Disney working on stand-alone 'Star Wars' films

[crazy4wdw]

Disney working on stand-alone 'Star Wars' films

The Associated Press
Originally published Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 3:36 PM

LOS ANGELES  Disney is mining The Force for even more new films.

Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger said Tuesday that screenwriters Larry Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are working on stand-alone "Star Wars" movies that aren't part of the new trilogy that's in the works.

"There has been speculation about some standalone films that have been in development, and I can confirm to you today that in fact we are working on a few stand-alone films," Iger told CNBC.

Iger said the movies would be based on "great `Star Wars' characters that are not part of the overall saga." The films would be released during the six-year period of the new trilogy, which starts in 2015 with "Star Wars: Episode VII."

Disney confirmed last month that "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams will direct the seventh installment of the "Star Wars" saga.

Disney bought "Star Wars" maker Lucasfilm last year for more than $4 billion.

The last "Star Wars" trilogy, a prequel to the original films, was released from 1999 to 2005.

 

[crazy4wdw]

Here's the CNBC interview with Iger: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100434935

 

[SpacePlace]

I hope they do a Boba Fett movie! I vote for the Boba!

 

[medic318]

This could really work for the franchise, sort of doing the Avengers thing in reverse. There are so many characters to explore too: Yoda, Han and Chewie, the Emperor, Boba Fett.

 

[SpacePlace]

This could really work for the franchise, sort of doing the Avengers thing in reverse. There are so many characters to explore too: Yoda, Han and Chewie, the Emperor, Boba Fett.

Those would all be awesome. Almost anyone would be great in the world of Star Wars, except Jar Jar Binks. Me-say no-saw to Binksay!

 

[Disney Blues]

It's Gonna be YODA!!! Already read about it, but I'm sure Boba will be next

I hope they do a Boba Fett movie! I vote for the Boba!

 

[Pumbaa7287]

Yoda's the big rumor, since that was where Kasdan started, writing Empire, but I haven't seen any confirmation on that. I'd love an origin story about the emperor, or a standalone Ewan McGregor as Obi film about what happened to him between the time he fought Anakin and became Alec Guinness.

 

[ChipnDale79]

To me this pretty much confirms that there will be new star wars attractions in the parks, there is no way Disney is going to spend this much money to make all these films and then not turn around and create new attractions for the parks.

I truly believe Star Wars is getting ready to become bigger than it ever has.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

~I don't know. I can see Princess Leia, Darth Vadar -- and *maybe* 3CPO & the gold robot -- and *possibly* Yoda. I think Disney needs to tread lightly, oversaturation of Star Wars brand could backfire and hurt the franchise. I hope this translates into Starwarsland at DHS!!!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

To me this pretty much confirms that there will be new star wars attractions in the parks, there is no way Disney is going to spend this much money to make all these films and then not turn around and create new attractions for the parks.

I truly believe Star Wars is getting ready to become bigger than it ever has.

The first part i completely disagree...
Disney parks - especially WDW - do not have an attendance problem. So to put a bunch of new star wars rides into the domestic parks would be giving the people more for what they are are already willingly paying...

that is business sense in the -1. It doesn't make any sense.

Now...Chinese parks...maybe Paris and Japan...it makes a ton of sense to throw the weight of the "Force" into those venues.

I do believe that they are going to use the franchise more in the domestic parks...i wouldn't just assume they are going go haywire and build high cost attractions...that is really counter intuitive to how they've operated since AK opened.

I'm thinking more giftshops (no question there is a star wars shop coming to downtown...maybe magic kingdom...maybe epcot as well), more characters in the parks (obviously), maybe the long desired star wars dining locations...an expansion of the star wars event at MGM...

stuff like that...not the lifesize replica of the death star.


As far as disney throwing all its weight to try and take star wars to a new level...i completely agree.

