A new rumor gaining traction around the internet is that Star Wars is coming to Netflix. But how credible is the rumor… and how likely is the show to actually happen?
Here’s the gist of the rumor from Cinelinx: Disney and Netflix were so stunned by the success of Daredevil that vague plans for a live-action Star Wars series are firming up quickly. The plan is to reuse sets from the movies and to tell stories that wouldn’t work on the big screen.
As rumors go, it’s credible. Disney and Netflix have a close association, using sets as a cost-saving measure is a common Hollywood tactic, and we’ve been hearing rumors of a live-action Star Wars TV series for a decade now. It’s all but proven that George had at least a few seasons of a series set during the prequels written and stored in the Lucasfilm archives. Disney has no equivalent to HBO on cable networks; that seems to be the role Netflix fills for them. It would be a good place to explore the seamier side of the Star Wars universe, something Lucas had been trying to do for years and largely only been able to make happen with comic books and video games.
All that said, I’m skeptical if for no other reason than all of this depends on the success of one series on Netflix. They don’t release viewership data; we have no idea how many subscribers Daredevil pulled in, or how many new subscribers it minted. We know Netflix wants a second season and is excited for Jessica Jones, but it’s hard for a show to not get a second season on Netflix. Disney is supposedly planning on launching multiple shows, and we’re already seeing a Marvel series every six months. That’s a lot of money to put down on one strategy, and a bit contrary to how Disney does business, as a rule.
Still, it’s unlikely conversations haven’t happened about it, and Disney does appear to be going through the Lucasfilm archives looking for projects. So while a grain of salt is recommended… there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing a lot of Star Wars on Netflix.
(Via Cinelinx)
