Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will ascend into movie theaters everywhere this Christmas. Fans are sure to flock to see the final movie in the 9 episode Star Wars Skywalker saga. But that leaves a big question, what is next for the Star Wars movies once this story is told? If you believe some stories, there might be a big of a hiatus before the next films are released.
Disney’s initial take on Star Wars wanted to try and fit it into the Marvel movie formula. Two movies a year, an animated TV series or two, and maybe some video games. It turns out Star Wars, a space opera dealing in ancient myth, and Marvel, about modern mythical super heroes, are two different markets entirely.
While it tries to figure out the right strategy Disney is putting the breaks on Star Wars feature films. Recent statements from Disney CEO Bob Iger confirm that.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV after the rollout of Disney’s streaming service plans, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that there will be a break before the next series starts. In interviews after “Solo: A Star Wars Story” underperformed at the box office, Iger took responsibility for perhaps trying to do too much with Star Wars movies.
This follows Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s discussion about the future of the Star Wars franchise. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kennedy confirmed the company’s desire to explore different time periods.
“Yes, absolutely. I think that that’s absolutely on the horizon. We’re looking at whether we can move massively in one direction of the other. It’s still Star Wars, and holding on to the DNA of what George created is still very important to us. I think this is a huge opportunity to step into the galaxy in a little bit different part of the timeline.”
That’s not to say Star Wars is going to pass out of memory like it did before George Lucas produced “Star Wars: Phantom Menace” introducing the galaxy far, far away to a whole new generation of Star Wars fans. Even though feature film production will be on pause, there will be plenty of Star Wars to see on Disney+.
The Mandalorian is currently in production. A second television series is also in the works, although it won’t appear until 2021. A Star Wars animated television series will also appear on the streaming service, with a return to finish the Clone Wars series.
Disney isn’t giving up on Star Wars feature length films. There are no less than two trilogies in some stage of pre-production right now. Rian Johnson, director of The Last Jedi, has movie series in the works, as do David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the creators of the uber popular Game of Thrones show on HBO.
What do you think about the idea of a hiatus for Star Wars movies? Is one movie every year just too much Star Wars? What do you think is the right frequency?
Would you still watch if the time period was an entirely new one?