Disney “Being Very Careful” With Future Star Wars Films

Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the following:

...we’re going to make sure when we make [another Star Wars movie], it’s the right one. So we’re being very careful there

That's interesting, and there's one massive concern. The concern is that this newfound caution stems from the lackluster box office of Solo, and the takeaway was that the annual movie release pace was too aggressive. Mr. Iger, with all due respect (and I mean that sincerely):


The release schedule had absolutely, positively nothing to do with underperformance of Solo. The previous entry in the Skywalker Saga did, and if that lesson isn't learned, no amount of care will matter. I will get back to that later, but I do need to circle back to the pace. While it was not the reason for Solo's underwhelming performance, it was one of the big issues with the Sequel Trilogy in my opinion. The scripts for all three movies have serious issues that easily could have been vetted if the films weren't on a biannual schedule. To me the writing clearly comes across as rushed. Just as one example, it's hard to develop plausible character motivations when writing under such strict deadlines, so characters do things simply because they need to advance the plot. Taking more time is a good thing, but "careful" means more than just that.

Being careful also means planning. Planning to ensure that a consistent narrative and vision of the fictional universe is maintained. That is why Star Wars box office dipped. Not only was The Last Jedi out of sync with it's Sequel-mates, too many fans felt it was inconsistent with the overall narrative. I don't want to pick that scab too much here since it's always divisive, but I also think those points need to be acknowledged. If you don't feel that way, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, and there's nothing wrong with that, but a lot fans do agree with that statement. Here's where my suggestion/hope comes in. If you want to plan better, but bring in the best planner:


I feel like Disney keeps responding to fan angst, but with the wrong takeaways. Just like the release schedule had absolutely nothing to do with Solo's performance, fan disappointment with the PT had absolutely nothing to do with Lucas' storytelling. The problems with the PT are in the execution and not the plot. I've said many times that the broad strokes of the PT are brilliant. Lucas weaved a better, deeper, and more meaningful prequel than all of the fanboy head canon combined could have managed. The PT fan angst had more to do with the minutiae like CGI pears and scatological humor. Disney's first and biggest mistake to date was disregarding Lucas' outline for the ST.

If Disney wants to be truly careful with their next big screen Star Wars property, George Lucas should be signed on as a consultant. In addition to making sure there is narrative cohesiveness, cinematographic consistency is needed too. Star Wars movies need to get back to the documentary style of photography that grounded the fist six entries. Grounding is important when you're dealing with space wizards and walking, talking teddy bears.

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