Star Wars Celebration 2023 led to a brand new hope for the franchise with a great deal of new film bulletins and promising teases concerning the subsequent batch of Star Wars exhibits. A 12 months and a half later, we’re left questioning; is the Star Wars timeline following within the footsteps of the MCU, and extra importantly… ought to it’s?
The Mandalorian quietly kickstarted an interconnected ‘sub-franchise’ of kinds that was quickly expanded with The E book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka. Now, we’re eagerly ready for Skeleton Crew. The New Republic-era storyline will proceed after it, with the promise of an occasion film taking place sooner or later sooner or later and tying every little thing collectively.
All of it provides as much as create the sensation we’re heading for a Marvel-like mannequin of tales and characters being developed throughout a number of sub-franchises. The reveal of an official Star Wars timeline and distinct tasks positioned throughout it solely underline the sensation that the franchise appears to be finished with telling main tales on-screen , as was the case within the unique trilogy.
By all accounts, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker was a field workplace success, incomes over $1 billion despite divisive evaluations. Nonetheless, we’re now in our fifth 12 months and not using a new Star Wars film hitting theaters, all whereas the TV output has exploded from a few cartoon exhibits right into a myriad of live-action and animated productions on Disney+.
We’ve been instructed again and again it was all a part of a ‘reset’ of the model, as we’d been bombarded with too many motion pictures too quick, most notably in 2018 when Solo: A Star Wars Story launched (and bombed) only some months after The Final Jedi. The truth is that ex-Disney CEO Bob Chapek had doubled down on streaming over theatrical because of the pandemic, and thus Star Wars – one of many firm’s flagship properties – needed to lead the cost with The Mandalorian.
Greater than 4 years later, we’re totally out of the woods, and theatrical seems to be the main target once more beneath Bob Iger’s second regime. There’s been discuss of downsizing the straight-to-streaming output, and Lucasfilm’s 2023 replace at Celebration certainly confirmed the franchise was returning to the massive display… with out totally leaving streaming behind.
Now, Disney overlords wish to get the theatrical ball rolling once more. There are three main motion pictures in numerous levels of growth, together with The Mandalorian & Grogu, which was born out of the bones of a tentative fourth season of the hit collection. It marks the beginning of a brand new period for the IP that ought to be extra versatile and permit each executives and lead creatives to shortly pivot if one story doesn’t fairly land (simply take a look at The Acolyte). However is an excessive amount of selection within the live-action Star Wars output too quick a nasty factor too?
Earlier than we minimize into why trying on the Marvel Cinematic Universe for inspiration might spell both catastrophe or success, let’s check out the confirmed slate thus far:
- Skeleton Crew, set within the New Republic period – December 3, 2024
- Andor season 2, set within the Imperial period – TBA 2025
- Ahsoka season 2, set within the New Republic period – TBA 2026
- The Mandalorian & Grogu (film), set within the New Republic period – Might 22, 2026
- Untitled Rey Skywalker-centric film – TBA
- Untitled Jedi origins film – TBA
- Untitled New Republic-era occasion crossover film – TBA
These are solely formally introduced tasks — the checklist would develop a lot larger if we counted rumors and semi-confirmed motion pictures. Even Patty Jenkins’ canceled Rogue Squadron film may not be completely useless but. And there will definitely be extra Star Wars animated exhibits coming for certain.
We’ll possible get an replace on new Star Wars exhibits at subsequent 12 months’s Star Wars Celebration (if not earlier than throughout a brand new Disney Investor Day); we’re not relying on a full shutdown of the Disney Plus operations simply because Lucasfilm is slowly crawling its approach again into theaters. However we will already see a sample: After wrapping up the Skywalker Saga again in 2019, Star Wars is getting into an exploratory period of throwing every little thing on the wall to see what sticks. In truth, we’re already there.
Even earlier than Disney took over George Lucas’ empire and cleared out the canon, Star Wars had develop into an enormous universe of interconnected tales from throughout totally different eras and places due to comics, novels, and video video games. The massive distinction? Now all of that’s making its approach into TV and cinemas. And that’s actually purpose to rejoice, as a result of Star Wars is at its greatest when it goes past the borders of the household drama at its middle. In any case, the beloved Outdated Republic period options zero connections to the Skywalker Saga past the presence of Jedi and Sith.
After all, charting a path ahead for motion pictures and TV exhibits – all of which should strictly abide by (and develop) the present canon – that was initially meant for ‘lesser’ tales is a problem and raises the next query: What’s Star Wars at this level?
The flicks and collection have taken Star Wars far past the Skywalkers’ struggles towards the darkish aspect and this can be the one factor that individuals are having bother accepting; Star Wars is rather more than a film collection at this level.
Star Wars isn’t one story anymore, even if you’re simply following the live-action tasks, and that’s a tough capsule to swallow for anybody who hasn’t touched the Expanded Universe, outdated or new. The Marvel Cinematic Universe acquired away with this strategy as a result of, regardless of all its sub-franchisees and plot threads, there was a transparent by means of line to comply with and see to completion. In a approach, The Mandalorian and its adjoining exhibits are doing precisely that, and it’ll all culminate within the Dave Filoni-directed occasion film, however what concerning the different tasks? How do you retain the informal viewers additionally eager about completely totally different plot strains and genres, all coated with Star Wars paint?
I concern there’s no straightforward reply to those questions past simply attempting issues out and seeing what sticks. Diehard followers and demanding cinephiles can declare Star Wars is ‘useless’ all they like whereas it continues to usher in the massive bucks regardless. Stopping isn’t an possibility for Disney or Lucasfilm proper now, and I’m guessing this lengthy break from releasing motion pictures in theaters is the largest relaxation that the franchise will get this decade.
Regardless of some sub-franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool conserving the fireplace burning, the MCU is now exhibiting clear indicators of exhaustion. Even with a stronger 2025 lineup and new Avengers flicks, it’s straightforward to see why Disney desires to deliver Star Wars again to the forefront of its theatrical efforts — and most followers will agree that the legendary franchise has all the time regarded brighter on the massive display.
Nonetheless, it’s onerous to disregard the numerous wins Lucasfilm has scored within the TV area (excess of Marvel, I’d say), and with Disney Plus stabilizing as an alternative of going downhill, a TV-less future for Star Wars, at the least in terms of live-action, doesn’t seem like on the playing cards. This is likely to be for one of the best, because it’s simpler to ‘promote’ an experimental enterprise like Skeleton Crew as brand-new content material on your streaming platform quite than as a serious theatrical launch.
Tv has allowed Star Wars to be taught each good and unhealthy issues about itself, and now we simply must hope the powers that be are absorbing the fitting classes. They should take daring, assured swings whereas crafting the subsequent technology of Star Wars motion pictures and TV.
One factor’s sure: The Power will likely be with us, all the time… whether or not we prefer it or not.
There’s plenty of Star Wars to devour, even if you happen to haven’t been having fun with current TV and film efforts. We’re pretty certain you’ll love various of the greatest Star Wars video games of all time, and Marvel is at present killing it with all its totally different comedian ebook collection, which may be an indication of the bigger plan shifting ahead.
