Appearing on CNBC to discuss the company’s latest quarterly earnings — which beat expectations from analysts, in case you’re concerned — Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger offered the first official confirmation of a rumor that’s been making its way around the Internet since the House of Mouse purchased Lucasfilm at the end of 2012: There will be more Star Wars films hitting theaters over the next six years outside of the upcoming movie trilogy.
Speaking live on the cable news channel, Iger said, “There’s been speculation about stand-alone films that are in development, and I can confirm to you today that, in fact, we are working on a few stand-alone films…. Larry Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are both working on films that derive from great Star Wars characters that are not part of the overall saga. So, we still plan to make Star Wars VII, VIII and XI roughly over a six-year period of time starting in 2015, but there are going to be a few other films released in that period of time, too.”
Mention of a Lawrence Kasdan-helmed spin-off may be the most exciting part of the news for some; the screenwriter of both The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi (not to mention Raiders of The Lost Ark) was known to be consulting on the new trilogy, the first movie of which is currently being written by Michael Arndt, but the prospect of him tackling a Star Wars movie by himself – or, co-writing with X-Men: First Class and Jumper writer Kinberg – is potentially a very good thing indeed.
It’s worth noting that these standalone movies — which may or may not include a rumored film focused on Yoda — will mark the first live-action “spin-off” movies from Star Wars‘ main series intended for theater release in Lucasfilm’s entire history. Earlier live-action spin-offs The Ewok Adventure (A.K.A. Caravan of Courage) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor were made for television, although both were released to movie theaters outside the U.S.
Star Wars: Episode 7 is scheduled for release in the summer of 2015.
