May Stranger Issues star Millie Bobby Brown play Princess Leia in a brand new Star Wars streaming collection on Disney+? That’s the newest rumor, and it parrots in style fan hypothesis and media strategies that the performer is an ideal option to helm a movie or collection in regards to the Insurgent chief initially portrayed by the late Carrie Fisher.
Tabloids first broke this newest rumor, which casts immediate doubt on its credibility, however it’s a fantastic thought and there’s little doubt Disney has Brown of their sights. For her half, Brown has been vocal about her love of Fisher and her curiosity in reprising the function.
I beforehand urged this actual casting, for a Leia prequel collection in regards to the princess-turned-general’s teenage years and the way she obtained extra concerned within the riot. It’s the kind of present that might convey distinctive approaches and views to the Star Wars universe — particularly, a youthful and extra trendy method.
Whereas my urged title of Insurgent Scum is may appear a bit camp-leaning, it’s nonetheless an superior title for a collection with decidedly trendy sensibilities. And sure, a narrative from a youth perspective of the comparatively new Empire and rising Revolt would profit from presenting the concepts and momentum of the resistance as trendy and rising above older, failed approaches. Leia as a contemporary inspirational determine in her time displays the character as an inspirational in our personal time and is one of the best method,
Irreverent music, wild worlds and loopy spy adventures, colourful casts of characters and creatures, and a spotlight not simply on the plot factors of the Revolt but in addition the life moments of “riot.”
We’d see Leia navigating her world as a youngster whose each transfer is scrutinized, together with her spying actions continuously overlap together with her familial and royal duties, and interrupting her common life plans with pals. Rebelling in opposition to the previous methods, rebelling in opposition to leaders who had been fooled by Palpatine, rebelling in opposition to the confines of royal life, rebelling in opposition to the rising authoritarianism and evil.
Star Wars took inspiration from many issues, however one key one is fascism and Nazism. The Empire within the unique trilogy was clearly closely based mostly on the Nazis, and now we now have renewed relevance for the rise of fascism and the specter of trendy Nazism — use this to get into the nuances of not simply the bigger dictatorship, however the road degree assist and enabling of it, in addition to the methods the present methods are sick outfitted to cope with such a menace.
Will some viewers complain about injecting politics into Star Wars? Positive, however these are the identical folks so missing in self-awareness and so incapable of recognizing fundamental subtext in storytelling that they constantly fail to acknowledge political themes within the fiction they gorge themselves on with the barest of consideration or true understanding. In the event that they don’t need politically conscious Star Wars then they need to by no means have watched any Star Wars to start with. They usually’re definitely free to not watch it anymore.
However let’s be sincere, everyone knows they’ll watch it. They’ll complain, however they’ll watch it. They’ll deny watching it (and demand I’m flawed right here), however they’ll watch it. And extra importantly, the overwhelming majority of viewers and followers aren’t trolls and are desirous to see extra Star Wars that’s per what they love about it — particularly, the themes about riot and resistance in opposition to violent authoritarianism that seeks to crush the human spirit and enslave the plenty for its evil functions, in terrific sci-fi action-adventure tales. Rageaholic trolls in any fandom are loud, and there’s sadly too a lot of them, however in the end — like all different excessive, bigoted, or fascistic teams and actions — they faux to be greater and extra frequent than they are surely, when there’s all the time much more of us than of them.
Princess Leia deserves her personal collection. Of the three human leads within the unique trilogy (Leia, Luke, and Han) she’s obtained the least quantity of revival consideration and display screen time in comparison with the opposite two, although one in all them was killed off whereas Leia nonetheless had two extra motion pictures and a TV collection supporting activate her personal schedule.
However that’s altering, thank goodness, with Vivien Lyra Blair not too long ago enjoying a baby model of Leia within the Obi-Wan Kenobi collection streaming on Disney+. And whereas there are a number of different performers who might little question do a terrific job portraying Princess Leia (I not too long ago identified, Phoebe Fox is a wonderful performer who bears a resemblance to Carrie Fisher and will play a 30-something Leia), Millie Bobby Brown is one of the best casting selection as a result of one of the best iteration of a Leia undertaking would discover the thrilling story of how she grew up inside a resistance motion proper within the seat of energy as the federal government fell and darkness reigned.
This additionally makes it even simpler to arrange a later collection doing the unthinkable — recasting the unique trilogy and rebooting it on Disney+ to inform all of these tales we missed with these characters. I received’t restate the entire particulars, however I hope you’ll go learn my different article about this, even if you happen to strongly object to the thought proper now, as a result of there is perhaps some factors and knowledge you weren’t conscious of or hadn’t thought of but.
Brown might simply transition into portraying Leia for an extended run, into the reboot of the unique trilogy as an ongoing collection. It wouldn’t per se change the unique trilogy, the thought is to give attention to the in-between tales (and if you happen to’ve not learn the Marvel comedian e book collection set throughout these intervals, it’s among the greatest Star Wars writing in any medium and I urge you to test it out) and simply contact on the tales in these movies to maintain the narrative flowing.
We must always discover out quickly whether or not Brown reaches a last cope with Lucasfilm and Disney to hitch the Star Wars franchise. I’m rooting for it to occur, and contemplating the keenness for the thought on each side of the negotiations — and amongst fandom at giant, to not point out world mainstream audiences on the whole — I believe the Pressure is with us, and the wonderful legacy created and nurtured by Carrie Fisher will proceed.