‘Star Wars’ Attractions At Disney Parks To Be Based On New Films, Not Old, Per Bob Iger
The Disney Parks are going to be getting a much greater presence of the Star Wars universe over the next few years, but it won’t be one that anyone is used to. It’s now been revealed that the new Star Wars attractions are going to be based off of the new films and not the old, per Walt Disney Company big-up Bob Iger.
According to Variety, the new presence of the famous sci-fi series in Disney Parks is going to be based off of the new sequels and spinoffs. The first is going to be Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is set to drop into theaters on December 18, 2015.
Now, many may think this is strange but at a Q&A session with Variety on Wednesday, Iger made a very valid point as to why it’s being done this way.
“I didn’t want someone to say, ‘I just saw the movie and there’s nothing in that movie in this (attraction). We waited to see what this film would have in it.”
Iger went on to say that while Disney did buy Lucasfilm two years ago, they’ve been waiting to bring the new Star Wars presence into the parks. This was done on purpose, according to Bay 9 News, because they were waiting on director J.J. Abrams to get going with the future of the film franchise.
“There will be a much larger Star Wars presence in our parks globally. But we want to do this big, which takes time, and to do it right.”
It’s not like Disney hasn’t had enough material to work with for the new attractions. There are six films already in place from Star Wars, and many people already know plenty about them. The problem, though, is that Iger didn’t want Disney to look to the past but to the future.
Back in August, it was announced by Bob Iger that the Disney Parks would officially get their “expanded Star Wars presence.” Now, there are going to be the new sequels and spinoffs that include stand-alone films such as one for Boba Fett.
“‘We couldn’t tell them what was new.’ I slowed it all down so what we come forward with will have a blend of the past, present and maybe the future. Now we have a sense of what’s in Star Wars 8, and what some of the standalone films will have in them.”
With attractions like “Star Tours” already in place at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the new attractions could end up at multiple other parks. Iger has even said that the Disney Resorts could see a Star Wars presence as well.
“Why not? We bought the thing. We can do that now.”
Iger knows that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a huge deal or as he called it, “a $4 billion movie,” and he has let Abrams know that they “need to treat this special.” The film will get a look of the George Lucas-created films from the ’70s while having new technology and special effects.
An added Star Wars presence in Disney Parks is supposed to begin showing up sometime in 2015, and then expand as the years go on. The partnering of Lucasfilm and Disney is a monetary match made in heaven and one that is going to produce for many years to come.
[Image via Disney]
