Rumors Swirl Indicating Dave Filoni’s ‘Star Wars’ Film Will Be ‘Heir to the Empire’

The rumor mills are always running regarding the ‘Star Wars’ franchise. Today’s rumor isn’t new, but it’s resurfacing again thanks to MyTimeToShineHello on Twitter.

According to MyTimeToShineHello, Dave Filoni’s upcoming ‘Star Wars’ film will be called “Heir to the Empire.”

Dave Filoni’s Star Wars movie is called “Heir To The Empire” !

Via (@MyTimeToShineH) pic.twitter.com/zNBRwYx8ZG

— StarWarsOnly (@StarWars0nly) May 16, 2023

If true, this would likely indicate that Filoni would be pulling story elements from the famous Timothy Zahn novel of the same name. However, since most of the story centers around Luke Skywalker and new characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade, we will unlikely get the story fans wanted.

For those unfamiliar with ‘Heir to the Empire,’ I will explain.

Before Disney acquired Lucasfilm, George Lucas greenlit books by authors for further tales in the ‘Star Wars’ universe. Timothy Zahn wrote the first trilogy of books set after the events of ‘Return of the Jedi.’ The first book in the “Thrawn Series” was “Heir to the Empire’ then “Dark Force Rising,” and finally “The Last Command.”

The books were a hit and are very highly regarded by the fans.

After Disney bought Lucasfilm, the expanded universe (EU) aka “Legacy” stories were decanonized for their sequel trilogy.

Many fans have felt that Disney should have made a sequel trilogy based on these books. Since then, Disney has taken various characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn from the old EU and added them back into canon, albeit changed to fit their new story. Dave Filoni has usually been the one to use these characters, so it would make sense that he would pull some elements of the story for a film.

That said, even if the name is the same as the novel, the film will likely not be the book. In my opinion, I would rather they not touch the book in any way if they are going to change it to fit their current “Star Wars universe.” What made the book so fun and what made it so beloved was its connection to the original trilogy and those fans. While we could get Luke Skywalker back, as this film is reported to tie into the “Mando-verse,” and Luke is a central character in the novel, I’m afraid of what Disney will do to him and the source material.

However, if they could match the novel, it’s what many long-time fans wanted.

But that’s just this “Thrawn trilogy” fan’s opinion. It’s all just a rumor at this point.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!