One noticeably stark change in a Splinter of the Mind’s Eye sequel would have been the absence of the loveable scoundrel Hon Solo. Other than that, Foster has been quoted as saying he and Lucas had minimal contact during his writing process, allowing him the freedom he needed. Unfortunately, complexities would have eaten into the film budget, so Lucas had Foster cut the scene out. The book initially opened with an elaborate aerial battle that forced Luke and Leia to crash-land. In Splinter, Foster began developing a story that takes place almost entirely on Mimban, the planet where Luke and Leia crash-landed en route to an assembling of key members of the Rebel Alliance.
Of course, the movie far from flopped, but the film’s astronomical success encouraged Lucas to dream bigger while Foster kept those restrictions in mind as he conceived the origins of Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. This was a precaution in case Star Wars flopped at the box office. The only restriction placed on Foster was that his follow-up had to be filmable on a low budget. Splinter of the Mind’s Eye was part of a two-book deal that included writing the novelization of the original Star Wars. It should be noted that Lucas regularly credited Foster as the ghostwriter. Who knows how the stars would have aligned for franchise success if the Star Wars sequel had been based on Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. Published in 1978, Foster’s book imagines a very distinct adventure for Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker. When it comes to George Lucas’s beloved Star Wars space opera, author Alan Dean Foster’s spin-off novel Splinter of the Mind’s Eye predates the blockbuster movie’s actual second installment, The Empire Strikes Back. I guess one that’s less busy, maybe… I might be that very soon, which is nice - taking a bit of a break.” “It gets very multiversal in real life as well. Discussing playing variants of his MCU hero in the sequel, the actor revealed he would enjoy swapping places with a “ less busy” variant of himself in real life and is looking to take a break from acting after the film. While speaking with IGN at the premiere event for the film, Benedict Cumberbatch opened up about his future after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Related: Doctor Strange 2 Already Has A Better Multiverse Than No Way Home The wait for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is finally over, but the wait for his return may take longer than some are prepared for.
Sam Raimi is at the helm of the MCU sequel, having taken over from previous co-writer/director Scott Derrickson, with a script from Loki creator Michael Waldron. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness picks up sometime after the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home in which Strange is still coming to terms with opening the doors to the multiverse and learns he has unleashed a powerful and mysterious new adversary, requiring the help of America Chavez, Wong and Wanda to save multiple realities.