Even though Disney has only released one newStar Warsmovie since buying Lucasfilm in 2012, they have much bigger plans for this galaxy far far away. As of right now Disney hasStar Warsmovies planned through 2020, but their plans extend far beyond that. According to Disney CEOBob Iger, they have already started making plans that extend far beyondEpisode IX.
Bob Igerrecently spoke at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference and naturally, the subject ofStar Warscame up. According toThe Wrap, the studio has just started mapping out their plans for 2021 and beyond, withBob Igersaying that Lucasfilm PresidentKathleen Kennedyis developing an entireStar Wars universe. Here is what he had to say.
“I had a meeting yesterday with Kathy Kennedy and we mapped out - well, we reviewed - the ‘Star Wars’ plans that we have ‘til 2020. We have movies in development for ‘Star Wars’ ‘til then, and we started talking about what we’re going to do in 2021 and beyond. So, she’s not just making aStar Wars’ movie, she’s making a ‘Star Wars’ universe, of sorts.”
Disney paid more than $4 billion for Lucasfilm in 2012 and they already made more than $2 billion from the theatrical release ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens. So by the timeStar Wars Episode IXand a few spinoff movies have been released come 2020, they will have more than made their investment back. But it seems like Disney is planning on milking theStar Warscow for all it is worth, which makes total sense. Assuming they can keep the quality at a certain level, it is essentially a license to print money for the foreseeable future.
The studio is having unprecedented success at the box office over the past couple of years, much of that thanks toStar Wars: The Force Awakens. But they have made bank for the better part of a decade on theMarvel Cinematic Universemovies. That being the case,Bob Igeralso made it clear that Disney has zero plans to stop cranking outMarvelmovies, which they also have planned out through 2020 or so at the moment. Here is whatIgerhad to say about Disney’s future plans for the MCU.
“We had a similar meeting with Marvel a week-and-a-half ago to plot [those films] out, where we’ve got movies in either development or production - some nearing completion - through the end of this decade. [There], we too are beginning to talk about what do we do the next decade, and so on?”
Next up for Disney on the Marvel side of things isDoctor Strange, which is slated to hit theaters on November 4 and will introduce a brand new hero into theMCU. As forStar Wars, the first spinoff movie,Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyis going to arrive in theaters on December 16.Bob Igeralso stated that they don’t expectRogue Oneto match the success ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens, but even with managed expectations, the movie should make bank and justify the Disney’s lofty plans for the franchise.
