I have not a good feeling, regarding the future of Star Wars. Disney managed to crash one of the most important cinema franchises in just four years. The attempt to establish the star saga alongside the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a reliable supplier for blockbusters went completely wrong. Despite the corona pandemic, 9 movies with Marvel superheroes have been released since 2020, but not a single Jedi knight wielding a lightsaber or beeping droids.
Is the future of Star Wars in jeopardy?
Things are looking better in the real-life Star Wars series, but Disney Plus is still making a loss. The minus of the streaming platform of the Mickey Mouse group was $659 million and four million canceled subscriptions – in the last quarter alone. Price increases and a cutback in films and series are already a done deal.
Should Disney’s streaming project actually fail in the medium term, it would all come back to the big screen when it comes to Star Wars. However, the three planned projects for the big restart in the cinema don’t really convince me. A movie of thousand years before episode 1 plays, a kind of “Avengers” of the Mandoverse with Grand Admiral Thrawn and an “Episode 10” – that all sounds nice, but nothing more.
A movie about the first of all Jedi should really only interest die-hard fans of the star saga. The project around the Mandoverse assumes that you know the series. And Rey, as much as I like Daisy Ridley, isn’t really a driving force to draw the crowds to the movies. None of this should be billion-dollar blockbusters like Mario, Avatar & Co.
Source: 20th Century Fox
Must Luke, Leia and Han Solo save the Star Wars brand?
For Disney, I really only see one way out, at least temporarily, to build on old successes again. Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and Han Solo have to fix it. And not by means of cameos and guest appearances. A real movie with the three Star Wars icons is needed.
Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, who died in 2016, and Harrison Ford have all been there digitally rejuvenated featured in a Disney production. It is quite possible that the media group has already secured the rights to the appearance of the three actors for a lot of money.
In a few years, the technology should real body doubles and digital acting to be fully mature. Then a new full-fledged Star Wars movie starring Leia, Luke and Han would be conceivable, if not likely. Millions of Star Wars fans from all over the world are likely to make the pilgrimage to the cinema to see their heroes reunited on the big screen. However, the aha effect and the nostalgia should quickly evaporate. The concept shouldn’t last longer than a new trilogy. With regard to Disney, I currently lack the imagination as to how Star Wars should continue in a meaningful way.
