Star Wars is a big synonym; Big wars, big ships and, most importantly, big movie theater screens. But the future is changing, and Mandalorian shows exactly what it looks like.
The next three years will expand to the Star Wars universe at Disney +. Disney is not planning to release another Star Wars movie until 2022. Executives bring the current annual release schedule to the audience’s fatigue is universally acknowledged. This is not the first time an annual Star Wars movie will come out in four years, but the franchise isn’t really going anywhere.
The first finger to dip into the water was Disney’s Mandalorian, which just aired its season finale with criticism and fan appreciation. Ultimately the aspiration of the Mandalorians, though the first season filled with hiccups, was satisfying and Lucasfilm is a perfect example of how the Star Wars universe could expand without relying on big drama. Even where the Mandororians stumbled, they did not feel as intense as people’s problems with movies from Star Wars like The East and The Rise of Skywalker.
That stumbling block is the growing pain that can be spread next season. There is less pressure for a Star Wars show than a new movie – and especially a new trilogy. Lucasfilm and Disney are now in a perfect place: Mandorolian is a success, Star Wars is well-suited for further testing, and Disney + is a new sandbox that will allow similar experiments. The future of Star Wars will not only survive and die in major event films such as The Rise of Skywalker; It will be a success on the consistently weird and fun Star Wars show.
Lastly, the ambitious, hiccup-filled first season of the Mandalorians was satisfying
Mandororian is a project that was tested and surpassed everyone’s expectations, including Disney CEO Bob Iger. Mandolorian became one of the most talked-about shows of the year and made an event at Baby Yoda. The weekly episode of the new episode on Twitter is in stark contrast to the negative commentary surrounding the Rise of the Skywalker. Most of the conversations that people have had about the trilogy, including The Last Jedi, seemed to be a fatigue for the current Star Wars storyline. After movies aren’t gone forever, fatigue is settling down.
The next few years will be a time for Disney to tweet Disney + and to test ideas among favorite franchises to see what people want and don’t want. Animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars is returning for the seventh season next year, and there is a possibility that Diego Luna will chase a character based on the series, Cassian is indoor, landing in the second half of 2020, perhaps for the second season of The Mandalorian already. May appear in 2020 or 2028. And then Ivan McGregor’s Obi-One show is a spin on the show once more. Philma to be released Feb. speculation, which in 2021 is likely to be a hit as a streaming series
Being a Disney + product is a big bet for the company, and the risks are high, but the show is crap that it’s not risky to be forced to fit in for a big tentpole movie template at one time. Disney’s streaming service requires content. Star Wars as a universe allows for countless stories. This is a perfect franchise for Disney to explore, giving fans more Star Wars in their lives but in a bite-sized piece that is not connected to Skywalker’s storyline.
As a Disney + product this is a big bet for the company, and the partnership is high
Cross-pollinating Disney + and big theatrical events is a way to keep people engaged in a franchise – even if it’s not exhausting and eye-roll-inducing from a creative standpoint. There are multiple ways to build a franchise – just look at The Matrix, Fast and Furious, and DC Movies – but based on prior comments from executives, Disney is taking an approach with Star Wars that echoes what Marvel Studios has planned. That includes bringing producers like Kevin Feige, who essentially shaped the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and teaming with individual directors to tell different stories within the Star Wars universe.
It’s already a strategy to begin with. New shows like Falcon and the Winter Soldier will pick up where the Avengers: Endgame left off. Others, like Loki and WandaVision will exist in tied-in universes. Using big tentpole movie events like Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness to tie it all together is part of Feige’s strategy for the MCU. Marvel’s future is reliant on Disney + being more than a platform where movies end up and one-off TV shows live. If all goes as planned, they will feed into each other.
Marvel Cinematic Universe is not just a theatrical drama, the content head of Divine + told The Verge. Looping into stories with Disney + shows, it’s also a streaming. According to execs, it’s not just Marvel that Disney is looking to work with. Other franchises like Star Wars get the same treatment