Disney dropped a few hints about how it plans to turn its $4 billion purchase of Star Wars from Lucasfilm into a moneymaking machine. According to Variety, Disney CFO Jay Rasulo said that the company is planning one Star Wars release each year, starting with the J.J. Abrams helmed film in 2015. Disney is also looking to broaden the licensing reach of the franchise internationally, where Lucasfilm focused on US-based rights. Rasulo was speaking at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference.
Disney has orchestrated an ongoing trickle of news about its plans for Star Wars since acquiring the rights. Earlier this year, the studio said that Harrison Ford had agreed to appear in Abrams’ first film, said to be an origin story. Casting the septuagenarian actor to reprise a role he first played more than 35 years ago raised speculation that Abrams may turn to the same visual effects Disney used to recreate the youthful version of Jeff Bridges’ character in Tron.
Rasulo reiterated that Disney is planning “origin story” films in addition to continuing beyond episode VI, where George Lucas ended his films’ storyline with Return of the Jedi. That and news of annual Star Wars films will surely excite fans, though whether that excitement endures will come down to how Disney and Abrams come out of the gate. Rasulo assured that Disney’s strategy starts with “a great first film.”
Rasulo did manage a disturbance in the force, at least from a fan perspective if not for the investor audience he was speaking to. He said a string of box office disappointments for Disney, which recently laid a couple of eggs with John Carter and The Lone Ranger, is affecting film budgets at the studio.
“There needs to be a cap on tentpole franchise movies,” he said, adding, “Going forward, we will see a cap on spending on those movies.”
Source: Variety
