More films announced

[Dartzap]

Coming soon: Palpatine Vs Kermit:The Musical!

Disney has confirmed that it is working on stand-alone Star Wars movies.

CEO Bob Iger revealed that Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi writer Lawrence Kasdan as well as Sherlock Holmes scribe Simon Kinberg are involved in the spinoff films, set within the sci-fi universe but separate to JJ Abrams's Episode 7 and future instalments 8 and 9.

"We are in fact working on a few stand-alone films," Iger told CNBC. "Larry Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are both working on films derived from great Star Wars characters that are not part of the overall saga.

"So we plan to make Star Wars 7, 8 and 9 over roughly a six-year period of time starting in 2015. But there are going to be a few other films released in that period of time too."

Watch Bob Iger discuss the Star Wars standalone films below:

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The announcement follows speculation that Disney and Lucasfilm are preparing an individual picture based around Yoda.

Man of Steel director Zack Snyder was also rumoured to be overseeing a Star Wars film based on Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, but he swiftly denied the reports.

Iger went on to confirm that Kasdan and Kinberg are also working with Abrams as consultants on Episode 7, which is being written by Toy Story 3's Michael Arndt.

Going down the MCU route? 'Rebels Assemble!"?

[ray245]

Then who is the person in charge of continuity? Abrams or George Lucas?

[DaveJB]

Kathleen Kennedy is in overall charge of the new Star Wars films, from what I understand, with Lucas being in a consultancy role. It still seems up in the air as to whether Abrams is just going to direct, or be heavily involved in the writing-producing side as well (though I imagine he would be, considering how much of a SW fanboy he allegedly is).

[Aaron MkII]

It doesn't matter, or it only matters if you do 7,8 and 9.

The setting is big enough that a standalone movie can be done without referencing the OT at all.

[ray245]

Kathleen Kennedy is in overall charge of the new Star Wars films, from what I understand, with Lucas being in a consultancy role. It still seems up in the air as to whether Abrams is just going to direct, or be heavily involved in the writing-producing side as well (though I imagine he would be, considering how much of a SW fanboy he allegedly is).

I'm not sure whether Kennedy or Abrams are the right person to oversee the continuity of the Star Wars franchise. If George is eventually going to remove himself from the world of Star Wars entirely, who will be the right person to dictate what kind of stories is approved?

The sequel trilogy are going to be based on a story treatment written by George Lucas, even if George is not directing or writing the script.

It doesn't matter, or it only matters if you do 7,8 and 9.

The setting is big enough that a standalone movie can be done without referencing the OT at all.

Not if some of the directors and writers start to inject their own view of certain key elements of Star Wars. All it takes is a few writers and directors to write their ideas regarding the force and technology in the world of Star Wars to screw things up.

Just imagine a time-travelling movie about Star Wars.

[Stark]

The right person is someone who can dictate a story direction that isn't 'straight into the fucking ground'. Content has been both good or bad with Magic George around, so why would it be any worse if he wasn't?

Outside of some religious veneration, I mean. He didn't stop the EU raping a dead horse for decades, after all.

[ray245]

The right person is someone who can dictate a story direction that isn't 'straight into the fucking ground'. Content has been both good or bad with Magic George around, so why would it be any worse if he wasn't?

Outside of some religious veneration, I mean. He didn't stop the EU raping a dead horse for decades, after all.

Didn't Richard Berman and Brannon Braga manage to drive the Star Trek franchise into ground? It is very much possible for any of George successors to be worse than George himself.

[DaveJB]

Or they could make things better, in the same way that Nicholas Meyer and Harve Bennett did after Roddenberry got demoted to being Executive Consultant on movies II-VI. There's precedents either way in just about every sci-fi franchise.

Besides, assuming that all the success of the franchise until this point is down to Lucas is a massively oversimplified way of looking at things. Not only does he not personally oversee all the EU material, he even had co-writers (sometimes uncredited) on the movies. In fact, the only film that Lucas wrote entirely by himself, the one which he had the most personal control over, was The Phantom Menace if that illustrates the fallacy of that sort of thinking. Same story with Roddenberry, really; sure, he had a big part in making TOS as much of a success as it was, but so did Gene Coon and D.C. Fontana.

[Meest]

Concerned that Kasdan and company aren't involved with the main trilogy, not sure what that means for the direction of 7,8,9. I think Abrams needs a filter like Lucas did and not free reign.

