Star Wars Fans Have Been Waiting Nearly Two Decades For a 'Knights of the Old Republic' Movie
In the 10 Star Wars movies, we've seen almost a 75 years of the franchise's history play out on screen. For casual fans, that's already overwhelming. Now, Buzzfeed News is reporting that a script is being written based on a part of the timeline that pre-dates the first film by about 4,000 years. Yes, Star Wars really is that big.
According to Buzzfeed, "three sources close to the project" have confirmed that a screenplay is being developed based on the beloved Knights of the Old Republic video game series. The script is allegedly being written by Laeta Kalogridis, the screenwriter behind such giant blockbusters as Avatar and Shutter Island.
KOTOR, as it is referred to by its legions of direhard fans, is a roleplaying game set in the Star Wars universe in a time when the Jedi and the Sith were at the height of their power. Set four centuries before the formation of the Galactic Empire (you know, the one that Emperor Palpatine puts together in Revenge of the Sith), KOTOR has a rich, colorful history all its own, and a devoted fanbase that has been playing and replaying the title for nearly 20 years.
The game was developed by BioWare back in 2003, a prominent studio in the video game industry. It was published by LucasArts, the George Lucas-approved company that has put out troves of hit video games, many of which aren't even Star Wars-related. To this day, KOTOR, and its sequel, The Old Republic, stand as some of the best titles that Microsoft has to offer, appearing on both their XBox and Windows PC computers.
In the first game, players customize their own Jedi to fight against a Sith lord, Darth Malak, who has brought upon an onslaught of bad guys against the Galactic Republic. Unlike most Star Wars games, KOTOR is memorable for allowing players to choose their own way, giving a series of choices that dictate how the game plays out. So, it's anyone's guess as to what, exactly, Kalogridis's script may be directly based on.
Kathleen Kennedy, the President of Lucasfilm and mastermind behind the recent Star Wars revitalization, confirmed at this year's Star Wars Celebration that a KOTOR project was in the works. As Buzzfeed News quotes, when asked about the franchise, she said, "Yes, we are developing something to look at. Right now, I have no idea where things might fall."
As the first woman writer of the Star Wars film since Leigh Brackett co-wrote Empire Strikes Back in 1980, Kalogridis's KOTOR script may be the first in a trilogy of films based on the game franchise. But, like all Star Wars news, this update should be taken with a Death Star-sized grain of salt. Lucasfilm and Disney both rejected Buzzfeed News' requests for comment, and after Solo did not perform as was hoped back in 2018, there's really no telling what, exactly, is in store for the future of the franchise.
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