Disney CEO Bob Iger Talks 'Star Wars' Plans Through 2020
"Star Wars" fans had to be patient for years leading up to "Episode VII - The Force Awakens," but those days of waiting seem to be over -- at least for the foreseeable future.
Disney CEO Bob Iger discussed the franchise during an investor gathering today as he touched on "Star Wars" films through 2020, his expectations regarding box office performance, and the company's strategy for success, reports Deadline. Not surprisingly, Disney is planning on more "Star Wars" films and spinoffs moving forward, especially after seeing the industry struggle.
Disney has turned is focus onto its tried-and-true successes: films from Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm. Instead of turning out a huge amount of new films each year, the company is instead opting to go for a smaller number of big-budget flicks.
"We figured out the odds for making good films," Iger said, according to Deadline. "We have a great system in place."
While this unfortunately doesn't seem to bode well for a lot of original films, it does paint a bright future for "Star Wars" and its offshoots. Iger highlighted that even though "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" isn't part of the Skywalker saga, "interest is high." The spinoff hits theaters in December.
Beyond that, "Star Wars: Episode VIII" is due out in 2017, and it will be followed by an untitled Han Solo film in 2018, then "Star Wars: Episode IX" in 2019, and another stand-alone "Star Wars" movie in 2020. Iger recently heard a pitch for "Episode IX" and hired a writer for the 2020 project, so clearly, the franchise will be keeping him -- and fans -- busy for years to come.
[via: Deadline]