It looks like we finally have some REAL Star Wars news. This time around, it isn’t another rumor about this actor or that one playing a part in the upcoming Episode VII. Nope, this is REAL news!!
Last Thursday, September 12, Disney CFO Jay Rasulo spoke at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference in Beverly Hills and revealed the subject of the two spin-off movies arriving in 2016 and 2018.
According to Rasulo, the spin-offs will be origin movies, and specifically, they will focus on the origins of Han Solo and Boba Fett.
The untitled Han Solo origin will take place between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, arriving in theaters sometime in 2016. Boba Fett’s origin, set to take place between Episode IV and Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, will be released in 2018, a year after Episode VIII hits the big screen in 2017. No word yet on who Disney will tag to play a young Han Solo or if Daniel Logan will reprise his role as Boba Fett.
Rasulo also gave some insight into Disney’s plans for Star Wars merchandise. Disney will soon be pushing the merchandising base into international markets, spending the next two years building the groundwork for an onslaught of new toys (thankfully, because honestly, there is shit on the shelves these days).
Rasulo then noted Disney plans to put a cap on movie budgets. Considering the garbage known as the Prequels, this may or may not be a good thing. A scary thought. I personally hope a budget cap doesn’t prevent J.J. Abrams from bringing us a film worthy of the franchise. But then again, Lucas did it with A New Hope, so it is possible Episode VII will bring Star Wars fans back to the promised land, or at least Tattoine.
Meanwhile, Robert Englund (Freddie Kruger from A Nightmare on Elm Street), close friend of Mark Hamill, spoke at the Nashville Comic Expo and said, “They’ve got Mark in the gym, because Mark’s coming back as Luke Skywalker. They’ve got him doing his sit-ups.” This despite any official announcement on Hamill, Carrie Fisher or Harrison Ford’s involvement in the upcoming movies.
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