in Lucas created the current form of merchandising. But Walt Disney himself was the first to mass license a popular character. Mickey Mouse was appearing on everything shortly after he appeared. Before Lucas pre-release merchandise was reserved for television series. It was seen as marketing and if a show was a success it could be on the shelves for years. Lucas was the first to use this approach for a single film. I wonder what would have happened if Walt Disney had been still alive when Lucas pitched it to the studio? Walt was a forward thinker. I think he would have seen the potential in Star Wars and Lucas himself.
Yeah, that story was told in the Dark Horse graphic novels Dark Empire, Dark Empire 2, and Empire's End. I thought it made sense to play on Luke's almost succumbing to the dark side in ROTJ, and it's possible we might see something like that in the new film. Though with Dark Empire, I never saw much evidence of Dark Side Luke actually doing anything dark side. Though the fear of Luke going totally dark side has been an interesting aspect of some of the novels that followed Dark Empire, at least in the Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi series.
I dunno.. there's a bit too much farm boy in him and I think he works well as the perpetual everyman. Having him turn would shock people, though I would presume it would be a cliffhanger and in the next movie he would be redeemed. Anakin the child was supposed to be a Tom Sawyer type character, adventurous with an innate goodness. By the time he was an adolescent the goodness was corroded but that wasn't the case for Luke who came to manhood with his idealism still intact. I would rather see a more complex character turn to the dark side, Leia would be fine.
It would certainly give Carrie Fisher some really meaty material to work with and Leia a chance to shine like never before. Could Carrie handle that level of acting, though? Ever since she cleaned herself of chemical dependency and addiction she's become a more centered and professional person but she doesn't act much anymore. More power to her if she could pull off a "Dark Leia" thing in a future Episode...I'd certainly like to see it because Leia was always more like her father than Luke was what with her temper and fierce fighting spirit.
Yes, I should have been more specific. I was the proud owner of all kinds of Happy Days and Six Million Dollar Man crap.
She's a great actor though and has been doing her stage show so it's not like she's dropped out completely. It would be very interesting if we were left with questions at the end of the movie as to her motivations or something. Yes she was, and I can see her making choices that put her children ahead of the needs of the Force for instance.
I think the most that one might see is that Luke still struggles with the dark side, kind of like alcoholism or other addiction disorders. To have him have succumbed to the dark side defeats the purpose of ROTJ. Also, it would end up being a rehash of the story thus far. It worked in the novels probably because they were novels and had a full storyline to them in which he was a major player.
I always thought the Infinities what if? version of ANH did a very good job with the concept of Leia being captured by the Empire after the Rebels failing to win Yavin (Luke's torpedo missed in this reality) and eventually being won over by Vader with a good hook. It's unfortunate that Sith Leia is given that much to do afterward in the story.
Your point was correct though. I feel that along with Jim Henson, George Lucas was following in the steps of Walt Disney. Henson had wanted sell the Muppets to Disney before he died. But it was not finalized and after that it took over a decade for his kids and the studio to work out a deal. Lucas has he wanted to finalize this himself. He worked with Henson, its likely he used the state of the Muppets after his death as motivation to make the Star Wars sale while he was still alive.
Unless I've missed something, there's been no information that has said the trilogy will even involve Luke, right? This might end up taking place one hundred or two hundred or a thousand years after RotJ. I'd like a trilogy taking place even before TPM but my guess is that it'll be post-RotJ since they're effectively calling it episode 7.
The only thing that we know is that Lucas met with Hamill and Fisher in August. All involved are staying quiet about the details of that meeting.
I just can't see them bringing back Hamill and Fisher for a sequel trilogy. I'm guessing they'll want to do more Star Wars films if the next trilogy is a success so my guess is that they're going to chart new territory. Plus, Hamill and fisher are good friends of Lucas so it makes sense that he'd talk with them first considering they're pals and they were there at the beginning of Star Wars.
Didn't Leland or somebody insinuate that Luke didn't "really" fall to the dark side in DE, for whatever that's worth?
People underestimate Fisher. She's a good actress and a very smart and witty lady. She'll do anything if she thinks its fun and rewarding on some level, even just as a favour to Lucas. (I don't see her character going rogue at all, however--not because Fisher would refuse but because IMHO it wouldn't work.)
Carrie Fisher was stoned out of her mind when she did ESB and ROTJ. Not sure Disney would risk hiring her for the next movies...