Entertainment
Darth Maul Actor Thinks Star Wars Should Be More Like Star Trek
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
Right now, the state of Star Wars fandom can best be described by the opening crawl in The Empire Strikes Back: “It is a dark time for the Rebellion.” The Mandalorian and Grogu was the first franchise film in six years, one which features the most popular characters from the Star Wars shows on Disney+. Nonetheless, it really floundered at the box office, and this $165 million failure has currently grossed less than Obsession, a horror film made for $750,000. Between this, the poor performance of the sequels, and the awful fan reaction to shows like The Acolyte, things are looking bad for our favorite galaxy far, far away.
All of this is enough to make even the most diehard fans start asking a very sobering question: how do we fix Star Wars? Many ideas have been tossed around, including retconning the sequels, bringing back beloved EU characters, or just rebooting the universe altogether. Now, Darth Maul voice actor Sam Witwer has proposed a most unexpected proposal for saving his favorite franchise. According to him, Star Wars can save itself by becoming more like Star Trek!
A New Kind Of Star Wars
This came up during a recent interview that Sam Witwer gave to Naomi Kyle, someone gamers may remember from her time hosting IGN’s Daily Fix. She asked the Darth Maul voice actor if he had any ideas on how to “refresh” Star Wars and “help elevate it to a different level.” He responded that the franchise “needs to take creative risks” and compared this to the evolution of Maul. Star Wars has constantly taken this character in new directions, and Witwer sees this as a good thing and that writers “should leave him alone” if they can’t imagine how to take the character where he has never gone before.
He said that Star Wars should embrace this risk-taking philosophy, and then made a comparison to Star Trek. He said that he and other Trek fans were used to each new show being very different from what came before. This allowed the franchise to appeal to different audiences with different projects, but that “without that spirit of experimentation, you don’t get anywhere.” He then noted that Andor was a phenomenal success despite being such a departure from Star Wars and that he’s fine with the franchise taking big creative swings even if it meant that he wouldn’t connect with “everything” that comes out.
A Big Swing, And A Big Miss
To a large degree, Sam Witwer is absolutely right: from the prequels to the sequels to the Disney+ shows, the most common criticism of modern franchise entries is that they do not feel like Star Wars. With the notable exception of Andor, projects are greenlit largely on the basis of mass appeal. That’s why the prequels focused on existing characters and the sequels and shows brought many prominent characters back; the power of familiarity. Disney hopes that if a movie or show has enough familiar faces (like Boba Fett, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Darth Maul), fans will be more likely to tune in. Unfortunately, this approach prematurely robs these projects of their individual identities.
Part of the problem is that Star Wars has become a multimedia empire unto itself. While there is still a long wait between movies, Disney cranks out TV shows at a rapid-fire pace in an attempt to keep the brand alive. But as Witwer points out, this has largely led to risk-aversion. Why do something completely new if it’s not going to resonate with fans? Speaking of which, it doesn’t help that when Disney did take a big swing with The Acolyte, it became a huge flop that was canceled after only one season. But is making Star Wars more like Star Trek actually the answer?
Star Trek Racing Star Wars To The Bottom
Yes and no. Sam Witer is correct that Star Trek flourished when it embraced making very different shows like Deep Space Nine, and Star Wars could definitely flourish if we got more Andors and fewer Acolytes. But DS9 was actually the black sheep as far as Paramount was concerned, and the main reason that show was allowed to get so weird is that execs primarily cared about Voyager, which was designed to be more like The Original Series and The Next Generation. Sure, there were major differences in characters and story, but all Golden Age of Trek shows except DS9 followed the well-worn formula of starships boldly going where nobody had gone before.
