When Disney began solidifying their plans for the
Star Wars franchise they paid a hefty $4B for, part of that involved a new film each year, with spinoff movies filling in the gaps. These would be standalone projects, rumored to be origin stories or something along those lines, and could feature a young Han Solo, Yoda, or Boba Fett. While talking to a room full of money-changers and concerned investors, Disney CFO Jay Rasulo confirmed the nature of the spinoffs, while also reassuring the rich folks by saying
“of all our worries, ‘Star Wars’ is not one of them."
According to
Variety, Rasulo spoke openly and frankly about Disney's plans to
exploit capitalize on the massive popularity and marketability of the Star Wars franchise. The bulk of his discussion is aimed at the dollars and cents potential in expanding into other markets, calling Star Wars an "evergreen property". And while that all sounds very cold and corporate in a way that should worry fans who fear the Disney juggernaut, Rasulo digs into the creative side of things by saying...
“One Star Wars trilogy film or “origin story film” would also
appear on the release schedule each year, starting with the seventh
installment in the “Star Wars” saga that J.J. Abrams will direct and
Disney releases in 2015.”
Since Disney will want these spinoffs to get going on a positive note, we can probably expect them to start with Han Solo's story in 2016. Perhaps the most far-reaching comment Rasulo had to make
concerns Disney's attitude towards pricier projects in the wake of The Lone Ranger's massive failures, and basically every blockbuster is going to have a budget cap. Presumably this would apply not just to Jerry Bruckheimer's
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, but to
Star Wars as well.
Star Wars: Episode VII will arrive some time in 2015. Expect more news to drop soon.
