Last year a little movie came out that you might have heard of, it was called Star Wars: The Force Awakens and to date it has made over $1.9 billion at the global box office. It’s the first in a whole slew of Star Wars films set to be distributed by The Walt Disney Company, including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: Episode VIII, Star Wars: Episode IX, and a Young Han Solo spin-off.
Now, surprising no one, word has come that Disney is already planning on making even more beyond the next four films.
“There are five Star Wars films – four more with Episode VII: The Force Awakens – that are in varying stages of development and production,” Disney chairman Bob Iger tells Newsbeat. “There will be more after that, I don’t know how many, I don’t know how often.”
The really interesting thing from this quote is Iger’s hesitation on the release pattern for these unannounced movies. Might Disney stray from their currently-plotted annual release? Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set for release on December 16, 2016 with Star Wars: Episode VIII recently moving to December 15, 2017. The Untitled Han Solo movie is currently set for May 25, 2018 with Episode IX to follow on an unannounced 2019 date.
Shifting gears, Iger also spoke about the other major brand at Disney with Marvel, whose twelve theatrical releases have brought in over $9 billion at the global box office. Hold on to your hats for this one, as Iger says that these films won’t stop either.
“Marvel, you’re dealing with thousands and thousands of characters – that will go on forever.”
Marvel’s next release will be the upcoming Captain America: Civil War on May 6, 2016. Following it on the current schedule is Doctor Strange on November 4, 2016, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on May 5, 2017, their and Sony’s Untitled Spider-Man Film on July 7, 2017, Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017, Black Panther on February 16, 2018, Avengers: Infinity War Part I on May 4, 2018, Ant-Man and The Wasp on July 6, 2018, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, Avengers: Infinity War Part II on May 3, 2019, and Inhumans on July 12, 2019, with three more untitled Marvel Studios films set to premiere on May 1, 2020, July 10, 2020, and November 6, 2020.
That may seem like a lot of movies over the next four years, but Bob Iger isn’t sweating it and he doesn’t think audiences are getting tired either.
“No, I don’t think they’re getting weary, but I think we keep raising the bar in terms of telling stories that bring them back, that excite them, that make it feel new and that is what we do for a living.”