Buying Lucasfilm obviously wasn't an accident...i bet they have been sitting quietly waiting for it to be sold to a major studio for probably 25 years. They built the working relationship...then pounced.

Star Wars is unique...its a pop franchise that in modern times that started quickly and grew into the biggest thing in its field quickly and has made an unthinkable amount of fans and money.
Serendipity....the right idea, right approach, right characters, at the absolute right point in time.

You can look at the expansion of the Tolkien properties...the Harry Potter Franchise, the Batman/DC, the Spiderman/Marvel, Star trek...
all of those things are impressive as heck...

but none have cast the net as wide or been as impressive as the history of star wars...pound for pound.
It's just bigger...or was so until recent creative mistakes...


And that plays into Disney too. Star Wars can unite the creative juices of the entire company. heck, even the competitors are rooting for disney on this...
spielberg has expressed his complete respect and affection for the star wars movies for 30 years.
Fox adores them...
Paramount (the star trek people) have always given massive credit to lucas for moving their material along with technology.
Disney...the pixar computer was built by lucasfilm...so not only do they love the partnership...they owe old George about 2 billion in tickets stubs for the development work that lead to nemo and buzz and woody...

Hollywood loves and needs star wars to get back to the top. just like the PGA needs Tiger back at the top. Everyone will win.

And internally at TWDC...the tension that has apparently risen over the last few years between players - Iger, Jobs, Lasseter - can only be soothed by a collective goal for star wars.

Did bob iger ever dream of having a piece of the star wars pie? I have no doubt. Now he can eat the whole pie.
Was John Lasseter a huge star wars fan? Again...no doubt - because all creative guys in film, movies, cartoons, tv - love star wars. Its almost like a membership requirement to get into SAG or DGA.

Disney is gonna try to take this thing through the roof. they paid for it and they have the muscle to pull it off. So far, in 4 months of ownership...they have made what seems to be great choices for writing and directing of the new material. And i guarantee that they weren't cheap. That is the right approach.
As much as the geeker community might be whining about their beloved "universe"...which lucas himself took a dump on for cheap material for 15 years...Disney is doing the right thing - at least so far.

 

[ChipnDale79]

The first part i completely disagree...
Disney parks - especially WDW - do not have an attendance problem. So to put a bunch of new star wars rides into the domestic parks would be giving the people more for what they are are already willingly paying...

that is business sense in the -1. It doesn't make any sense.

Using your logic Disney would never build anything new in the domestic parks because, well the people are already coming. Truth is, they already are (see FLE and Avatar).

Your logic doesn't account for things getting stale or actually growing attendance, nor does it account for the growing attendance at its major competitor in Orlando. I know, we've been over this before and you just seem to refuse to accept reality with Universal. Sure Universal is not WDW, nor do they have the attendance that WDW does. But they are building new things and drawing new customers. My family typically spends a week at WDW, due to work schedules and vacation schedules we do not go beyond a week. Should we decide to make the trek to Universal, which we will in the next few years, then it will simply take Disney days away from us, which means less of our money going to Disney. I would be willing to bet my family is not the only one doing that or will be doing that.

Disney already has millions of people that come to Orlando, but can they get more by adding new things, and especially Star Wars? You bet they will. Star Wars is a unique brand that I believe will actually draw people to Disney that haven't been, or don't go very often, it truly has that appeal.

Disney is sitting on a gold mine with Star Wars, they will not make possibly 6 movies and not add an attraction in Orlando for it, it just doen't make any sense.

 

[BDL]

As someone who is a big fan of the books, here are my hopes for the spin-off movies:

-Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
-Rogue Squadron
-Wraith Squadron

As for the next trilogy, I am hoping for the Thrawn Triology.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Using your logic Disney would never build anything new in the domestic parks because, well the people are already coming. Truth is, they already are (see FLE and Avatar).

