Star Wars writer Michael Moreci reveals an untold Clone Wars origin story
In an interview with Inverse, Moreci dives into his canceled plans for the Clone Wars era and one particular Order 66 defector.
Comic and novelist Michael Moreci is always writing. Just look at the various projects he has lined up, from his new horror series with Vault Comics, the screenplay he's adapting for his first horror movie, or his ongoing Star Wars series Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales, which he says might be his biggest challenge yet.
“Always writing Star Wars is a challenge," Moreci tells Inverse. "It presents certain challenges of capturing voices and capturing look and feel ... The Clone Wars and prequels look and feel much different than the sequel trilogy. Capturing the specific era does bring in certain pressure.”
Working with Lucasfilm also puts some limits on what he can do. Moreci says Ahsoka was off-limits for his comic, as was Gregor, a mysterious clone trooper who winds up defying Order 66 and fleeing to a desert planet with a few of his fellow defectors.
Below are the Inverse Happy Hour highlights, so mix up a whiskey sour and check out the video above for the full interview and live reading.
2:25 What it was like handling the character of Count Dooku in the Clone Wars comics.
“While there is a lot of pressure to try to capture Christopher Lee [Count Dooku], it’s also kind of easy to capture [him] because he’s such a robust personality that you can hear that Christopher Lee-ism in your head,“ he tells Inverse Happy Hour host Jake Kleinman.
5:10 What he thinks a young Count Dooku was like and whether he’d write his origin story.
“Getting a young Dooku, to see his upbringing in a live-action series, like pre-prequel stuff… he’s sort of an evil guy underneath, but he gets involved in the Jedi Order nonetheless,“ he envisions, “and you see him evolve to what he ultimately becomes — that would be amazing.”
6:50 His creative writing process
9:15 His canceled plans for Gregor the clone
“He’s like this badass one-man army of a clone who’s just so awesome in the two or three episodes he’s in in the Clone Wars,” he said about the character of Gregor.
12:30 What it’s like to work with Lucasfilm on story development.
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13:25 How he set the tone and style for his new Vault Comics horror imprint with The Plot: Part One.
We wanted to have horror that is character-driven, theme-driven,” he said. “That almost Stephen King-ish blue-collar classic horror.”
16:25 His horror movie in development about a faith-based family living in a haunted house.
“How do I have faith in the world — that things are good, things can be good?” he asked.
19:40 Whether he plans to continue the Black Star Renegades series. (Prequel, anyone?)
“One way or another I’m writing something,” he said on his projected timeline for the series.
22:15 The Plot live reading. (Spoiler alert: It involves digging up literal old ghosts from the past. Count us in!)
Moreci sets up the scene: “It takes place in 1974 and it concerns this family, the Blaines, who we learn in Volume 1 are suffering under some sort of curse, and we haven’t discovered what yet.”
A huge thanks to Moreci for joining us!
