Disney working on stand-alone 'Star Wars' films

[lockedoutlogic]

Chip,

I'm always the minority...but my answer is "Yes" they still have enough weight/wait and market share to basically ignore universal if they choose. Not forever, perhaps...but right now yep.

There is no evidence that they've ever "responded" or built park infrastructure due to a competitor.

The best argument that it might have happened is the studios...
Disney was financially down and under new management. They had to move fast so they took and EPCOT concept and blew it up to get a new gate/ draw with universal on the drawing board.
I could see it. Of course wells and Eisner were Hollywood guys...so the park wasn't really too much of a hard sell for them.

But not the others...the expansions at WDW was a consolidated plan to build a longterm single stay/patronage location.
It is all calculated and worked. Parks, hotels, timeshares, retail and cruise lines.

Simple. The other example of "response" that I can think of? Magical express.
They pay Mears what amounts to a drop in the can and in one swoop flicked their chin at Uni and Seaworld and had a vast majority of their customers bypass them willingly for two cheap bus rides.
Flicked away like gnats.

Perhaps deep down part of the reason that universals operators have paid for lots of construction and licensing and their numbers lagged was due to that? Wouldn't be surprised at all.

We'll agree to disagree. It's ok...nothing wrong with that.

I do think the one competitor build that has always gotten under Disney's skin and still does?
Discovery Cove...something they have no answer for and yields a huge expenditure per person ratio.

Things might be changing...but you can't trust that Disney feels threatened, can you?

Are people not going to Disney in favor of universal in large numbers? The data will say no.
Are the losses of days annoying to Disney? Yes you would think - but not eroding the profits.
Are they paying attention? Absolutely.
Do they feel the need to counter? No. At least not for that reason...they feel the need to explore new revenue streams and increase profits. But they have always done that since "walts guys" lost control.

I just see Disney/universal as a developing false equivalency...
And there are many: coke/Pepsi....ups/FedEx...walmart/target.

The reality is that the latters in those couples can't touch the formers...they are 75-25% statistical comparisons...one rides the coat tails of the other with the illusion of equivalency.

And so with universal...who benefits Disney when they expand...as the statistics always show.(overall gate ticks are 47 million to 14...or 77% to 23%...see above)

They built uni studios and then stagnated....then built IOA and stagnated...now doing big expansions...will they stagnant?

It's a possibility...especially as Harry potter fades...and it is.

Just My take on it.

 

[Josh Hendy]

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.

LOL ... and grew 8 inches ...

But seriously, as long as they avoid writing 8-year-old kids into the script and never, ever mention "midichlorians" then I'm sure they could come up with a lot of great movies.

Young Han Solo ferinstance ... I think there is a backstory about him that he was formerly a space-navy officer (hence the striped trousers) turned pirate/smuggler. It might be interesting to see how he got kicked out of the navy, got the Millenium Falcon off Lando and fell into the clutches of Jabba.

I've never read any Star Wars novels (other than Splinter of the Mind's Eye) but I'm sure there are some pretty good stories out there (at least you'd hope so considering how many have been published).

 

[Twin Dad]

Sounds like the first two will be Han Solo and Boba Fett. Both have excellent potential for back stories. We know more about Han than Boba from the books but there is still plenty of room for new movies. If they really want to jump into the deep end they could do stories on Darth Bane or the Knights of the Old Republic.

I'm just glad they are not going with Yoda. Let him stay mysterious.

 

[Pumbaa7287]

Having reread some of my Star Wars Lore, it would be cool to see Boba Fett AFTER Return of the Jedi, when he's rescued by Dengar and rehabbed and goes good for a bit.

I'd also love to see young Han, but not like 15, goofy kid saves galaxy with his furry friend type deal, more like a pirates of the caribbean in space, haha.

As for VII, VII, and IX, I really think they're going to ignore the extended universe (EU) completely at this point. It going to drive the folks at wookieepedia crazy updating all the pages I'm sure, but I don't see Disney wanting to get involved in stories and writing not done by their own team of guys after they made such big name hires.

I actually like the EU Jacen and Jaina stories and would be first to lineup to see a trilogy featuring Jacen and Jaina being trained by uncle Luke, followed by a depressing second film where Jacen turns in to his Darth Caedus self, and the twins facing off in an epic duel in the third film.

