Summary
For years,Star Warsfans have asked for the franchise to expand into other genres, and horror has often been at the top of that list.
According toAndorshowrunner Tony Gilroy, those fans might get their wishes granted soon. The director had previously mused about the possibility of more genre-bendingStar Warsprojects, including suggesting a horror installment in the long-running franchise.
He recently mentioned the possibility of aStar Warshorror film again.Speaking toBusiness Insiderat the London red carpet premiere for Andor’s second season, Gilroy said, “They’re doing that. I think they’re doing that. I think that’s in the works, yeah."
Gilroy also joked about his previous “riffing” on a potential three-camera sitcom idea for the series, suggesting that “sometimes riffing doesn’t work with theStar Warscommunity."
Speaking about the success ofAndorand its departure from theStar Warsmold, Gilroy concluded that with “the right creator, and the right moment, and the right vibe… you’re able to do anything.”
Could Disney Actually End Up Releasing An R-RatedStar WarsMovie?
Whilst horror projects have likely been pitched to the team at Lucasfilm before now, many speculate that Disney wouldn’t allow one of the core pillars of their family-friendly franchises to alienate a large share of its audience.
With the success ofDeadpool & Wolverineproving that even massive franchises like the MCU can deliver R-rated entertainment for all audiences, however, Disney is likely far less hesitant to target new audiences than before. Even in their television offerings,Daredevil: Born Againis leaning far more into theNetflix-era brutality than many expected.
Star Warshas historically been a more kid-friendly property than Marvel, which has a long history of adult-focused offshoots ranging fromThe Punisherto their Halloween specialWerewolf by Night. Most recently, Lucasfilm releasedSkeleton Crew,a more family-friendlyStar WarsTV showfocusing on a group of children lost in space.
Andorleans into a more mature vision of theStar Warsuniverse, addressing issues from prison labor to torture and violent revolution, but a horror project would need to be mature not only in its tone and subject matter but also in its violence and imagery.
Star Warshasn’t got quite as deep of a well of horror to pull from as franchises like Marvel, but it still has its share of inspirations, both in the current continuity and the pre-Disney expanded universe canon.
What Would AStar WarsHorror Project Even Look Like?
Probably the most well-known explorationStar Warshas beenDeath Troopers, a series of novels from the pre-DisneyLegendscanon written by Joe Schreiber. Along with its prequel novelRed Harvest, it is one of the most belovedLegendsnovels, and fans have long been demanding they bebrought back to official canon.
Not to be confused with Death Troopers—the black-clad Imperial special forces introduced inRogue One—the novelDeath Troopersfollows the crew of a Star Destroyer who encounter an abandoned prison barge containing a deadly virus, which proceeds to turn the ship’s stormtroopers into zombies.
Zombie stormtroopers were somewhat canonized by the recentAhsokaseries, where Nightsisters revived legions of Thrawn’s dead Night Troopers. Within the current continuity, zombies have also been seen on Dathomir inThe Clone Wars, as well as in Respawn’s gameJedi: Fallen Order, using the same Nightsister magic.
Other sources of horror within Star Wars include the huge variety of monsters that occupy the wider galaxy. The films have no shortage of horrific creatures, from the infamous Sarlaac Pit to Rancors or Krayt Dragons. One creature in particular from the expanded universe has attracted Star Wars fans’ attention, recently being re-introduced fromLegends.
Reintroduced in theDoctor Aphracomic in 2023,Starweirds are mysterious force-sensitive creatureswho wander the vacuum of space and wreak havoc on unsuspecting travelers. In the comic, Aphra is accompanied by Luke Skywalker when they encounter a Starweird who’d been locked away during the Clone Wars, with even one of the galaxy’s most powerful Jedi struggling to defeat a single one of the creatures.
Everything About AStar WarsHorror Project Is Speculation At This Point, Anyway
It’s not yet confirmed whether this rumored horror project is a new film or series or an evolution on one of the films already in development. Whilst we have some plot details about James Mangold’s upcoming film about the first Jedi, as well as a follow-up to the sequel trilogy starring Daisy Ridley, several other upcoming projects are still shrouded in mystery.
Both Taika Waititi and Shawn Levy are still signed on to helmStar Warsmovies in the coming years with no plot details confirmed, thoughcasting appears to have begun for the latter project.
Star Warsfans are likely already anticipating Andor’s Season 2 premiere on April 22, but until then, fans can revisit the first season on Disney+ or get their fix of the wider universe in thelatest DLC forStar Wars: Outlaws.
