Lucasfilm is maneuvering itself into a corner on “Star Wars” that’s becoming a problem. The new episode of “Ahsoka” on Disney+ proves that very well – and shows the way out right away with a great casting decision. A comment by Björn Becher.
I’ll be honest: When suddenly Mark Hamill appeared as young Luke Skywalker at the end of the second season of “The Mandalorian” to save Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu, I was happy to see young Luke in action again (and this although I had hoped that the responsible people would not do that). However, upon watching the episode a second time, a skeptical view of the moment returned that hasn’t gone away since. It has even intensified with Luke’s next appearance in “The Book of Boba Fett.”
I believe that rejuvenating “Star Wars” legends for individual appearances is a huge danger – and Lucasfilm needs to rethink that. My primary concern is not that some of it still doesn’t look good, unfortunately. It’s mainly the dangerous impasse they’re maneuvering themselves into that worries me.
WITH DIGITALLY REJUVENATED FIGURES THERE ARE LIMITED POSSIBILITIES
In the new episode of “Ahsoka,” Anakin Skywalker plays a weighty role. Actor Hayden Christensen has been digitally rejuvenated for the role. This doesn’t always look good, but it’s done in such a way that one accepts it for the brief moments – especially since Dave Filoni plays very successfully with “Star Wars” iconography, letting Anakin briefly become Darth Vader, for example.
One problem is: A digital rejuvenation is accepted for short moments, in which a character is perhaps often in the shadows. Longer narratives are more difficult to implement. That’s why there was much more ridicule for Luke’s appearance in “The Book of Boba Fett” than for the brief rescue mission in “The Mandalorian.” And we still remember the opening of “Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Destiny. “
But what’s much worse is that if you go for digital rejuvenation, you limit yourself. You can only tell extremely little with the character, let him appear only briefly. With Anakin, that’s not such a big problem. There is probably not a single “Star Wars” character whose entire life and work has been told in such epic breadth as this one. There are hardly any gaps to fill.
The situation is different with Luke Skywalker. So much time was skipped between “Star Wars 6” and “Star Wars 7”. We did get a little glimpse of his life in between in a cinematic flashback as well as in the series short appearances – but not much else. By sticking with digital tapering, Disney is robbing itself of the possibility of ever telling Luke’s adventures in live action after “Return of the Jedi Knights.”
And that’s not just about Luke Skywalker now, but about every single “Star Wars” character who might still have interesting voids. These can now only be filled by books and animated series – unless Lucasfilm rethinks.
And I’m not saying now that Lucasfilm should please keep telling more with the same characters. I’m looking forward to seeing completely new eras explored, “Logan” director James Mangold telling the origin of the Jedi some 25,000 years before all the events covered so far, or Leslye Headland taking us into the world of the High Republic already somewhat explored in fascinating and exciting books with “The Acolyte.”
It’s all about the opportunities you’re deprived of. If someone has a fabulous idea for a series or movie around a well-known character, it shouldn’t be rejected because it won’t work with digital rejuvenation.
A PLEA: RECAST EVEN LEGENDARY CHARACTERS!
While the solution is so simple, as the new episode “Ahsoka” on Disney+ proves. Because we also experience the titular Jedi here once again at a young age. Because a digital rejuvenation would have been much more complicated due to the changing body size, the way of recasting was chosen here. Not Rosario Dawson but Ariana Greenblatt plays the young Ahsoka – and she does it very well.
The actress, who we also saw as the young Gamora in “Avengers: Infinity War” and most recently in “Barbie” and “65”, really thrilled me and made it clear to me once again that Lucasfilm should definitely dare to recast characters when the original actresses are no longer available at the right age – even if we have already seen them in this age group.
Strong: Ariana Greenblatt as Young Ahsoka
Famously, this has already been done: Alden Ehrenreich stepped into Harrison Ford’s iconic role in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” The film remained below expectations at the box office and I fear that Disney and Lucasfilm drew the wrong conclusion from this and now believe: The fans don’t want a new cast of their favorites (although the box office disappointment of “Solo” had many other reasons).
In the meantime I am convinced: Currently the fans accept a new cast very quickly, if it is presented in a good and gripping story – like in the current episode of “Ahsoka”. When the young heroine remembers the Clone Wars once again and fights together with Commander Rex (Temuera Morrison) on Mandalore, it carries a lot of emotional weight, and the only thing that counts is that the actress can handle it – which Greenblatt does with bravura. BUT:
With each successive digital rejuvenation, it will become much harder to rethink. It solidifies an image of what these characters should look like at the time, which could make it more difficult for new cast members to be accepted. Therefore, Lucasfilm needs to rethink very quickly here – otherwise we’ll eventually be completely caught in the Digital Rejuvenation dead end. By the way, especially short appearances in other series would be perfect to introduce new actors* in well-known roles.
