The future of Star Wars is on the small screen, not in theaters. That’s the crux of the message from Disney CEO Bob Iger during his recent earnings call, where he confirmed the release dates for upcoming Marvel shows and a second season of The Mandalorian.
Putting an emphasis on Disney+ makes sense given the box office disappointment that was The Rise of Skywalker. Iger mentioned the previously-known hiatus that leaves Star Wars with no clear direction on the big screen. A December 2022 release date has been pegged, but with no movie in development it seems unlikely to stick.
“The priority in the next few years is television,” Iger said.
To that point, Iger teased the possibility of The Mandalorian spinoffs featuring some of its more popular characters, saying “the possibility of infusing [‘The Mandalorian’] with more characters and taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series.”
Maybe a Cara Dune series featuring Gina Carano? Yes, please.
Iger mentioned the two other Star Wars spinoffs on the way; Cassian Andor, which features the return of Diego Luna as his Rebel captain character from Rogue One. There’s also the Obi-Wan Kenobi series led by Ewan McGregor, but that one is in a state of flux after all of the scripts were thrown out to be rewritten. On hold indefinitely, it’s unclear when that one will arrive. It’s likely we’ll see Cassian Andor hit Disney+ in 2021, assuming everything goes smoothly. Assuming anything about Star Wars has been a fool’s gambit lately, though.
