Following speculation in such reliable places as (ahem) Ain’t it Cool News, Disney – the new owner of Lucasfilm – has confirmed that, as well as forging ahead with sequels to Star Wars, the company will produce a series of “standalone” films set in the same universe.
“We plan to make Star Wars 7, 8 and 9 over roughly a six-year period of time starting in 2015,” Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, told CNBC. “But there are going to be a few other films released in that period of time, too.”
Simon Kinberg, writer of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, and Lawrence Kasdan, veteran co-author of The Empire Strikes Back, will devise storylines largely unconnected to those of the planned sequels.
Pulling his dark robes about his deathly presence, Emperor Iger went on to explain that every division of Disney would be involved in promoting Star Wars 7.
“The priority of Disney and Lucasfilm is to create a great film for 2015 and do everything we can across our businesses to help the success of that film,” he said.
But he refused to be drawn on which Star Wars characters would feature in the standalone projects. Many fans would like to see Boba Fett, intergalactic bounty hunter, get his own space western. Harry Knowles of Ain’t it Cool News has, however, stated firmly that insiders have told him that the first picture will concern Yoda. Know soon for certain will we. And so on.
