Updated: Zack Snyder Is NOT Making A Star Wars Samurai Movie

Being done in parallel with Episode VII.

By Brent McKnight | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

jedi

Second Update: In spite of Snyder’s people denying the Star Wars rumor, the original source the story, Vulture, is standing by its story. They posted the below comment in response to Snyder’s denial.

Vulture takes the accuracy of its reports very seriously. And while a piece published in The Hollywood Reporter this evening quotes Snyder’s rep as saying that the director “is not involved in any way with the new Star Wars,” Vulture stands by its story. This reporter heard through a source very familiar with the situation that Snyder recently flew up to Marin County to meet with Lucasfilm execs about the project. When subsequently reached by Vulture, Snyder’s spokesperson would only repeat that he “is” not currently involved. One should note the possible political ramifications here of our original story break: Snyder’s last Warner Bros. film, Sucker Punch, lost millions for the studio, and execs there could have become distressed at the idea of him getting involved with another studio’s franchise when they have so much at stake with their upcoming Man of Steel and want him available for an immediate sequel.

* * *

Update: Only a few short hours after this story broke, Snyder has weighed in to deny the rumors. Here’s his statement, via his publicist:

While he is super-flattered because he is a huge fan, Zack is not involved in any way with the new Star Wars. He is currently in post on his two films, Man of Steel and 300: Battle of Artemisia.

* * *

Zack Snyder’s (300, Watchmen) upcoming foray into the DC universe, Man of Steel, will likely be one of biggest movies of the summer. He has come out publicly saying that he didn’t want to direct the seventh Star Wars movie, but he is prepping a project for Lucasfilm.

Vulture reports that Snyder is developing a film that, while not a part of the upcoming trilogy, is set in the world of Star Wars. The story is based on Akira Kurosawa’s classic 1954 film Seven Samurai, and will be “parallel” to the next set of films. Lucas has always cited Kurosawa’s films as part of his inspiration, as well as being personal favorites, so subject wise, this isn’t a huge surprise. For those of you familiar with Kurosawa’s samurai epics, the influence on Star Wars is easy to spot.

Seven Samurai is the story of a small farming village that hires a team of ronin, masterless wandering samurai, to protect them from a gang of ruthless bandits that routinely pillage their crops. In Snyder’s film, the warriors will obviously be Jedi knights wielding lightsabers instead of the katana, the traditional samurai weapon.

One source presumes that Snyder’s film will be “stand alone” story, won’t be part of the “numbered” chapters, and will take place sometime after Return of the Jedi. Production probably won’t really get rolling until Disney begins work on Episode VII, scheduled for release in 2015, but it shows they have big plans.

After acquiring Lucasfilm, it looks like Disney is definitely approaching Star Wars with a wide-angle lens. They’re clearly set on expanding the universe, beyond even a new trilogy.

What do you all think of that? Do you like the idea of more and more Star Wars coming down the pipe? Or would you rather they keep the scope somewhat limited, and focus more on quality rather than quantity?

Subscribe For

Star Wars News

Expect a confirmation email if you subscribe!