Star Wars fans were tossed into a bit of a panic earlier this week after a report claiming all future spin-off films had been put on hold by Disney. Citing the poor performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the report by Collider made it seem like Lucasfilm and Disney had put all of their plans outside of Star Wars: Episode IX on hold. It forced the studio to address the report the following day, noting that films were still in development and making it seem like it was business as usual.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, there is a bit of truth in both accounts. The studio hasn’t canceled anything, but they are reportedly “reconfiguring” their strategy when it comes to the wealth of Star Wars films they have coming. The two that seem to have the most significant changes are the rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi solo film and James Mangold’s Boba Fett film according to THR:
In the case of the Boba Fett spinoff, the project is still being developed, sources tell THR, with Simon Kinberg and James Mangold writing the script with the plan being for Mangold to direct. (The filmmaker is prepping to next shoot his period racing drama Ford vs. Ferrari.)
But there’s a catch with Boba Fett. Sources say that after the underperformance of Solo, the project could now be reconfigured. The thinking is that if Han Solo, one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars universe, couldn’t sustain a big-budget origin feature, then any Fett movie would have to be scaled down, since though the character is popular, he’s certainly less well-known to most moviegoers than the Corellian smuggler.
As for Obi-Wan Kenobi, the current status is non-existent. THR adds that Ewen McGregor is now busy with his role in Doctor Sleep and Stephen Daldry was reportedly attached to direct, something no one is ready to give an official word on.
Citing an unnamed executive, The Hollywood Reporter claims that Disney’s eyes were larger than their stomach when it came to making Star Wars movies:
“They were developing anything and everything,” says another exec. “It was a case of them stuffing so much sausage and not try to break the casing.”
Certainly, hopes for a Solo sequel have been dashed, and any ideas of exploring the subsection that fans call the “Star Wars Underworld” may also be dashed, even if only temporarily. Solo teed up opportunities for characters such as Lando Calrissian and Darth Maul, who both appeared in the film, to become central characters in sequels or spinoffs.
Two projects that remain untouched and in development are the series of films being written and produced by Game Of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and the brand new trilogy by The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. The Star Wars television series from Jon Favreau is also proceeding without trouble for Disney’s new streaming service. Just don’t expect to hear any release dates until Disney is good and ready according to THR:
“In light of the reaction to Last Jedi and the performance of Solo, they are now just going to look at what’s coming in and seeing how good it is, before dating anything,” says one insider. “It’s all pretty understandable.”
Maybe surprise will help these projects? If anything, the future for Star Wars after Episode IX is going to be more selective. It doesn’t bode well for that Lobot solo trilogy.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)