time since they were born.”
— Lawrence Kasdan
Light & Magic will look back on a time when many of the new directors weren’t even born, and the artists at ILM were just beginning to create the models and set pieces that would inspire future storytellers more than forty years later.
Light & Magic is currently streaming on Disney Plus.