ST J.J. Abrams to direct and co-write Star Wars: Episode IX (see warning on page 34 before posting)

Yep. And involved with VIII and IX prior to the dismissal of Trevorrow.

 

I find it interesting that Trevorrow mentioned a few months ago that Michelle Rejwan was a producer on the film. Looking at her producing credits, she's very much an Abrams person, and wasn't involved in TLJ: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2038668/

I wonder if this was always the plan, or if she was someone else who was brought in to try to help Trevorrow to fix it.

 

Skywalker and Jedi are big "brands" for Disney now. And those brands are most profitable within the main saga of movies. Therefore, we will get Episodes 10-12. Probably LFL and Disney will focus more on SW Story films after that for a good while. They can milk a lot out of 6 new SW saga movies before even thinking about doing more of them.

I can see LFL closing out the "Skywalker Saga" after Episode 12, and then launching a new trilogy about the founding of the Jedi or just going way back in the timeline. Maybe we see Ahch-To's Temple when it was founded as part of that series as we follow a whole other set of new characters.

Fortunately the ST characters are very likable, so fans will love new stories, they just need to make sure they come up with a great story arc for them going forward, introduce credible new villains, at least one new young protagonist (probably a 17-20 year old young man who's Rey's padawan/Kylo's son...), and new worlds for 10-12—oh and get Hamill back for cameos.

 

. Says who? Why wouldn't they do a prequel saga about the formation of the Republic, for example? Are another saga set a thousand years after this one? Also, there's an Obi Wan standalone in the works, and he's a Jedi. Your "brand" point is very tenuous. And if audiences love the ST characters enough to warrant an SST, then it would certainly warrant standalones about those characters even more so.

. The same is true for the 3 sequels as opposed to 6. Plus the next three will not likely be scored by Williams, so the normal saga elements will already begin eroding. Better to end at it at 9 with a bang than mine the well until it's completely dry.



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Says Disney/LFL's bottom line.

 

A number says as much about what generated it as a tea leaves reading says about the future. But if Disney execs believe otherwise, then perhaps you're right. Maybe I'm just projecting my own desire that Disney not be dumb about this. IMO, continuing this particular saga as infinitum is a dumb idea.

 

They are clearly doing all all sorts of things with the Star Wars brand. The Skywalker Saga is just one branch of that. If that branch continues to be profitable, then theyll keep it going. I dont really see the problem when theres all sorts of Star Wars movies and other media being made. You can just ignore what you dont like.

 

I can't really see them ending the main saga line anytime soon. But I do agree that the arc will have to make sense. We can't have empire versus rebels forever, I guess, though I admit that that is my favorite part of Star Wars and I will miss it. But I can see them maintaining a smoldering threat that Our Heroes have to face. I suspect they will avoid huge time jumps... that would be very alienating to large segments of the audience. I hope they find a way to balance all of the elements. It won't be easy!

 

I agree, Strongbow. Watching a trilogy where we actually see the heroes battling the remnants of the FO/Empire while trying to rebuild new Republic-esque allegiance could be great, if done well. In fact, I'd love to see the script turned with a ragtag group of darksiders/FO sympathizers taking on the shakey New New Republic. This time we'd see it from the Republic's side what it's like to be injured and harassed by a seemingly insignificant group of 'terrorists'.

 

I know hardcore fans want more saga films, thats a natural instinct.

I for one hope the main Skywalker saga ends with Ep9. I would assume dealing with Snoke and the main portion of the FO will be done with by the end of Ep9. Whether Ben is redeemed, or who lives and dies (Luke, Leia, Ben, etc) is not the point. Whomever lives can just live normal lives. I would assume Rey will be tasked with building a new type of Force-order (Jedi or not), with or without Luke and Ben. Snoke will be dead by Ep9.

Once these villians are dealt with, are we really going to be able to swallow a new villian rising from some other region of space this time? That would not be interesting at all.

If a sequel to Rey is in the cards, I would assume it would be 15-20 years later.

IMO Star Wars needs to take a break after Ep9 and the Han Solo movie. Having a break will rejunivate interest again, and they really need to make a new trilogy or set of stories away from existing characters.

 

Do we yet know when production will begin and if they have a 'filming name' yet??

 

Absolutely agree with your perspective on what would be best; would love another direction. I don't think Disney will do that with the main saga though. I think they will continue with 10-12. I think a story such as KOTOR would be a TV series or stand alone, at least until the point when/if it put up big numbers at the box office. I don't see them being terribly daring with the main saga. They have hugged the OT oh so tightly with everything they have done so far; I'm not optimistic for a production of something like KOTOR until I see them at least move more than an inch from the OT. R1, TFA, Solo/Boba/Obi movies, Rebels, all half an inch from the OT.

 

Well no matter what itd have to be a different time period. The Empire vs. Rebels would probably overtake anything going on during that time.

 

No. You don’t have inside information. How do you know they are just big brand names. Han died. The entire cast of R1 died, so no sequels to that. Your skepticism is noted.

 

Above all, the shareholders want more saga films.

 

. If there's a way to mark this post, I won't delete it, but I'm predicting right now that the standalone films will do much better at the box office than a story-starved, watered-down, non-Williams episode X-XII trilogy.

 

I think "story-starved, watered-down" is a big call given that IX is still being written, let alone X.

 

I think Episode IX is terrible. Lazy storytelling all around.

 

Certainly is, but I'm making that call right now

 

I'm going to predict a mix. The Skywalker Saga will end at IX, the trilogy of trilogies. BUT that doesn't mean they won't do films set after IX. The numbers are already phased out of marketing. It's just TFA and TLJ, Episode VII and Episode VIII haven't really been used at all. The story of Rey and her generation will continue (which is what the shareholders will care about much more than episode numbers) but it will just be "Star Wars: Film Title", maybe a trilogy, maybe ongoing, I guess that's ultimately up to Lucasfilm, Disney and audiences.

As others have said, continuing the Skywalker Saga past IX, without the classic characters, without John Williams, without a Skywalker (at least in name) just seems wrong.

Plus, the hype and nostalgia of the original cast will wear off. The new cast have been embraced. Rogue One was loved. Disney and Lucasfilm know they can diversify and do new things. After IX we can explore the Old Republic or the distant future. I'm positive we'll see more of Rey and the new heroes, but I'm just as positive we'll see other eras explored more as well once the ST is complete.

 

How is the 2020 primary going?

 

Tremendous! No one has seen anything like it before! And we'll be winning very, very quickly, THAT I can tell you. Believe me!

 

Would you like to put a few space bucks on that?

I admit that Star Wars will miss John Williams, but let's not go crazy here...

 

I think the only reason they put the numbers in the prequel marketing was to remind everyone that they were set before the OT, so I don't think their absence is a sign of the saga phasing out (The OT movies didn't have episode numbers in their marketing, either). However, I absolutely agree with the rest of your assessment.

Since there's no formula for what reliably makes the most money with these movies, shareholders are concerned with what *appears* to reliably have made money in the past, and that's where anyone can step in and present an argument championing whatever element from the ST "worked" to the shareholders, whether that be that it continued the saga, or that it featured the OT characters, or that it's cast was dynamic. Whichever element suits what they want to do next. If they want to do non-saga movies about Rey & Co, they can champion the ST cast, stuff about the OT period, they can champion those characters, etc.