Credit: LucasfilmIn Hollywood right now, director Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep, Gerald’s Game, Midnight Mass) is a key player in the horror game and, now, the hitmaker has his sights set on one of the most popular franchises in cinematic history — the Star Wars universe.
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Flanagan recently shared that an earthquake shook — pun intended — some inspiration loose in his mind. He Tweeted:
Got woken up by the earthquake this morning, sat there for a few minutes just thinking “I’d really love to make a horror movie in the STAR WARS universe…”
Got woken up by the earthquake this morning, sat there for a few minutes just thinking "I'd really love to make a horror movie in the STAR WARS universe…"
— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) October 24, 2021
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With Halloween just around the corner, there’s no time like the present to consider the possibility of a horror-filled Star Wars spectacular. In fact, some of Flanagan’s social media followers are already involved in the Star Wars franchise and they are big fans of his idea.
“Star Wars: Battlefront” and “Star Wars: Squadrons” video game writer Mitch Dyer responded:
I’ve wanted one of those for a decade. Please!
I’ve wanted one of those for a decade. Please!
— Mitch Dyer (@MitchyD) October 24, 2021
Although Flanagan did not expound on exactly what storyline his Star Wars film would follow, another Hollywood heavyweight already expressed interest in an R-rated Star Wars horror plot.
Scott Derrickson — best known as the director of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s original Doctor Strange (2016) movie — has his own idea.
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In a since-deleted March 2020 Tweet, Derrickson posted, “Just asked what kind of Star Wars movie I would make. I answered that I would make Hoth, an R-rated frozen planet horror film in the vein of The Thing or Lovecraft’s In the Mountains of Madness, with zero connection to any previous characters or storylines.”
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So, while we may not be seeing Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), or Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew/Joonas Suotamo) back in a horror-centric Star Wars plot, we could see a return to a familiar planet — at least if Derrickson gets his way.
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It is important to note that no details about a confirmed Star Wars horror movie have been shared by Lucasfilm or The Walt Disney Company, though there have been rumors of a J.D. Dillard (Sleight) project that could return to Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) Exegol.
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However, LEGO Star Wars recently took fans to the dark side with the franchise’s first-ever Halloween special, LEGO Star Wars: Terrifying Tales, which saw, among other scary stories, Luke Skywalker turn into an Imperial pilot alongside Darth Vader.
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This means there is now a precedent — albeit a canon-adjacent, animated one — for Star Wars to spend a little more time on the dark side.
Would you enjoy seeing a Star Wars horror movie?