To make matters worse, Star Trek has been experiencing a quiet implosion that mirrors Star Wars. Under Alex Kurtzman, NuTrek did take major creative risks: Discovery dipped into sex, nudity, and ultraviolence, while Starfleet Academy was designed as a new kind of show (less exploration, more introspection) with a new kind of crew (fewer trained officers and more rough-around-the-edges cadets). Lower Decks ribbed the franchise with gentle, animated humor, while Prodigy slowly morphed into a Voyager sequel. Even Strange New Worlds, deliberately modeled after The Original Series, took big risks, including a somewhat notorious musical episode.
Time For A New Direction
Unfortunately, NuTrek died because of a dwindling audience, proving that simply taking creative risks does not translate to pleasing fans. In its own way, Star Wars tried to do the same thing. Until it became bogged down in established lore, The Mandalorian was nothing more than a fun, no-frills space western like the franchise had never done before. The Book of Boba Fett was a very unconventional redemption story, and The Acolyte was an attempt to get away from tired franchise lore altogether. But it all comes down to the ability to tell a good, crowd-pleasing story, something both Star Wars and Star Trek have been struggling to do.
While it’s easier said than done, that’s the real way to fix Star Wars: by doing what George Lucas did so long ago and coming up with an original story. Sam Witwer is correct that Lucasfilm needs to take risks and tell new stories rather than being beholden to what comes before. If they take risks but tell a poor story, the franchise will fail; if they avoid risk altogether and serve up nothing but nostalgia slop, the franchise will fail. But with more visionary showrunners like Andor’s Tony Gilroy, Star Wars will have more showrunners who understand a crucial lesson: if you make big swings, you better be able to hit the ball!
Entertainment
The Best Horror Studio Sells Out To AI, Betraying Its Greatest Director
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
A24 has released a number of different films over the years, including coming-of-age dramas like Lady Bird, sci-fi thinkers like Ex-Machina, and superhero deconstructions like Everything Everywhere All At Once. Primarily, however, they are known as a horror studio thanks to genre-redefining hits like Hereditary and Midsommar. To really drive the point home, A24 is responsible for one of the breakout hits of the summer: Backrooms, a micro-budget horror film that is earning money hand over fist while the latest Star Wars film flounders at the box office.
A24 already had a sterling rep with horror fans, and they earned even more cred for giving such a great platform to YouTube sensation Kane Parsons (the director of Backrooms). Unfortunately, A24 is about to squander all of this goodwill by partnering with Google on an AI project. This has left many who would rather keep AI away from art feeling more than a bit betrayed. Rival horror director Curry Barker is likely feeling that betrayal, too. The Obsession mastermind has prominently spoken out against the use of AI in film, and many feel Obsession is secretly an anti-AI film.
AI: Hollywood’s Latest Obsession
Recently, A24 announced a partnership with Google, and the search giant has invested a whopping $75 million into this partnership. What are they doing together, exactly? The short answer is that the studio will be working with Google’s DeepMind division in an attempt to develop AI tools that could help out future filmmakers. On paper, this is a deal that really benefits the studio the most. While A24 will have access to DeepMind’s extensive research and powerful infrastructure, Google will not get access to the studio’s own content or media library.
What will these AI tools look like, exactly? While there’s no way to know every tool they might develop, A24 Labs lead researcher, Scott Belsky, told The Wall Street Journal the studio isn’t interested in simply producing films cheaper and faster. Rather, they are exploring applications like AI-generated storyboards, an idea supported by Martin Scorsese. “We think there are better uses that preserve creative control and support risk-taking,” Belsky said. In a perfect world, this would leave all of the direct creative elements in filmmakers’ hands while simply streamlining production of the film.
Driving Fans A Little Crazy
Still, many fans who want AI out of film altogether have taken to social media, announcing that they plan to boycott future A24 films because of this partnership with Google. Those fans feel betrayed by creatives embracing AI at all and that any use of this technology is a slippery slope to making worse films. One person likely feeling betrayed is Curry Barker, who recently told The Guardian that “I’m scared of AI” and suggested that audiences would effectively vote with their dollars.
