The return of the Star Wars franchise last December was the beginning of a new era for the franchise under Disney’s ownership, and it appears the House of Mouse is preparing to explore the Star Wars galaxy in great depth moving forward. As many as 10 additional Star Wars stories are in the discussion stages, and that does not include the next two chapters in the traditional saga or the three spin-off films set to be released in the next few years.
‘There are some really cool things being discussed,” J.J. Abrams, executive producer and director of The Force Awakens, recently said in an interview via the Daily Mail, referring to the future of the Star Wars movie galaxy. “It is very exciting to see how it is being put together.”
This December a brand new Star Wars film that breaks away from the traditional Skywalker family-focused storyline will be explored in Rogue One. Two additional alternative films to break up the waiting period between chapters in the ongoing saga have also been planned and known about for sometime, in which we are likely to dive into the background of Han Solo and Boba Fett. Abrams dropped some hints that more movies from the Star Wars galaxy could dig into more background stories that fill the gaps between the various chapters.
Episide VIII is currently in production and is set to be released in 2017. Episode IX is tentatively schedueld for a 2019 release. There is almost no doubt Disney will continue making Star Wars films as long as fans continue to hand over their money at the box office and gobble up the merchandise. Knowing Star Wars fans, that should continue to be the case for a long, long time. And as time goes on and more and more Star Wars content is dropped on us, the charm of the original trilogy may be buried in the process. Are we heading to an oversaturation of the Star Wars brand (if we have not reached that point already)?
If we are getting 10 more Star Wars films, what would make for interesting stories? Perhaps a second Han Solo film, if the first one is good? How about a return of the Ewoks and their civilization? A film focusing on Chewbacca and his culture might be worth a look. Or perhaps a look back at Yoda’s life between Episodes III and V? The possibilities are endless and 10 more movies may be just the beginning.