[Gandalf]

Didn't Richard Berman and Brannon Braga manage to drive the Star Trek franchise into ground? It is very much possible for any of George successors to be worse than George himself.

How are you still this stupid?

It's possible that people could make it better. It's possible that they could make it worse. It's also possible that it could be neither. But it ultimately doesn't matter. They could make ten Holiday Specials, and they wouldn't make ESB vanish from existence. But isn't it worth taking the chance that they might make one that's awesome?

[Lord Revan]

isn't it unfair towards the new head of Lucasfilm to assume that they'd make utter crap without any evidence either way.

[Thanas]

Well, given that Abrams is a poor man's Tarantino (all flash, little substance) I am not so confident.

[The Romulan Republic]

Concerned that Kasdan and company aren't involved with the main trilogy, not sure what that means for the direction of 7,8,9. I think Abrams needs a filter like Lucas did and not free reign.

Abrams is not writing Episode 7. He also does not run Lucasfilms.

And Thanas, I must say I probably would never have compared Abrams to Tarantino. Their films are very different, except in very basic or minor ways. Flash over substance could apply to perhaps half the directors in Hollywood.

[Darth Lucifer]

All this makes me wonder if they'll go the family route...I know they did the Skywalker children in the EU, so maybe they can make it far enough into the future so that it won't trash the continuity (not that I really care one way or the other). Heck, the only people left will be force ghosts, clones, and the droids. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher can make glow-in-the-dark cameos and Harrison Ford can be this knock off of Han Solo, he's an old clone who's cranky and shoots first.

[Thanas]

And Thanas, I must say I probably would never have compared Abrams to Tarantino. Their films are very different, except in very basic or minor ways. Flash over substance could apply to perhaps half the directors in Hollywood.

Both use scripts that have logic holes in them en masse. Tarantino however at least is a very competent film maker. Abrams stuff always makes me wonder why I paid money to see his stuff.

[The Romulan Republic]

You have a right to your opinion, of course, but I wouldn't say Abrams is incompetent. He's not brilliant, perhaps, but he is capable. And Abrams isn't choosing the screenwriter, so hopefully the script won't be an issue.

[Stark]

Depends if you want an actual good Star Wars branded film or yet more coal for the furnace. All Abrams means is that at least the 'exciting' parts of the movie will look exciting instead of moribund like the dead boring finale to ROTS.

If they get a story that means something and goes somewhere, the movies might be good. If they pour more steel into the mould they'll get extremely profitable dogshit, like almost everything else stamped 'Star Wars'.

[Flagg]

Thanas has not seen 'Super 8'.

[Havok]

This actually begs the question now though... could we possibly see a Tarantino Star Wars?

I think Lucasfilm would do it, but has Disney ever gone anywhere near something like a Tarantino movie? Even under one of their subsidiary companies?

Of course all I can imagine now is a Lando Calrissian Tarantino movie.

I wouldn't mind Steven Sodenbergh getting his hands on some Star Wars either.

I'm stoked Kasadan is on board to say the least.

[Gandalf]

I think Lucasfilm would do it, but has Disney ever gone anywhere near something like a Tarantino movie? Even under one of their subsidiary companies?

Disney own Miramax, a studio periodically referred to as the House that Quentin Built.

Specifically, they bought it in 1993, Pulp Fiction came out in 1994.

[Havok]

Huh. I wonder if it could happen then?

[Stark]

Yeah, then you could get the exact same Tarantino movie only with words like 'wookie' and 'nerfherder' in it! Zero effort for big profit!

I wonder why there's so much Star Wars garbage out there.

[Havok]

Now now Tarantino varies up his flicks enough that they aren't all remakes.

[NeoGoomba]

Just have him make the young Han Solo movie they are talking about and we can see for ourselves.

Maybe he can kill rival smugglers by locking them in his death trap freighter and flying it into a planet?

[Scottish Ninja]

Man of Steel director Zack Snyder was also rumoured to be overseeing a Star Wars film based on Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, but he swiftly denied the reports.

Man, I would love to see that movie - it's the same idea I had when someone brought up westerns as an influence on Star Wars. I thought, "so samurai movies and Akira Kurosawa were also major influences on George Lucas - quick, what do westerns, samurai movies, and Akira Kurosawa have in common? There's your goddamn Star Wars movie!"