A Long Time Ago...at a theater near you

From our friends over at www.ropeofsilicon.com comes word that along with Star Wars: Episode VII (2015), the House of Mouse (Disney) has decided to put two standalone Star Wars films into production as well. Here is a link to the full article: New standalone Star Wars films to focus on Han Solo & Bobba Fett. Apparently Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class) and The Empire Strikes Back alum,  Lawrence Kasdan, have both signed on as screenwriters for these pictures. While some may be hesitant to embrace this news, I think a little perspective should convert any skeptics.

From 1998 to 2007, Marvel had to watch helplessly as successful film adaptations of its comic properties were turned into blockbuster entertainment. Films such as Blade (1998), Spider-Man (2002), X2: X-Men United (2003) and, to a lesser extent, Hulk (2003) and Fantasic Four (2005) resulted in billions of dollars in box office and DVD sales for film studios not affiliated with the comic giant. By 2005, Marvel had seen enough and launched a film division of its own. Over the next seven years it would focus on launching (and relaunching) four comic franchises, which would then culminate in an epic mash-up of the title characters from each of these films.

Despite a host of critics, Iron Man opened huge in 2008, raking in nearly $600 million in worldwide box office grosses. By year's end, with the release of The Incredible Hulk, Marvel's gamble had paid off to the tune of nearly $1 billion. Disney acquired Marvel in 2009; however, they wisely decided to continue with Marvel's film aspirations. By 2011, a second Iron Man film had conquered the box office and Captain America and Thor had also made successful debuts on the big screen. By 2012, Marvel's (and Disney's as of 2009) seven-year strategy (now known as Phase 1) culminated in the release of The Avengers in theaters. The result? Over $1.5 billion in ticket sales. Due to the success of these films Marvel has announced Phase 2 which will consist of Iron Man 3 (releasing in April of this year), Thor: The Dark World (Summer '13), Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and finally, The Avengers 2, releasing in 2015. Ant-Man will also launch in 2015, but Kevin Fiege, President of Marvel, has stated it will be the first film of Marvel Phase 3.

Disney has successfully, and with respect to the characters and source material, launched (and will have launched) seven comic-book franchises in under a decade. Critics and audiences alike have flocked to these films, which have brought in over $5 billion in ticket sales alone. When it comes to Star Wars, Disney seems to be following that old adage: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The studio has hired legendary producer Kathleen Kennedy (Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Lincoln) to shepherd the next generation of Star Wars films to theaters worldwide. J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Super 8, Lost) has been brought on board to direct Episode VII and Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3), has been tapped to script the new film. Though it remains to be seen if lightening can strike twice for Disney, they seem committed to successfully rebooting Star Wars. Here is one cinephile that is more than happy to give them the benefit of the doubt.

theJackal