Could Star Wars: Episode IX be the first Star Wars film to actually shoot in outer space? If director Colin Trevorrow has his way, it just might be. While speaking at a Sundance Film Festival panel called “Power of Story: The Art of Film” alongside fellow directors Christopher Nolan and Rachel Morrison, Trevorrow touched on several subjects, mostly his desire to keep shooting on film and not on digital, especially for what he refers to as “period piece” films, or any film set during a time before digital.
“The only place where I tend to not be able to attach myself entirely to something shot digitally is when it’s a period film. There’s something in my brain that goes, ‘Well, they didn’t have video cameras then,'” Trevorrow said during the panel. “[Film] tends to remind us of our memories, of our childhoods, the way we used to see films.” He added  “I could never shoot Star Wars on anything but [film] because it’s a period film: It happened a long time ago!”
Now here comes the cool part, as Trevorrow mentioned that he’s already looked into shooting parts of Star Wars: Episode IX “on location,” so to speak.  And yes, by “on location” he means in outer space. “I asked the question, ‘Is it possible for us to shoot IMAX film plates in actual space for Star Wars, and I haven’t gotten an answer yet, but they’ve shot IMAX in space!” At this point, Christopher Nolan chimed in and said “Funny enough, we had that conversation with Interstellar. There’s incredible footage from space now.”
It’s certainly not impossible; last year, astronauts shot footage in space for a new IMAX documentary in collaboration with Walt Disney Pictures. Disney, of course, produces Star Wars, so I have a feeling this dream of Colin Trevorrow’s of getting establishing shots in space isn’t as far fetched as it sounds. With Star Wars: Episode IX not due for another three and half years, there is plenty of time to make this happen.
How do you feel about a potential Star Wars movie shot partially in space? Let us know in the comments below.
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IMAGE: Lucasfilm
