Despite plenty of bumps along the way in various stages of production, overall theStar Warsfranchise is humming along. They’re coming out at a pace of one new movie every year, and those movies make a ton of money at the box office not to mention all the ancillary revenue they generate through merchandise, theme parks, etc. Right now, the furthestStar Warsfilm scheduled right now isStar Wars: Episode 9, which is due out in December 2019, but Lucasfilm PresidentKathleen Kennedysays that theStar Warsstory group is thinking much further ahead. Speaking onThe Star Wars Show[viaCS], Kennedy said:
“We’re sitting down now, we’re talking about the next ten years of Star Wars stories and we’re looking at narratively where that might go; future stories beyond Episode 9, with these new characters, Rey, Poe, Finn, BB-8, but we’re also looking at working with people that are interested in coming into the Star Wars world and taking us to places that we haven’t been yet, and that’s exciting too because it’s a vast galaxy far, far away… The possibilities are endless.”
While that’s an encouraging statement, so far Lucasfilm’s M.O. has been to cling to what’s popular rather than venture out into anything that might rock the boat. The possibilities may be “endless”, but the only possibilities Lucasfilm seems to be interested in are stories that tie back to the original trilogy.An Obi-Wan spinoffis in very early development and there are rumors that Lucasfilm is considering movies about Boba Fett, Yoda, and Jabba the Hutt. That’s all well and good, but it keeps the universe small and safe. For a big galaxy where the defining feature is the rich, interesting universe thatGeorge Lucascreated, Lucasfilm seems determined to keep its focus on a handful of already-established characters. Maybe sometime in 2027, we’ll get word of aStar Warsmovie that doesn’t feature someone who was introduced between 1977 and 1983.
