Disney announced earlier today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas that after the release of Episode VII in summer 2015, each year will see a brand new Star Wars film. The films following Episode VII will be standalone, and will alternate each year with Episodes VIII and IX. The standalone films will focus on one character from the franchise, with Boba Fett and Han Solo reportedly being the first ones to get their own solo movies (source, Entertainment Weekly ). Below is the press release from Disney explaining their vision for the resurgence of the Star Wars title (source, GeekRest ):
The Star Wars cinematic galaxy is about to experience a Big Bang. Lucasfilm is officially announcing new spinoff films that will expand the mythos and depths of the Star Wars universe in previously unexplored ways.
One of the standalone films will be written by Lawrence Kasdan, screenwriter of The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and co-writer of Return of the Jedi while the other will be penned by Simon Kinberg, writer of Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The movies will be separate from the upcoming Episodes VII, VIII, and IX, on which Kasdan and Kinberg are also consulting, and are expected to be released sometime after Episode VII. Each standalone film will focus on a specific character, and two spinoff films are currently confirmed.
In a call to investors, Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, revealed while the original focus was on the highly-anticipated sequel trilogy, the idea of spinoff films was bandied about early and the additional films are now becoming a reality. “We are in development of a few standalone films,” he said, “that are not part of the Star Wars saga…there are now creative entities working on developing scripts for what would be those standalone films.”
J.J. Abrams is set to direct Episode VII.
About Contributing Reporter Michelle Lawhorn:
a.k.a. Stormraven, is what can only be described as an eclectic nerd. Her interests and expertise range from Doctor Who to Lord of the Rings, cosplay to comics, and Bollywood to opera to name just a few. When not raving about her fandoms, she can be found spending time with her family and adding to her ever-growing list of Things to Cosplay. She can currently be found searching for more Star Wars material to feed her newfound obsession with the Clone Wars.
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