For those of you who claim Rian Johnson ruined your childhood, or for those threatening to boycott Star Wars because of The Last Jedi, rejoice. When Disney+ launches next month, you won’t even be able to stumble upon the film accidentally. That’s because Star Wars: Episode VIII isn’t included with the launch day library.
Alas, don’t get your hopes up, haters. There’s very specific reason The Last Jedi will not be immediately available. Likewise with Solo: A Star Wars Story. While it has nothing to do with fans’ perception of either film, it has everything to do with Disney’s management of the two movies.
The Last Jedi, Solo absent from Disney+ launch library
The truth of the matter is that Disney and Lucasfilm were a bit shortsighted when they agreed to allow their soon-to-be competitor Netflix to stream the films as part of its library. Typical Netflix runs for major motion pictures last about a year and a half. On that basis, we can’t expect The Last Jedi or Solo to find their way to Disney+ until early to mid-year next year.
According to multiple reports, Disney knew back in August of 2017 that it would be launching its own streaming service. That, obviously, was well before either The Last Jedi or Solo hit theaters. Thus begs the question: Why did Disney not negotiate to have the entire Star Wars catalog available for the launch of its own service? The only logical conclusion is that they were already locked into a previous contract.
Who cares about TLJ when we’re getting The Mandalorian?
Whatever the reason, The Last Jedi won’t find its way to Disney+ until well into the 2020. Many fans aren’t complaining, though. When Disney+ launches on November 12 there will be a plethora of Star Wars offerings from which to choose. Every other film except the two mentioned here will be binge-worthy day 1. Likewise, The Clone Stars, Star Wars Rebels and even the full cadre of LEGO Star Wars series will be there, too. And let’s not forget the service’s flagship production, The Mandalorian.
Forget The Last Jedi: The Mandalorian alone will be worth the price of a subscription.
Sourced in part from cheatsheet.com