“I feel like there’s going to be AI content and there’s going to be our content, and it’s going to be well, where’s the demand at?” he asked. Given the success of Obsession (an insanely successful movie made for cheap, all without AI), it seems clear Barker is betting human-made content will always win out.
In a different interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Barker was asked what movie studios needed to know about Gen Z. He responded that his generation is “tired of slop” and just wants “good movies back.” Considering that “AI slop” has become the term for all AI-generated content, Barker will presumably keep avoiding this technology. He may also continue quietly crusading against it. Many critical reactions to Obsession noted that the movie feels like an anti-AI allegory. After all, Bear is an AI user whose desire for a fully devoted girlfriend is not unlike men who prefer AI girlfriends that they can more easily control.
At any rate, this partnership with Google represents a major step back for A24. The studio likely embraced this deal, thinking it would put them on the cutting edge of cinematic content. Unfortunately, they made this deal at the height of AI backlash, all while Curry Barker, horror’s hottest new director, is being very vocal about the dangers of AI. By the time it’s all over, A24 will likely wish they had never embraced AI so wholeheartedly. When that happens, though, not even a One Wish Willow will be able to undo the damage to their brand.
Entertainment
DCU Bigwig Confirms James Gunn's Job Is Safe (For Now)
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
The upcoming merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. has fans nervous, and for good reason. Leadership changes usually lead to major franchise changes, like the recent decision to pivot Star Trek into a film-only franchise. For superhero fans, the franchise they are most worried about is James Gunn’s DCU. His Superman movie was the hit of the summer last year, and his hilariously vulgar Peacemaker show has proven insanely popular. Now, Supergirl is about to hit theaters while Gunn himself works on the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow. With this cinematic universe going up, up, and away, nervous fans are worried that a merger could drag it back to Earth.
Under new leadership, James Gunn could be ousted in favor of a new creative visionary for the DCU. Should he keep his job, there’s a risk that the studio would suddenly start meddling with movies and TV shows. In the absolute worst-case scenario, the new WB might pull the plug on the DCU altogether. Does that mean that fans of this cinematic universe should start worrying? According to Supergirl executive producer Lars P. Winther, there’s nothing to worry about after meeting with Paramount’s David Ellison and declared that the CEO is a big fan who has mostly been giving DCU gurus like Gunn whatever they want.
Under The Gunn
Ever since news of a merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. broke, DCU fans have been getting increasingly nervous. Paramount CEO David Ellison is a very prominent conservative, and skeptics were worried he might demand massive changes to this cinematic universe. After all, Ellison is the one Star Trek fans blame for pulling the plug on Starfleet Academy and pivoting this long-running sci-fi franchise away from TV and back to film. Considering how proudly “woke” DCU projects like Superman and Supergirl are (not to mention Gunn himself), many fans have been worried that Ellison would make drastic changes that would effectively ruin future projects.
To hear executive producer Lars P. Winther tell the story, though, there’s nothing to worry about. He told The Hollywood Reporter that Ellison “came to Atlanta” when they were filming Supergirl. “We showed him everything, and we’re having discussions with him.” He claims Ellison had questions about the upcoming slate of 10 DCU projects and that “He’s pretty open to what we’re doing.” He noted how Clayface and Lanterns were projects that had already “left the station” and how fans didn’t have to worry about Ellison. “He’s a big fan, he’s been great with us. He’s giving us kind of what we want. So far, everything’s good.”
Box Office Kryptonite
So, does that mean fans can stop worrying altogether? We may know more about that after this weekend. Supergirl is flying into theaters this Friday, with some box office projects predicting it will make as little as $39 million in its opening weekend. By comparison, Superman (2025) opened to a $125 million weekend, and that movie ultimately made the studio far less than they were hoping. If Supergirl ends up being a commercial and critical bomb (at 57 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s officially “rotten”), Ellison might want to make some major changes just to help the DCU stay afloat.