Your logic doesn't account for things getting stale or actually growing attendance, nor does it account for the growing attendance at its major competitor in Orlando. I know, we've been over this before and you just seem to refuse to accept reality with Universal. Sure Universal is not WDW, nor do they have the attendance that WDW does. But they are building new things and drawing new customers. My family typically spends a week at WDW, due to work schedules and vacation schedules we do not go beyond a week. Should we decide to make the trek to Universal, which we will in the next few years, then it will simply take Disney days away from us, which means less of our money going to Disney. I would be willing to bet my family is not the only one doing that or will be doing that.

Disney already has millions of people that come to Orlando, but can they get more by adding new things, and especially Star Wars? You bet they will. Star Wars is a unique brand that I believe will actually draw people to Disney that haven't been, or don't go very often, it truly has that appeal.

Disney is sitting on a gold mine with Star Wars, they will not make possibly 6 movies and not add an attraction in Orlando for it, it just doen't make any sense.

The difference between us is that i hold the fandom and tend to take the worst case scenario take...

you seem to be more on the high road.

And neither of us has an entirely winning argument.

I neglected to fully explain my take:

Part of the reason that i don't think that major star wars attractions are necessarily close is that disney has just spent large sums of capital on two domestic park projects and two new cruise ships within the last 5 years...2 billion worth to be exact.

So while they will eventually throw some more big bucks out for new stuff at WDW - in particular - i don't see the argument that the time is now.

And as far as stale, tired, and the threat of Universal...you can't really throw that out as an argument now. Universal stealing Disney's business has never been documented nor really feared. You can't have business stolen if your numbers go up and you're on top...even if your competitors go up more. That is no argument.

Not while (and everybody else) continues to go and their attendance and revenues rise. It doesn't matter if its hypothetical. And all those things are...wait for it...The Phantom Menace.

In fact...a more pessimist analyst could then make the case you might be coming close to your point of market saturation...and the cap is near - making the benefit for further reinvestment far less.

Disney's attendance has grown at a steady "cost of living" "rate of inflation" type rate. Not huge gains...but just steady growth based on population and the economy.

But the important number during their 90's expansion....average length of stay....has flatlined near 7 days.
And they know full well...that is due to factors beyond their control. 3 parks - 5-6 days...4 parks...6-7 days...5 parks - 7...6 parks - 7

and on and on. So while they certainly will always do renovations and additions...the need to do so out of principal is probably not their.

Construction has other benefits other than new rides too...more room inventory, more financed debt/tax benefits...adherence to budgets for predictable results and stock stability.

They will build if and when they are ready.
My money is on not yet with Star Wars. If they prove me wrong - i don't care.

Win-Win, Baby

 

[DanBoris]

Disney's attendance has grown at a steady "cost of living" "rate of inflation" type rate. Not huge gains...but just steady growth based on population and the economy.:

WDW's attedance between 2008 and 2011 grew only 1%, and declined between 2008 and 2009. I don't see that as very good growth.

 

[Pumbaa7287]

Two movies were confirmed online and on my local news last night. The first will feature a young Han Solo swashbuckling his way around the galaxy (most likely leading up to a chance encounter with an old jedi and young farmhand in a seedy desert cantina) and a Boba Fett film (most likely leading up to a chance meeting with a guy with a heavy breathing problem and a chance encounter with some giant tentacles in a sarlaac pit)

 

[lockedoutlogic]

WDW's attedance between 2008 and 2011 grew only 1%, and declined between 2008 and 2009. I don't see that as very good growth.

housing crash....that one isn't quite a mystery...vacation discretionary cash is the first thing that individuals cut out in bad times. its a luxury, not a requirement to most and that is why travel suffers first and often largest in any recession.

That was part of my point...they have basically kept the same numbers with small increase. Slow increase...but steady. And they're King of the Hill...its not like they're chasing somebody...

Maybe they are capped out?
they know from when they opened animal kingdom that the average length of stay didn't significantly increase (about a day...sometimes less). Which means the more they built, the more park cannibalization would occur.

