Hat Wars: Episode IV - A New Hat (film)

''This article is about the first film and the fourth episode in the Hat Wars franchise. For more uses of Hat Wars, see Hat Wars (disambiguation).''

Hat Wars: Episode IV - A New Hat (sometimes referred to as Hat Wars: A New Hat or simply Hat Wars) is a short Sci-Fi/action/fantasy film produced by Oliver B. Productions. The film was initially released on January 15th, 2018 and later re-released as a remastered edition on February 21st, 2021. The film stars Nathan Chin, Kevin Liu, Taylor Billing and Oliver Beckwith, who has a starring role for the first time.

In January of 2019, Hat Wars: One Year Later was released to mark the first anniversary of the original film's release, as it was OBP's most popular film at the time. It featured behind-the-scenes content and cast interviews.

Plot
The film begins with an opening crawl explaining the backstory and lore of the Hat Wars universe. In it, we learn that two factions of warriors are vying for control of the Schoolyard: The Legion of Kek, led by Supreme Leader Kekvin, who is mentored by the aging Darth Chin, and the Dark Legion, led by Supreme Leader Charles (who is absent in the film), with Darth Oliver doing his bidding. Control of the Schoolyard is obtained through Hats; whoever has the most hats has the most power. Hats are scarce throughout the Schoolyard, and only those with great ability and power possess them. After the crawl ends, the film opens in the midst of a face-off between Kekvin and Oliver. After implying they have been enemies for some time, they rush towards each other, clinging to the other's hat as well as their own. Kekvin then swiftly trips Oliver and steals his hat, solidifying the Legion of Kek in a position of power. Kekvin then escapes, leaving Oliver hatless. As Oliver wanders the schoolyard, he finds a pair of glasses buried in the snow. He picks them up and tries them on before a hatted man, Taylor, says they are his. Still angry over his loss against Kekvin, Oliver decides to run away with the glasses. He gets away for a bit before he tires out, when he is stopped by Taylor, who seemingly appears out of nowhere. Because of this, and the fact that he is wearing a hat, Oliver asks Taylor to join the Dark Legion, recognizing his potential. Taylor agrees, and they leave to plot an attack against the Legion of Kek. As Darth Chin rests alone on a log, Taylor sneaks up behind him and attempts to swipe the hat off his head. Sensing the attack, Chin jumps out of the way in the nick of time. After gloating about Taylor's failure, he then senses another presence. Oliver reveals himself from behind the log, and claims Taylor's abilities surpass even Chin's. The two Dark Legion members circle him before Chin claims they are 'fools'. Taylor responds, stating Chin's hat is theirs, then Kekvin, now wearing both his and Oliver's hat, emerges from a nearby hill to provide aid to his teammate. Chin, noticing Taylor is distracted, grabs his hat and tosses it to Kekvin. Oliver and Taylor both rush to Chin, but he rolls out of the way, leading them to crash into each other. Kekvin and Chin then escape, holding control of all four hats.

After the great battle, Oliver and Taylor comfort each other after their loss, while Kekvin and Chin celebrate their victory. Shortly after, though, both Kekvin and Chin realize their are both missing their hats, ending the film on a cliffhanger.

Project Background
As explained in Hat Wars: One Year Later, the film was created as part of grade 8 math class at the crew's school. The assignment was to create a video showcasing several shape transformations (translations, rotations, reflections, etc.). The crew turned this into an opportunity to make a film based on a game they had been playing during recess that they named "Hat Wars", where players would steal each others' hats and hide them around the schoolyard. The stylization of the film, including the credits, opening crawl and music were also inspired by the Star Wars film franchise. The crew's group was the only one to turn the project into a narrative film, and thus the short was very popular among the class.

In Hat Wars: One Year Later, Oliver reveals a sequel was planned for the series, continuing the story of the original, however currently no other information is known.