That was, of course, the ultimate lesson of NuTrek. Shows like Starfleet Academy weren’t canceled early because they were woke but because they didn’t have enough viewers to justify the high, per-episode price tag. It won’t be the end of the DCU if Supergirl bombs, and the Superman sequel, The Man of Tomorrow, is much more likely to be a hit. If it’s not, though, then this cinematic universe might be more trouble than it’s worth. Should the DCU fail, it likely won’t be because Ellison personally pulled the plug. Rather, it will be because the movies keep experiencing the scariest Kryptonite of them all: bad box office.
Entertainment
A Star Wars Legend Is Bringing Back An Iconic, R-Rated Fantasy Hero
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
If you like cartoons, it’s been one heck of a week. That’s because we keep getting one awesome announcement after another from the Annecy Animation Film Festival. For example, we’ll be getting multiple direct-to-video films adapting Batman’s famous Knightfall storyline, and we’ll be getting even more of the Caped Crusader when Dynamic Duo hits the big screen in a couple of years. Additionally, the Powerpuff Girls will get a new movie, effectively introducing these pint-sized superheroes to a new generation. The original Craig McCracken show was a staple of late-90’s Cartoon Network. That show’s secret weapon was Dexter’s Laboratory creator Genndy Tartakovsky, the writer/producer/director who gave the girls their signature style.
Tartakovsky went on to direct the Powerpuff Girls movie and created iconic shows, like the 2D Clone Wars cartoon and Samurai Jack, which focused on a time-displaced warrior and his struggles to get back home. More recently, Tartakovsky created Primal, about a neanderthal and his loyal T. rex. To put it mildly, Primal was the animator’s greatest work yet, and everyone wondered what he’d be doing next. At Annecy, Tartakovsky gave the surprising answer: he’s working on a Conan the Barbarian animated series for Cartoon Network and Prime Video.
A Barbarian Cometh
Conan the Barbarian began way back in 1932 as a series of literary works from the late, great Robert E. Howard. While this unconventional hero has always been popular with fantasy fans, he didn’t really become a household name until the release of the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian. This film was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first real breakout role, and the bodybuilder did an excellent job portraying this insanely muscled warrior. The film got one sequel, but after that, the Conan franchise was mostly sustained through comics, TV shows, and a surprisingly good MMORPG. Unfortunately, the brand has become largely dormant, and the Conan remake film with Jason Momoa was a critical and commercial failure.
Now, Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky is working on a new Conan animated show for Cartoon Network and Prime Video. The logline for the new cartoon reads as follows: “After finding love in the pirate queen, Bêlit, a battle-hardened Conan defies gods, fate, and even death to save her from a dark sorcery that threatens to destroy everything.” This description makes it sound like the cartoon will take place when Conan is still a relatively young man, as opposed to when the character is King of Cimmeria in his later years. That’s something that we’ll see on the big screen once Schwarzenegger reprises his role for the long-awaited King Conan movie.
Return Of The King
That movie doesn’t have a release date yet, and neither does Tartakovsky’s Conan the Barbarian cartoon. At Annecy, the filmmaker confirmed (via pre-recorded video) that the series had just started development and that he was hopeful that he’d have some animatics to show off next year. In that same video, the animation legend discussed how he always felt a connection to Conan creator Robert E. Howard. That will be no surprise to anyone who has watched Primal, Tarakovsky’s Emmy-winning show that just happens to feature a beefy, Conan-style barbarian fighting his way through a similar world of monsters and magic.
Another way we can tell how passionate Genndy Tartakovsky is about this upcoming project is that this is the first time he has worked with someone else’s IP since he worked on the 2D Clone Wars cartoon. That show gave everyone a taste of just how over-the-top his onscreen battles could get, and as Primal proves, he’s only gotten better over time. Will this iconic animator be able to breathe life back into Conan the Barbarian, the world’s greatest fantasy hero? With Tartakovsky’s track record, I certainly wouldn’t bet against him!
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