Star Wars fans are feeling a disturbance in the Force after Disney indicated that the movie franchise will go on hiatus after the upcomingStar Wars: Episode IXhits theaters.
Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger confirmed that the sci-fi saga will take a break from the big screen after the release ofEpisode IXin December, opting to focus on television projects instead of films for the near future. Iger described the pivot to the small screen as a “hiatus” in an interview withBloomberg Television.
“We will take a pause, some time, and reset because the Skywalker saga comes to an end with this ninth movie,” he said. “There will be other Stars Wars movies, but there will be a bit of a hiatus.”
Evidence of franchise fatigue seemed to creep into the Star Wars universe after 2017’sEpisode VIII – The Last Jediwas followed bySolo: A Star Wars Storyjust five months later, and the latter hadone of the worst theatrical runsof any film in the saga. Both films were polarizing among Star Wars fans, and rumors began circulating that Disney had begun revisiting its plans for the franchise in response to the response they received.
“We have not announced any specific plans for movies thereafter,” Iger said of the studio’s post-Episode IXstrategy. “There are movies in development, but we have not announced them.”
The turmoil on the big-screen side hasn’t prevented Disney from pushing forward with television projects.
Disney has already revealed an ambitious slate of television programming set in the Star Wars universe that will debut on its Disney Plus streaming platform later this year. That content includes the live-action seriesThe Mandalorian, created by Jon Favreau and starringGame of Thronesactor Pedro Pascal. The series will be set after the events ofEpisode VI – Return of the Jediand follow a mysterious character’s adventures in the outer rim of the galaxy.
Also announced for Disney Plus isa prequel seriesset before the events of anthology filmRogue One: A Star Wars Storyand starring Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk, who will reprise their roles as Rebel spy Cassian Andor and droid K-2SO. The studio will also return to the animated seriesStar Wars: The Clone Warsand deliver a new, seventh season of the critically acclaimed show, which was set between the events ofEpisode II: Attack of the ClonesandEpisode III: Revenge of the Sith.