There is this misconception that somehow if they build, they can increase the attendance of an individual park by 5 million visitors per year - or some other huge number. That has never played out.

if disney could build double the hotels and then put double the people in their parks...they'd have bulldozers all over the place right now to do so. But their analysis (and unlike recent engineering...they are good at that) tells them that it won't matter. people will stay in the new rooms and leave the old ones empty. just like a 5th gate would pull significantly from epcot, animal kingdom, and mgm...its not going to bring in 10-15 million new faces.

My point is that their construction investments in their parks are very calculating...and has little if anything to do with outside competition. It also seems to have little to do with capitalizing on their material...as they are dreadfully slow to come up with park tie-ins in recent years.

There construction schedule is very carefully laid out....they want the ability to throw their "big number" reinvestments at investors, competitors, and the press without necessarily having it to do it on more than a 5 year master arc. Measured muscle...but up to their discretion and not subject to the want or will of the fan.

The standard business acumen is "give the people what they want" and "adapt or be left behind"

WDW might be the exact counter argument to that logic...they give you what they want (two great examples: princesses and pirates...that while seems like a no-brainer, was by their design. people weren't screaming for it...but disney pushed it onto the customer and saturated it to such a point that they almost tricked them into screaming for it. reverse consumer psychology).
And far from adapting....they augment their offering while selling it on standard disney stock...animatronic ridethroughs, show dump giftshops, and character breakfasts. and the people eat it up.

So all rumors about star wars land, carsland, and "oh no, harry potter" really have to be taken with a pound of salt.

That's just my opinion...but i've been working on that one for along time and have seen an example or two to support it.
Feel free to disagree.

 

[ChipnDale79]

And as far as stale, tired, and the threat of Universal...you can't really throw that out as an argument now. Universal stealing Disney's business has never been documented nor really feared. You can't have business stolen if your numbers go up and you're on top...even if your competitors go up more. That is no argument.

You most certainly can have business stolen if your numbers go up and you're still on top. WDW will always be on top in Orlando, I'm not arguing that, but to say that they arent losing customers or potential customers to Universal is turning a blind eye to actual attendance numbers at Universal.

We've seen attendance grow massively at IofA since Harry Potter was built, do you really think that those attendance numbers didn't take anything away from disney?

I don't think people are taking special trips to Orlando just go to to Universal, most people never have. But instead of spending 8 days in a Disney Park, those people are most likely spending 6 days in a Disney Park and 2 at Universal, so yes, I do believe Disney is losing some attendance figures to Universal.

Just look at the attendance numbers since 2008.

2008 Numbers
Magic Kingdom 17,063,000
Epcot 10,935,000
AK 9,540,000
DHS 9,608,000
IoA 5,297,000
Universal 6,231,000

2011 Numbers
Magic Kingdom 17,142,000
Epcot 10,825,000
AK 9,783,00
DHS 9,669,000
IoA 7,674,000
Universal 6,044,00

3 of the Disney Theme parks in FL grew, but very little. Now look at IoA, they added 2.5 million more people to that park, and if they continue to grow at the same pace, then they will catch both DHS and AK in attendance numbers.

Universal's numbers itself doesn't look good, they lost 200,000 visitors. But look what they are adding to the that park, the same formula that added 2.5 million to IofA.

The point of this, yes disney grew, but IofA is growing at much faster pace and is on track to catch 3 of the disney parks. WDW must do something to stop Universal's growth. Period.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

We could go around and around the block on this....

Universals attendance had lagged for several years prior to Harry potter...and they reinvented themselves a little and have some giant entertainment muscle in Comcast to maybe become a legitimate threat.

They have potential - I have and always will say that Comcast going all in on the universal parks was a great thing for Disney and its fans. They have money to be a legitimate threat.

Maybe someday..but they have some big obstacles...land being a huge one.

But Disney is still the straw that stirs the drink in Orlando...Florida, actually.

