Disney has announced that every summer for
the foreseeable future will now see a new Star Wars film unleashed on
audiences. Starting in 2015 with J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII, every
summer will now be dominated by a sequel or spin off from George Lucas’ galaxy
far, far away.
The news comes as little surprise to any
fan keeping their eye on the internet for updates on the new Star Wars films
since Lucas decided to sell the rights. What is slightly disconcerting is the sheer
regularity of product that Disney intends to dish out for fans of Star Wars.
Following hot on the heels of Abrams’ hotly
anticipated trek into a new science fiction franchise, what can fans expect
from future Star Wars films?
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| Created by Josh Lange |
With the announcement that Abrams’ is
responsible for the seventh entry in the main timeline of films, following on
from the prequels and the original trilogy, it is safe to say that once every
two or three years, we will be getting a Star Wars: Episode VIII and Episode IX.
With those potentially taking up the summers of 2017 and 2019, the next
question is will there be an extension in the future? Could the summers of 2020
and beyond feature a fourth trilogy of Episodes X, XII and XII? Will Abram’s
stick around long enough to shepherd the franchise boldly forwards?
In the meantime, my thoughts have turned to what will be
the Star Wars films filling multiplexes between the main episodes of the
franchise and who will be taking the reigns for Disney?
Spin offs have already been rumoured for a
young Han Solo, Boba Fett, Yoda and Lando Calrissian. The prequels already gave
us the back-story on Anakin, Leia and Obi Wan but there is still plenty of room
for further expansion with a huge range of characters from the universe.
The spin offs have an impossibly huge
universe as set up by Lucas but also by the endless amounts of fan fiction that
have already been written around the characters and even the most minor and
insignificant ones at that.
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| Created by Josh Lange |
The trick for Disney will be to keep the
franchise fresh and approachable to newcomers without alienating the long term
fans. Too much introducing of new cute and fluffy characters will lead to
accusations of trying to sell toys as with the introduction of the Ewoks back
in Return of the Jedi. Too much focus on existing characters might take away
some of the mystery and allure surrounding particular characters.
With J.J. Abram at the helm of the first in the
new summer Star Wars films, Disney has made a smart move and will likely get off to a good start. His Star Trek managed
to appease long term fans while attracting a whole new audience to that science
fiction franchise. The question is will he be able to do the same with Star
Wars and what will his involvement be in the further sequels and spin offs?
More to the point, will this Disney cash cow continue to deliver the goods for may summers to come or will the Star Wars udders dry up pretty quick?
