Damon Lindelof 'Was Asked To Leave' The Star Wars Movie He Was Writing
The wonderful world of "Star Wars" has reached a crossroads yet again with another talented creative who has been asked to part ways with Lucasfilm. Fresh off the success of his new Peacock show, "Mrs. Davis," writer Damon Lindelof ("Lost," "The Leftovers") has revealed that his recent departure from a new potential feature film was not a mutual decision.
"I was in more than talks to join the Star Wars universe," Lindelof recently told Esquire (via Variety). "I joined the Star Wars universe and was asked to leave."
Lindelof initially signed on to co-write the new, then-under-wraps project with scribe Justin Britt-Gibson and "Ms. Marvel" director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on board to direct. At this year's Star Wars Celebration, a new "Star Wars" movie was announced with Daisy Ridley returning as Rey 15 years after "The Rise of Skywalker" to train a new generation of Jedi. Writer Steven Knight ("Peaky Blinders") is attached to pen the follow-up to the Skywalker saga — and it appears that this may have been the same movie Lindelof was initially involved with.
Previously, Lindelof has said of his script that it was "a true labor of love." Currently, there's no indication of how much, if any, of Lindelof's script will be used in the next Rey movie, if and when that will ever actually make it into theaters.
"I wish them all the best of luck," Lindelof told Variety. "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an incredible director, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with." Surely, the continuation of Rey's story is in good hands with Oscar-winner Obaid-Chinoy still at the helm, but having a tried and true "Star Wars" nerd like Lindelof on board was an exciting prospect.
Lindelof is a fan first and could possibly return
It's unclear if Lindelof wanted to take a potential spinoff from "The Rise of Skywalker" in a different direction with Obaid-Chinoy still attached. In any case, Lindelof seems open to the idea of coming back to the table at some point for another chance to dive into the vast world of "Star Wars," telling Esquire:
"Will I get back in line outside the club and try to get back in again? Absolutely. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again ... or again again try, as Yoda would say."
The drama behind the scenes at Lucasfilm has almost equalled the tension and spectacle that actually ends up on the screen at times. At this point, getting another epic feature film set in the "Star Wars" universe is a minor miracle on its own. When /Film's Ryan Scott spoke to Lindelof last month, he spoke about the extreme level of difficulty involved with achieving something on par with George Lucas' original vision, and how sometimes it may be better to just be a fan from afar instead of trying to replicate something you loved so much as a child.
"I think it's possible that sometimes when you hold something in such high reverence and esteem, you start to get in the kitchen and you just go, 'Maybe I shouldn't be cooking. Maybe I should just be eating.' We'll just leave it at that point."
Rey's next adventure was one of three new movies announced at Star Wars Celebration, with "Logan" director James Mangold on board to make a film set in the Old Republic era, and Dave Filoni will finally get the chance to make his live action feature debut as well. Like Lindelof, we'll leave it there until new details emerge.