Will we ever get another Star Wars trilogy? Maybe. But it’s not looking good. With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker about to hit theaters this weekend, the nine-movie saga that started back in 1977 with George Lucas is about to reach its conclusion. Does that mean Star Wars is done? Not by a long shot. But what will the future of the franchise look like beyond Episode IX? Will it consist of trilogies? Will it be more standalones? How many projects does Lucasfilm have on the back burner? Disney CEO Bob Iger is here to provide a little bit of a window into that future.
The Rise of Skywalker recently held its premiere and Bob Iger was in attendance. Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy, during a recent interview, explained that the franchise might move away from the trilogy format in the future, explaining that the story at hand will dictate how long it extends. Bob Iger, when asked about Kennedy’s comments, explained that they haven’t fully decided on whether or not to rule out trilogies in the future.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. She and I have said, ‘Well, maybe trilogies are too hard, so maybe we’ll make one film and then a sequel,’ but we don’t know.”
The fact of the matter is, The Last Jedi proved to be divisive and made things challenging heading into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It’s never possible to please everyone. In this case, director J.J. Abrams certainly has his work cut out for him. That’s likely why Bob Iger and Kathleen Kennedy are feeling trilogies are difficult at the moment.
But what of the future? We know for sure that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the duo behind Game of Thrones, were on board to produce a trilogy that was supposed to debut in 2022. They parted ways with Lucasfilm and now, there is no telling what that next big screen adventure in a galaxy far, far away will be. When discussing the number of Star Wars projects the studio has in the works right now, Bob Iger had this to say.
“Probably smaller than you think because what we do is, we look to pick a few and see how they gestate. In some cases, bring them out and see how the audience reacts and then react accordingly. It’s not as many as I think most people think. I think the number is endless, but we’re gonna be careful, the next one is really important.”
Marvel head Kevin Feige is set to produce a Star Wars movie, but it’s unlikely that will take the 2022 slot. In the meantime, the Disney+ streaming service is playing host to The Mandalorian, the first live-action TV series set within the franchise, which has been a big hit so far. An Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor and a Rogue One prequel centered on Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor are also in the works. This news comes to us via Variety.
