Primitive War Director Wants To Adapt One Of The Best Star Wars Stories [Exclusive]

The future of the "Star Wars" franchise is in an interesting place. We know that "The Mandalorian and Grogu" is coming out next year, then Ryan Gosling's "Star Wars: Starfighter" in 2027. After that? A lot is up in the air, but one thing we know is that the Old Republic era remains largely unexamined on-screen. It feels inevitable that this rich area will be explored eventually, and, provided the opportunity, "Primitive War" director Luke Sparke would love to have a crack at it.

I had the chance to speak with Sparke ahead of the VOD and Digital release of "Primitive War" in the U.S. For those who haven't seen or heard of the film, it's an absolutely ridiculous, large-scale dinosaur movie set during the Vietnam War. Sparke also made "Primitive War" for a shockingly small budget, all without skimping on the action (or the runtime for that matter). It proves the director has serious blockbuster chops, that much is certain.

So, I decided to ask Sparke if there's a specific franchise he's interested in tackling, given the chance. "'Star Wars,'" he told me without hesitation. Expanding upon that though, the filmmaker specifically name-checked "Knights of the Old Republic" as something he'd be particularly interested in taking on. Here's what he had to say about it:

"Anything. I'll take anything at this point in time, but I'll take anything. But I would love to do 'Knights of the Old Republic'. 'Knights of the Old Republic' is based on the legacy comics that came out 20 years ago, which were set a hundred years after ['Return of the] Jedi.' It's a whole different thing. Yeah, that's what I'd like to tackle. That would be my dream."

Sparke also name-checked "G.I. Joe" before adding, "I always said 'Dino-Riders,' but now I kind of feel like I've done my dinosaur stuff."

For those who may not be familiar, "Knights of the Old Republic" was originally a video game released in 2003. It takes place 4,000 years before the Galactic Empire, with hundreds of Jedi Knights having fallen in battle against the ruthless Sith. The game is famous for introducing the masses to Darth Revan and Darth Malak, two beloved characters who haven't been brought forth into the new canon, which was reset after Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012.

For what it's worth, Sparke is far from alone in his desire to explore this era and storyline. Back in 2019, it was reported that a "Knights of the Old Republic" movie was in the works at Lucasfilm. Nothing ever came of it, though many "Star Wars" films have entered development under the Disney era only to be shelved.

Lucasfilm has the Old Republic listed on the official "Star Wars" timeline, taking place after the Dawn of the Jedi and before the High Republic era. The High Republic takes place roughly 200 years before the events of "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace." So, the era in question takes place thousands of years before the "Star Wars" films as we know them. As such, it's easy to see the appeal. It would be totally removed from the Skywalkers and the familiar, while getting to explore what a galaxy far, far away looked like in the distant past. Whether or not it tells the story of Revan and/or Malak, that's a rich area.

To what degree is it likely that Sparke would be the guy? At this moment, probably not too high. Just about every filmmaker out there would like to have a stab at a "Star Wars" project, and Sparke has largely worked in the low-budget realm up to this point. Who knows? Maybe "Primitive War" will get him on Hollywood's radar in a meaningful way. Stranger things have happened. If "Primitive War" is any indication, he sure as hell wouldn't make a boring "Star Wars" movie. 

"Primitive War" arrives on PVOD and digital on October 3, 2025.