Disney Confirms More ‘Star Wars’ Films After ‘Episode IX’
Currently there are five more Star Wars films planned. However, the success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is probably going to pass over $2 billion at the box office in the next week or so, means that Disney are likely to create even more Star Wars movies.
In fact, Disney chairman Bob Iger has come out and confirmed that there will be at least five Star Wars films, even declaring that there will be plenty more after Star Wars: Episode XI too.
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Speaking to BBC, Iger explained, “There are five Star Wars films – four more with Episode VII: The Force Awakens – that are in varying stages of development and production. There will be more after that. I don’t know how many, I don’t know how often.”
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released last month, will be followed by the Star Wars anthology film Rogue One in December. The follow-up to The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII, which will be written and directed by Rian Johnson, will then be released in December, 2017.
A solo Han Solo film, which is currently in the process of finding the perfect young actor to replace Harrison Ford in the legendary role, will then be released in 2018, while Star Wars: Episode IX, directed by Jurassic World’s Colin Trevorrow, will follow in 2019.
There have also been heavy rumors that Disney and Lucasfilm are working on a Boba Fett Anthology film too. However, there has been recent speculation that the spin-off and origin story for the beloved bounty hunter is stuck in development, which is probably why Bob Iger decided not to talk about it in the above interview.
The Walt Disney CEO’s position also means that he has helped to build the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has included three Iron Man films, two Thors, Captain Americas, Avengers, and solo films for Ant-Man, Incredible Hulk, and Guardians Of The Galaxy.
The Marvel Universe has never been more popular, and excitement over Captain America: Civil War, which is due out in just over three months, is currently at a fever pitch. Speaking about how many more films Marvel can produce, Bob Iger continued, “Marvel, you’re dealing with thousands and thousands of characters – that will go on forever.”
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Speaking about how Disney plan to keep both Marvel and Star Wars fans interested in future films, Bob Iger’s response was rather simple. Asked if fans of these franchises are already getting tired of them, Bob Iger insisted, “No, I don’t think they’re getting weary. But I think we keep raising the bar in terms of telling stories that bring them back, that excite them, that make it feel new and that is what we do for a living.”
Earlier this month Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed that Star Wars: Episode VIII has been delayed by six months. It was originally intended for a May 26, 2017, release date, but it will now hit cinemas on December 15, 2017, instead.
It’s been rumored that Star Wars: Episode VIII has actually been delayed so that its script can be re-written to due to the success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Lucasfilm and Disney reportedly want to focus more of the film on Rey, Kylo Ren, and Finn, as viewers still know very little about these characters and their background, while Episode VIII is also likely to feature even more scenes featuring Luke Skywalker and Supreme Leader Snoke, too.
[Image via Lucasfilm]
