[EDITOR’S NOTE: This Article is the first of hopefully many from new contributor to That Hashtag Show, Katie Lambert. We hope you enjoy!] At the beginning of Disney’s takeover there was talk of a Star Wars film every year until the end of time. (Well, not quite… but almost!) Was there a chance that there could be TOO MUCH of a good thing? Disney didn’t seem to think so and announced a flurry of ‘Star Wars Story’ films. The first standalone film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, was well received and slotted nicely into the original saga. It had some nice Easter eggs for even the most die-hard of Star Wars fans to appreciate. It was a success and perhaps made Disney overconfident about forthcoming projects. Thus far, the future of Star Wars looked bright.
Everyone can remember the first time they saw Star Wars in the cinema, and I’m sure everyone can remember the wait for the next instalment too. The hype, the expectation, the anticipation… The build-up between each film was an exciting time; reading everything you could get your hands on for the slightest hint of what was to come. The Disney take-over and promise of the continuing future of Star Wars created new fans and reignited the interest of older fans. However, Lucasfilm seemed to have gotten a little overzealous.
The Future of Star Wars in the Wake of the Solo Mistake
Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm had, as CBR notes, overcommitted to an over-saturation of Star Wars. There was to be only a year’s wait between each major release. The studio released Solo, conversely, just a few months after the divisive reception of Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi. Disney also released in among a slew of blockbuster films (Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, and Jurassic World, to name a few) and without much fanfare. In fact the first trailer premiered only two months before the film’s initial release date. Fans were starting to suffer from burnout after The Last Jedi. Did we really need a standalone film about one of the most enduring and loved characters within Star Wars? Was that the way to jump start the future of Star Wars?
So, despite a great cast and an amazing director, Solo became the first flop in Star Wars history. Did it deserve such an accolade? Perhaps not, but it told Disney what everyone already knew – there can be too much of a good thing. “We have to be careful that there is a cadence to Star Wars that doesn’t start to feel like too much,” Kennedy said at Star Wars Celebration.
Moving the Franchise Forward
Latest announcements appear to show that Disney may actually have taken this on board for the future of Star Wars. Instead of a new film every year, Disney appear to be concentrating on a Christmas release every other year. It will also utilize the new Disney + streaming service to further expand the Star Wars universe for fans. The Madalorian debuts on November 12. After all, HBO has had an unprecedented success with the long running Game of Thrones. Could Disney replicate this success with Star Wars?
Here’s hoping that future releases give us all the time to get hyped up and excited before the arrival of future instalments.
Source: CBR
