Since Disney purchase the rights to Lucasfilm, the Star Wars franchise has been expanding at impressive rates. In addition to the main film installments, the House of Mouse broke new ground by introducing standalone films to the narrative. And with Disney's streaming service Disney+, the galaxy far, far away will welcome new small screen adventures, told for the first time in live-action.
There's a few Star Wars shows being developed for Disney+, including The Mandalorian and one revolving around Diego Luna's Cassian Andor from Rogue One. But could the space opera ever make a Star Wars movie for the service as well? Disney CEO Bob Iger recently answered that question, saying:
Almost every movie the studio makes is a $100 million-plus movie, and we're not looking to make movies at that level for the [streaming] service. We're looking to invest significantly in television series on a per-episode business, and we're looking to make movies that are higher budget, but nothing like that. We wouldn't make a Star Wars movie for this platform. When everybody goes out on the weekend and you have a movie that opens up to $200 million, there's a buzz that creates that enhances value. We like that. And eventually the movies we're making are going to [end up on] the service.
Well, that's pretty cut and dry. Don't expect Disney+ to pull a Netflix and produce major blockbusters. Instead, the Star Wars franchise will keep its movies on the silver screen, while the streaming service will be a home to produce exciting TV content within the galaxy far, far away.
Bob Iger's comments to Barron's show that Disney and Lucasfilm have a very specific plan for George Lucas' beloved Star Wars franchise. While there have been some missteps over the past few years, Star Wars has proved itself endlessly profitable, with Disney now tasked with crafting new and exciting ways to continue expanding the universe. And that includes finally taking Star Wars to TV in live-action.
The plans for Disney+ have been slowly revealed over the past few months, as the behemoth company attempts to compete with the myriad streaming services already out there. But the House of Mouse knows how to make money, and there are some exciting new projects coming to Disney+. In addition to the two Star Wars TV shows, there will also be small screen adventures for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including a show about Loki as well Vision/Scarlet Witch, and Falcon/Winter Soldier.
Bob Iger's comment also mention that Disney+ will eventually host the Star Wars movies, once again incentivizing fans to subscribe. As such, one has to assume that Netflix will eventually lose its Disney rights, including the ability to stream Marvel movies, Star Wars blockbusters, and Disney's animated blockbusters. Only time will tell.
The next installment in the Star Wars franchise will be J.J. Abrams' currently untitled Episode IX on December 20th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
