Expect 'slowdown' on Star Wars movies, Disney boss Bob Iger warns
The CEO says he takes the blame for putting out "too much, too fast."
- Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year" award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Stand down, Stormtroopers. You may get more of a rest between Star Wars films going forward.
You're not alone if you think there've been just too many Star Wars movies lately, with The Last Jedi opening in December and Solo: A Star Wars Story following in May.
Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger says he takes the blame for what some fans see as too much of a good thing, and he's about to slow the hit franchise's roll.
"As I look back, I think the mistake that I made -- I take the blame — was a little too much, too fast," Iger told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Thursday.
While The Last Jedi was the highest-grossing film of 2017 and became the ninth highest-grossing film of all time, Solo, the franchise's feature about Han Solo's early years, didn't do as well. Variety called it a "box-office dud," predicting in late May (apparently accurately) that Solo's disappointing revenues would mean Disney would rethink ever again releasing two Star Wars films in five months.
But that doesn't mean fans won't be seeing more from a galaxy far, far away.
"You can expect some slowdown, but that doesn't mean we're not going to make films," Iger went on to say.
He noted that director J.J. Abrams is busy working on Star Wars: Episode IX, and Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are developing sagas as well. He also hinted tantalizingly at unannounced projects to follow Episode IX.
"But I think we're going to be a little bit more careful about volume and timing," Iger said. "And the buck stops here on that."
Star Wars; Episode IX is scheduled for release on Dec. 20, 2019.
