Could Kevin Feige's Star Wars Film Finally Bring Doctor Aphra to Life?

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have known for years that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was a major Star Wars fans, thanks to various films regularly featuring references to the galaxy far, far away. In that regard, it came as little surprise when Lucasfilm announced earlier this year that Feige would be developing a new Star Wars film, though no details about the project or the specifics of Feige's involvement have been confirmed. With the Skywalker Saga coming to an end with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Feige's film will pave a new path within the franchise, and recent developments within Marvel Entertainment has us wondering if this could result in Doctor Aphra getting her own film.

Following Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012, they began to develop not only new movies, but also began to debut a number of Star Wars comics through Marvel, which they also owned. In 2015, a number of titles debuted focusing on original trilogy characters, while also delivering spinoff tales that helped bridge the gaps between the original trilogy and Star Wars: The Force Awakens to help prepare audiences for the coming adventure.

In 2017, Marvel debuted Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, whose titular character was an intergalactic archaeologist who fell in the grey area between the Sith and the Jedi. She regularly worked with Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire, yet typically attempted to do good, despite the wishes of that organization. The character quickly became a fan favorite and marks one of the comics' biggest successes with a totally original character who wasn't defined by their connection to the Force or the Skywalkers.

It is currently unclear what project Feige is developing or when it could debut, or even what his role in developing it will be. When the news broke that the partnership was moving forward, he had mentioned potentially having promised a Marvel star an opportunity to join the adventure.

Much like Feige, Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson, has regularly professed her love for Star Wars, whether that be in interviews, on social media, or by attending events and posing with lightsabers. Once the news about Feige developing a Star Wars film broke, Larson once again drew attention to her interest in the franchise.

All of these clues could point towards Larson starring in a Star Wars film, but why Aphra?

Earlier this month, Feige was promoted to Marvel's Chief Creative Officer, giving him creative control over not just movies, but also TV and publishing. The current run of Doctor Aphra concludes this year, but it's set to return in 2020. This could mean that Feige will be able to offer his creative input on the direction of that series, which he would be more likely to do if he had an interest in developing a film featuring the character.

Were Feige to be writing or directing a Star Wars film about a lesbian archaeologist, that likely wouldn't go over well with Aphra's fans given the countless talented female filmmakers out there, but if Feige was merely serving as producer and found a writing and directing team to bring the film to life, it could be the perfect way for the character to forge her own path in the franchise and go a long way for representation in the series, both in front of and behind the camera.

The two "standalone" Star Wars movies, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo: A Star Wars Story, focused on narratives that were at least somewhat connected to the Skywalker Saga. A film based on Aphra would obviously exist in a familiar world, yet it could be even further detached from well-known mythology, delivering a story in uncharted territory.

As far as Larson's involvement, her physical appearance might not automatically draw a resemblance to Aphra, though does share similarities with on-again, off-again love interest Magna Tolvan, whose history with the character dates back to Aphra's beginnings.

While all of this information is purely speculation on our part, all of these clues mean we wouldn't be at all surprised to find out Larson would star in Aphra's first live-action adventure.

Stay tuned for details on Feige's Star Wars film.

Would you like to see an Aphra movie happen? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!