Let it be known that Disney and Lucasfilm have big plans for their Star Wars cinematic universe, and though they may not be mapped out point to point and scene for scene, it’s fair to say that the companies have a general idea about the rebooted trilogy and the Anthology series. Should all release dates remain in place, that would place Colin Trevorrow’s Episode IX as the final installment in this run of new movies – but what of the future beyond 2019?
While it’s difficult to imagine that Trevorrow’s mainline installmnet will evoke the same levels of excitement as the soon-to-be-released Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it would be foolish to assume that Disney would simply retire the IP after building – and hopefully maintaining – such a tremendous amount of goodwill. Don’t fret, because the studios appear to be confident of the franchise’s evergreen status.
In an exhaustive piece by Wired that brought forth a fascinating tidbit relating to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, along with a really rather stunning shot of the Millennium Falcon mid-flight, there’s an extract that trumpets Star Wars status as the “forever franchise.”
The company intends to put out a new Star Wars movie every year for as long as people will buy tickets. Let me put it another way: If everything works out for Disney, and if you are (like me) old enough to have been conscious for the first Star Wars film, you will probably not live to see the last one. It’s the forever franchise.
It’s a view echoed by the creative team involved on The Force Awakens, though Kathleen Kennedy cautioned that it would be foolish to believe that Disney and Lucasfilm have a firm blueprint in place for the future of the series.
“I love how you’ve already jumped to the conclusion that it’s all working,” she answers, laughing. “Oh my God, there is so much to get right. It’s by no means laid out beat for beat. I’ll borrow a line from Raiders of the Lost Ark: We’re making this up as we go.”
Star Wars: The Force Awakens will get the ball rolling on December 18 in North America.
