There will be 'Star Wars' movies made that won't focus on legacy characters

Since Disney acquired the rights to the "Star Wars" saga, the studio has been pretty nostalgic with its content. But that won't always be the case, says "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" screenwriter Gary Whitta.

Whitta, who has also penned episodes of TV series "Star Wars Rebels," told SuperHeroHype that he believes new standalone stories with new characters are on the horizon.

"I think you've already seen us get 90 percent of the way there with 'Rogue One,'" said Whitta. "Yes, you see Leia, yes, you see the Death Star and Vader, because those are elements of that story and they belong there, you can't tell that story without those characters. But for the most part, 90 percent of that story is completely new characters. Completely new planets and places you've never seen before. It's a 'Star Wars' movie with no Jedi! You don't see a lightsaber once until Vader pops it out at the end."

Though looking to the past for ideas isn't done (and may never be), with the making of a young Han Solo movie and the rumors of a Boba Fett movie. But Whitta believes the foundation is being set for new stories.

"One of the thing things we really want to do at Lucasfilm is create a universe and not keep relying on old legacy characters," said Whitta. "We've got Rey and Finn and Kylo Ren, they've already introduced a new generation of characters. Whatever kind of Star Wars films they're making 10 or 20 years from now, I don't think they're going to be relying on the same legacy story elements as we have in the past."

So that means a standalone Chirrut Îmwe movie has a chance.