To think that Disney is actually losing money to universal in the here and now is not an accurate assessment. Don't believe me, believe the entertainment/ business analysis on it.

Second, if as a Disney fan that you are thinking that universal is gonna cause Disney to run out and build you 3 billion of new stuff in WDW...you are drunk on wishful thinking.

Maybe as time goes on they will make more decisions that way...but it's still a margin thread right now.

Maybe they hurried forward the fantasyland because of new investment...perhaps. But the threat didnt cause the project to go forward.

Animal kingdom was hurried forward to beat the opening of IOA...and partially to cut costs...but that didnt change that it was going to be built at that time regardless.

Again, you don't have to believe me. Just show me one desperation move Disney has ever made to counter competitors...one.

 

[ChipnDale79]

We could go around and around the block on this....

Universals attendance had lagged for several years prior to Harry potter...and they reinvented themselves a little and have some giant entertainment muscle in Comcast to maybe become a legitimate threat.

They have potential - I have and always will say that Comcast going all in on the universal parks was a great thing for Disney and its fans. They have money to be a legitimate threat.

Maybe someday..but they have some big obstacles...land being a huge one.

But Disney is still the straw that stirs the drink in Orlando...Florida, actually.

To think that Disney is actually losing money to universal in the here and now is not an accurate assessment. Don't believe me, believe the entertainment/ business analysis on it.

Second, if as a Disney fan that you are thinking that universal is gonna cause Disney to run out and build you 3 billion of new stuff in WDW...you are drunk on wishful thinking.

Maybe as time goes on they will make more decisions that way...but it's still a margin thread right now.

Maybe they hurried forward the fantasyland because of new investment...perhaps. But the threat didnt cause the project to go forward.

Animal kingdom was hurried forward to beat the opening of IOA...and partially to cut costs...but that didnt change that it was going to be built at that time regardless.

Again, you don't have to believe me. Just show me one desperation move Disney has ever made to counter competitors...one.

I didn't say Disney is losing money, what I said was that IofA has grown their attendance by about 2.5 million guests from 2008 to 2011. No other theme park in Orlando grew by more than 150,000 guests in that same time frame. Those guests came from somewhere. I believe of those 2.5 million guests, a good majority of them skipped a day at Disney to attend IofA. By skipping a day at Disney, it is less money in Disney's pocket.

Disney has taken Universal seriously in the past, and they will do so again. Regardless if they sped up construction of AK or not, something told them that they needed to. If I remember correctly, Disney did the same thing with MGM in regards to the opening of Universal.

Can Disney afford to sit idly by and let Universal dictate the future of the Theme Park industry? Sure, but I don't think they will, that's not what they've done in the past.

 

[SpacePlace]

I didn't say Disney is losing money, what I said was that IofA has grown their attendance by about 2.5 million guests from 2008 to 2011. No other theme park in Orlando grew by more than 150,000 guests in that same time frame. Those guests came from somewhere. I believe of those 2.5 million guests, a good majority of them skipped a day at Disney to attend IofA. By skipping a day at Disney, it is less money in Disney's pocket.

Disney has taken Universal seriously in the past, and they will do so again. Regardless if they sped up construction of AK or not, something told them that they needed to. If I remember correctly, Disney did the same thing with MGM in regards to the opening of Universal.

Can Disney afford to sit idly by and let Universal dictate the future of the Theme Park industry? Sure, but I don't think they will, that's not what they've done in the past.

Yeah, I admit that my family and I (6 of us) and two other families (that we almost always go with on wknds or over breaks) have been attending IoA much more than Disney parks for the HP theme in the recent years and before that we all use to just meet up and go to Disney parks. I know other families and friends that have cut back on their Disney time and $ to hit up IoA in either regular or semi-regular fashion. I can only guess that there are others like us out there. Don't get me wrong, we still love Disney but the HP theme and the new ride technology has us kinda hooked right now.