Sadly, I don't think 95% of the population even knows who the twins are, or cares, and Disney probably realizes that, so they'll do their own thing.

 

[Pumbaa7287]

Chip,

I'm always the minority...but my answer is "Yes" they still have enough weight/wait and market share to basically ignore universal if they choose. Not forever, perhaps...but right now yep.

There is no evidence that they've ever "responded" or built park infrastructure due to a competitor.

The best argument that it might have happened is the studios...
Disney was financially down and under new management. They had to move fast so they took and EPCOT concept and blew it up to get a new gate/ draw with universal on the drawing board.
I could see it. Of course wells and Eisner were Hollywood guys...so the park wasn't really too much of a hard sell for them.

But not the others...the expansions at WDW was a consolidated plan to build a longterm single stay/patronage location.
It is all calculated and worked. Parks, hotels, timeshares, retail and cruise lines.

Simple. The other example of "response" that I can think of? Magical express.
They pay Mears what amounts to a drop in the can and in one swoop flicked their chin at Uni and Seaworld and had a vast majority of their customers bypass them willingly for two cheap bus rides.
Flicked away like gnats.

Perhaps deep down part of the reason that universals operators have paid for lots of construction and licensing and their numbers lagged was due to that? Wouldn't be surprised at all.

We'll agree to disagree. It's ok...nothing wrong with that.

I do think the one competitor build that has always gotten under Disney's skin and still does?
Discovery Cove...something they have no answer for and yields a huge expenditure per person ratio.

Things might be changing...but you can't trust that Disney feels threatened, can you?

Are people not going to Disney in favor of universal in large numbers? The data will say no.
Are the losses of days annoying to Disney? Yes you would think - but not eroding the profits.
Are they paying attention? Absolutely.
Do they feel the need to counter? No. At least not for that reason...they feel the need to explore new revenue streams and increase profits. But they have always done that since "walts guys" lost control.

I just see Disney/universal as a developing false equivalency...
And there are many: coke/Pepsi....ups/FedEx...walmart/target.

The reality is that the latters in those couples can't touch the formers...they are 75-25% statistical comparisons...one rides the coat tails of the other with the illusion of equivalency.

And so with universal...who benefits Disney when they expand...as the statistics always show.(overall gate ticks are 47 million to 14...or 77% to 23%...see above)

They built uni studios and then stagnated....then built IOA and stagnated...now doing big expansions...will they stagnant?

It's a possibility...especially as Harry potter fades...and it is.

Just My take on it.

C'mon man, I know it's coming, you haven't brought up EE at all yet in this thread. Talk to me about how you want to see a film about the Wampa in Empire crash landing on Earth and ending up in the Expedition Everest. They fixed his arm, but now it doesn't work!

 

[Twin Dad]

Having reread some of my Star Wars Lore, it would be cool to see Boba Fett AFTER Return of the Jedi, when he's rescued by Dengar and rehabbed and goes good for a bit.

I'd also love to see young Han, but not like 15, goofy kid saves galaxy with his furry friend type deal, more like a pirates of the caribbean in space, haha.

As for VII, VII, and IX, I really think they're going to ignore the extended universe (EU) completely at this point. It going to drive the folks at wookieepedia crazy updating all the pages I'm sure, but I don't see Disney wanting to get involved in stories and writing not done by their own team of guys after they made such big name hires.

I actually like the EU Jacen and Jaina stories and would be first to lineup to see a trilogy featuring Jacen and Jaina being trained by uncle Luke, followed by a depressing second film where Jacen turns in to his Darth Caedus self, and the twins facing off in an epic duel in the third film.

Sadly, I don't think 95% of the population even knows who the twins are, or cares, and Disney probably realizes that, so they'll do their own thing.

I am also a fan of the EU. Personally I'd love to see the Heir to the Empire trilogy touched up and brought to the big screen. I also know that probably won't happen and they'll use Lucas' original outline for the third trilogy. I've enjoyed the EU up until Jacen going bad and the ending of the last series really set me off. If I remember the timeline, there is a hole between ROTJ and The Courtship of Princess Leia and another gap between HTTE and the Jedi Academy Trilogy they could use without upsetting the EU canon too bad.