Star Wars creator George Lucas has always been the person who took inspiration from people to lay the foundation for his faraway galaxy. After previously being inspired by the Japanese samurai flicks of Akira Kurosawa, Lucasfilms is now being accused of stealing ideas from Fast X director, Louis Leterrier’s rejected pitch.
Louis Leterrier recently confirmed that when he pitched his idea for a Star Wars project, it was rejected by Lucasfilms. However, now he believes that his rejected idea is being used, to turn into the most successful Disney+ original, Pedro Pascal’s The Mandalorian, without paying homage.
Louis Leterrier Implied Pedro Pascal’s Star Wars Show is Copied
It’s no secret that brilliant minds behind the modern-day Star Wars franchise often pull inspiration from different artists. But certainly, there’s a thin line between paying homage for an inspiration and straight out copying someone else’s efforts. According to Fast X director, Louis Leterrier, that’s something that Lucasfilms did to him.
While speaking to Josh Horowitz on his Happy Sad Confused podcast, Louis Leterrier claimed how there were eerie similarities between a pitch he made to Lucasfilm, and Pedro Pascal‘s The Mandalorian. The director implied that Pascal’s hit show is a stolen concept from a pitch that he made years back, which was immediately rejected by Lucasfilms.
Back in 2017, Lucasfilm welcomed pitches for various Star Wars TV shows, that’s when Louis Leterrier approached with his idea of a lone wolf and Force-sensitive cub. However, it was rejected by the studio, only to later come up with Pedro Pascal as the “lone wolf” Din Djarin, who takes the Force-sensitive Grogu into his charge, in The Mandalorian.
Similarities Between Louis Leterrier’s Pitch and The Mandalorian
Discussing his pitch with Josh Horowitz, Louis Leterrier suggested that the beloved father-son dynamic in The Mandalorian was actually suggested by him years before its arrival on Disney+. Implying that his rejected pitch is what inspired Lucasfilms, Leterrier almost accused the studio of stealing his idea.
“I had my dream Star Wars idea a long time ago when I came to them and pitched it: ‘We should do a Star Wars TV show conceived as a lone wolf and cub’. And they said ‘Uh, we don’t know if that’s a great idea’.”
Revealing how Lucasfilms rejected his idea, Louis Leterrier mentioned his wolf-and-cub dynamic became central to The Mandalorian, and the Obi-Wan Kenobi, the two Disney+ shows. Ultimately, Leterrier clarified that he isn’t trying to take credit for The Mandalorian or any other show, but is simply disappointed with Lucasfilms’ decision to use his pitch but not hire him.
“That’s okay, I did Hulk, I did other things. It’s all good, it’s all part of the thing. And, frankly, I had this idea because it was low-hanging fruit, I think it was so obvious”
In the end, Louis Leterrier’s experience with Lucasfilms gives an interesting glance at what happens behind the curtain of major Hollywood shows.
Read more: The Mandalorian Season 4 Suffers Devastating Blow, Pedro Pascal Reportedly Won’t Return for Filming
