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If you’re eager to see Captain Marvel and have been keeping up with all the updates leading to the movie’s March 8th release, you’re probably already well aware of this; Goose the cat is going to be one of the major breakout stars of the movie. If you’re familiar with the Captain Marvel comics, you know that Carol Danvers’ cat was originally named Chewie, as in Chewbacca of Star Wars fame. Goose – or rather, the four cats who play Goose – rock the new name and make it their own, but I couldn’t help but wonder, why switch the name to begin with? Especially considering the Star Wars brand is also under the Disney umbrella.

During a recent press day for Captain Marvel, I got the chance to sit down with directing duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and posed that exact question to them. Here’s what Fleck said:

“It wasn’t a big thing. It just felt like Star Wars was so part of the culture that, it just felt like we wanted to remove it a little bit, you know, the nostalgia for the Star Wars movies which there are so many of around us. You know, when we were kids, Star Wars felt like it was something from the 70s and 80s, and I think that was the spirit of Chewie from the comics but we felt like we wanted to sort of just slide away from that slightly.”

Boden further added:

“Yeah, and just the idea of having a reference that would have been so specific to Carol Danvers’ past, as her past in the movie itself being a pilot in the 1980s when Top Gun was out and having a reference that felt a little bit more specific to her, whereas Chewie, when the comics were being written was a very specific reference in time but now with all the movies out it feels more contemporary and not so specific to her past.”

You can catch Goose in action when Captain Marvel hits theaters nationwide on March 8th. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for my full interview with Boden and Fleck, as well as my chats with Brie Larson, Lashana Lynch, Samuel L. Jackson, Gemma Chan and Jude Law on Collider.com and the Collider Quick YouTube channel in the coming weeks!

For more on Captain Marvel right now, browse the links below: