Fans looking forward to future standalone Star Wars films will be sorely disappointed by Disney’s latest decision to put them on hold for the time being. The rumor stems from Collider, who reports that Lucasfilm plans to put movies like Rogue One and Solo on ice until further notice.
This decision emerges in the wake of Solo’s disappointing box office debut, despite seemingly warm fan reception. This report is not only deeply saddening but surprising as well given the fact that fans of Star Wars have been champing at the bit for the Obi-Wan and Boba Fett movies that were supposedly in the works. Alden Ehrenreich also signed a three-movie contract prior to Solo’s release, making Disney’s choice to halt those movies as well all the more surprising.
Unconfirmed rumors also began circulating about the directors of the Kenobi and Fett standalone titles, only magnifying how dismal the situation feels. The Boba Fett origin story was alleged to be directed by Logan‘s James Mangold, and Obi-Wan was to be handled by Stephen Daldry (The Hours, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close). Both directors have displayed an incredible aptitude for telling rich stories in their own right, and I personally think each character was perfectly matched with their respective director. Considering what these movies truly could be or could’ve been doesn’t make the prospect of not seeing them for a long while any easier.
However what does ease the pain in these rumors is the news that Rian Johnson’s upcoming trilogy is completely uninterrupted by the decision, which is unsurprising given the record-smashing success of The Last Jedi. In addition, Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ own intergalactic series is still going strong as they work to create films separate from the currently unfolding saga.
Only time will tell if this was the right move for Disney in the end. As for right now all we can do is hope for the best and await Episode IX’s release on December 20th, 2019.
