During a call with industry analysts, Disney CEO Bob Iger reiterated that there are no ‘Star Wars’ movies coming any time soon. As he stated:
“The priority in the next few years is television.”
‘Game of Thrones’ creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had been tapped to craft a new ‘Star Wars’ trilogy, reportedly set during the Old Republic, but they walked away back in October, reportedly because they didn’t have enough time to devote to this and other projects they wanted to create.
Rian Johnson is still attached to develop another trilogy, but it seems to be in limbo, which is not surprising, considering that his ‘Star Wars’ movie, ‘The Last Jedi’ is the most divisive ever, and there are some fans who actively hate it. But Johnson scored a massive hit and heaps of praise for his recent dark comedy/mystery ‘Knives Out’, so that goodwill could translate to a better reception to his next ‘Star Wars’ film… if it ever gets made.
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Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is also reportedly developing a stand-alone ‘Star Wars’ movie, but nothing about that is known. Feige has never directed a movie, so it isn’t even known if he plans to make his debut with this, or if he’s just crafting a story and will turn it over to a creative team. But he would seem to have his plate full with the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a crucial post-‘Endgame’ stage, and a packed slate of TV shows coming to Disney+. And as Iger said, television is Disney’s big focus right now.
And in all honesty, audiences haven’t been terribly receptive to the ‘Star Wars’ movies of late. ‘The Last Jedi’ divided audiences, who then neglected ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’, the poorest-performing ‘Star Wars’ movie ever. And while ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ earned over $1 billion at the global box office, it definitely wasn’t the sensation that the last movie in the ‘Skywalker Saga’ should have been.
On the flip-side, Disney+’s ‘The Mandalorian’ was a hit across the board, appealing to fans old and new, and launching an avalanche of memes featuring The Child, aka “Baby Yoda.”
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So it makes perfect sense for Disney to explore further opportunities to bring ‘Star Wars’ to the little screen. The in-development ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ was recently put on hold so it could be retooled, and more scripts could be completed before filming began. ‘The Mandalorian’ set the bar high and it sounds like Disney wants to make sure that any other ‘Star Wars’ shows can live up to that standard. A series starring Diego Luna as ‘Cassian Andor’ is also in the works.
And in case the new shows don’t get the same rapturous reception as ‘The Mandalorian’, Iger says that this OG hit is being eyed for potential spin-offs.
“[The company is exploring] the possibility of infusing ‘The Mandalorian’ with more characters and taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series.”
As long as they don’t drag down ‘The Mandalorian’ or take away from the quality… and as long as they deliver the same quality, I’m fine with that.
But if you are a ‘Star Wars’ fan, how do you feel about the franchise being “downsized” into a TV-only brand for the foreseeable future?
Source: Indie Wire
