10 Failed Star Wars Movies (And Why They Didn't Happen)

The Movie

In 1978, it was reported that Lucas was planning a dozen Star Wars movies in total. In subsequent interviews, this would be dropped down to nine, but either way, it was clear that he was one day planning on making some direct followups to his original trilogy.

Had Lucas actually got to make Episodes VII, VIII, and IX, he was reportedly planning to explore Luke's life as a Jedi, while also introducing Luke's sister (who, in this iteration, would not be Leia) in the middle chapter.

Some of his more up-to-date plans included Darth Maul being the main villain (along with his apprentice, Darth Talon), Leia being the main character, and Luke attempting to kick-start a new generation of Jedi. Interestingly, Lucas was also planning to kill Luke in Episode VIII - which is exactly what happened in the Episode VIII we ended up getting.

Why It Didn't Happen

In the early 2010s, Disney CEO Bob Iger expressed interest in acquiring Lucasfilm. Lucas was hesitant at first, but ultimately, he relented, and though he did hand over his outlines for the sequel trilogy, Iger stressed that Disney would have final say over the direction of the franchise.

And that's exactly what happened. Under no obligation to use Lucas' treatments, Disney forged its own sequel trilogy path - a decision that reportedly left Lucas feeling "betrayed."