When it comes to the world of Star Wars, the immediate future is quite exciting. Galaxy’s Edge is set to take Disneyland and Disney World by storm, later this year. Anticipation is so high, if you’re just now thinking about checking either expansion out, you’ll have to wait a long long long time. Then, in December we get the conclusion to a saga that started over four decades ago with The Rise of Skywalker. After that, there’s silence. At least for a few years. Then there will be an onslaught of films, every other year, for the foreseeable future. Yet it turns out one of those movies will be adapting the most popular video game in the franchise. That’s right, Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR, if you’re hip) may be coming to the big screen.
Buzzfeed of all places broke the news of the project, after getting confirmation from three sources. While things aren’t too far into development, a first draft script is nearing completion. The person doing the writing? None other than Laeta Kalogridis. She might not be a household name, but her credentials speak for themselves. Night Watch, Alexander (2004), Pathfinder, Shutter Island, Terminator Genisys, Alita: Battle Angel. There’s a chance you know at least one of those properties. The mix of big and small and historical shows she might just be the perfect person up for the task. If not for anything else, her most recent effort shows she capable of working in the adaptation bracket, which is likely key to this massive project off the ground.
For those unfamiliar, Knights of the Old Republic is arguably one of the most beloved Star Wars video games, ever. Since being released initially in 2003, it’s been ported to virtually everything imaginable. Xbox, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, you name it. KOTOR was a massive game, letting players craft not only their own character, but make lots of decisions to move the story forward. Something that shouldn’t be a surprise, as it was made by BioWare. The fact that Disney and Lucasfilm are willing to try and turn it into a movie, shows they’re trying to give back to the fans. To some degree.
Here’s the opening crawl, to lay out the start of the plot:
Four thousand years before the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Republic verges on collapse. DARTH MALAK, last surviving apprentice of the Dark Lord Revan, has unleashed an invincible Sith armada upon an unsuspecting galaxy.
Crushing all resistance, Malak’s war of conquest has left the Jedi Order
scattered and vulnerable as countless Knights fall inbattle, and many more
swear allegiance to the new Sith Master.In the skies above the Outer Rim world of Taris, a Jedi battle fleet engages the forces of Darth Malak in a desperate effort to halt the Sith’s galactic domination…
What do you all make of this news? Are you big fans of the KOTOR games? Is there any other Star Wars game property or cast aside Expanded Universe novels you’d want to see get the film treatment? Sound off in the comments. With this news, there’s a slightly better shape of what Star Wars on the silver screen may look like, going forward. Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are working on a trilogy. Rian Johnson is supposedly still working on his own trilogy. Now, a Knights of the Old Republic is getting a trilogy. That’s a lot of films to juggle and a chance now all of those will make it to the third entry. We’ll keep our eyes peeled on all things Star Wars related and will update when more news echoes across the galaxy.
