With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opening Dec. 16, followed by Star Wars Episode 8 in Dec. 15 2017, as well as a Han Solo solo anthology movie in 2018, Star Wars Episode 9 in 2019 and a third Star Wars anthology film in 2020, you would think Disney and Lucasfilm are already struggling to juggle all the projects on the plate. Surely there's no way that another new movie will be announced during Star Wars Celebration 2016, right? But another new film was announced and it could be the most ambitious Star Wars movie yet!
Writer David S. Goyer, who was involved in DC movies including Batman Begins and Batman Vs. Superman, took the stage at Star Wars Celebration 2016 this weekend and announced his latest project: a virtual reality Star Wars movie that allows fans to experience the story from the viewpoint of Darth Vader.
Not only will the Darth Vader VR movie tell an entirely original story in the Star Wars universe, but it will also be official series canon. Lucasfilm’s ILMxLAB will be at the helm of the project. The division is made up of the talents from visual effects house Industrial Light & Magic, Skywalker Sound and the Star Wars story group. The creative minds behind the current Star Wars films will also oversee the Vader VR project. According to Goyer, the movie will be unlike the passive experience of films and will in some ways be even more immersive than a video game.
"You are the visitor in this story that is happening in and around you, and to a certain extent you might even have some effect on," said Goyer. "You can pick up things, you can open things. You can push things, you can walk. You can touch characters.”
What's more, the Darth Vader VR movie will feature a number of elements that will make the experience even more authentic, including a "persistent" world that cycles through day and night and continues on even after the main story ends.
"The difference between cinema and television and VR — particularly with the fidelity that [the xLab] team is working on, is that you really feel like you're there. The sense of presence isn't just a buzzword," Goyer explained. "And it's surprisingly very emotional. It can make you sad, and make you lean in, and make you feel for a character in a way you haven't before. In a way that you can't really do in any other medium. And it can scare you."
Again, Disney and Lucasfilms are already working on a lot of projects and have films that are scheduled until 2020. What's more, given the complexity of a virtual reality film, we wouldn't expect the Star Wars virtual reality movie release date any time soon.
That said, ILMxLAB’s other virtual reality project, Trials on Tatooine, is expected to arrive soon and it will give us a taste of what to expect from the Vader VR movie. Trials on Tatooine will bring us to the outer-rim world as a Jedi trainee. “As the Millennium Falcon descends for a landing and Artoo Detoo delivers a lightsaber that you use to deflect blaster bolts back at firing stormtroopers, you become fully immersed in the iconic desert planet,” according to a statement announcing the project.
Trials on Tatooine will become available on the Steam virtual reality service for free, starting Monday. Don't miss the trailer below:
Finally Goyer does give a little hint on the upcoming Darth Vader VR film: "I'm really, really excited for a year or two, whenever it happens, and you guys get to experience what we're working on."
