Star Wars: Taking a break from making movies is a good idea

James Richards

(Left to right( Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), BB-8, D-O, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX

After the release of The Rise of Skywalker this December, Disney will not release a new Star Wars film until 2022. Here’s why this is a good move.

Recently, it was revealed by Disney that after the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in December of this year, which is the third and final installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the franchise will take a hiatus from making new movies until 2022.

This news has received mixed response from fans, as some believe taking a break from the franchise is a good thing, while others are saddened they will have to wait several years to see a new Star Wars movie in theaters.

More from Editorial

While personally, I am saddened by the cancellation of the anthology films, mainly the Obi-Wan Kenobi solo movie, I do think that it was a smart move by Disney to take a hiatus for a few years after the release of The Rise of Skywalker.

Here’s why:

This will make fans begin to crave new Star Wars movies in the future

While this is certainly not the case for everyone, there is a growing trend in the Star Wars community that they have begun to be fatigued by the current pace of movies released under the Disney banner.

Especially after The Last Jedi divided the fan base and Solo: A Star Wars Story under performed at the box office, many fans are not as anxious to see The Rise of Skywalker, which in turn will hurt the franchise as a whole.

This issue similarly happened with the release of the prequel trilogy, which many fans had soured on by the release of Revenge of the Sith in 2005, after which, the franchise ceased making new movies for 10 years until 2015 with The Force Awakens.

This move made fans hungry for new Star Wars films once again, including the one’s that were disappointed with the prequels released a decade prior, leading to Star Wars: Episode VII becoming the first film in the franchise to gross over $2 billion at the box office.

While this hiatus is not as long, it could be enough to get fans to renew interest in the franchise, especially if The Rise of Skywalker is received more positively by the fans and ends the Skywalker Saga on a high note, then there will be a lot of anticipation for new films come 2022.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – MARCH 04: Actor Brie Larson attends the Los Angeles World Premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” at Dolby Theatre on March 4, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

The movie market is currently over saturated

Many consider this current time period to be a golden age of movies, with several big blockbuster films being released every year.

However, because of this, many quality films get overshadowed by others that share close release dates, as casual movie goers may only go to the movies once every one or two months, hence fewer people will see the movie.

This is the reason many feel Solo under performed at the box office when it was released in May 2018, as despite receiving generally favorable reviews, it was released within a three-week span of Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2, which were two of the biggest films that year.

Additionally, it was the second Star Wars film released in a five-month span with The Last Jedi coming out just the December before. By May, many casual fans were burnt out on movies.

Especially with Disney’s massive upcoming film slate, which includes releasing multiple Marvel, Pixar and live-action Disney films, in addition to the Fox properties it recently acquired, such as Avatar, it is a smart move to let some of those franchises wind down so that Star Wars faces less competition when it releases new movies in the future.

When Star Wars movies do eventually return to theaters, ideally, other franchises such as Marvel will be facing the same fatigue the Star Wars franchise is currently facing, especially since many believe that the MCU has peaked in popularity with the release of Avengers: Endgame.

This way, when the new films begin to be released in 2022, there will be more hype behind them then there currently is for The Rise of Skywalker, and more people will see the new trilogy.

This give more time for Benioff and Weiss to create their new Star Wars trilogy

Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are creating a new trilogy of Star Wars films, and their first one will be taking the 2022 release date.

As there will be a three-year gap between The Rise of Skywalker and the next entry into the franchise, Benioff and Weiss can take more time to craft an interesting story that their trilogy of films can revolve around and not have to rush into production.

With regards to the sequel trilogy, Star Wars films have only had about 2 years to be produced, and JJ Abrams confirmed that he did not even have a script ready when he agreed to direct Episode IX with only two years to write, film and edit the entire movie.

As they have already begun production, this means that Benioff and Weiss will have had almost four years, nearly double the amount of time films normally have to be made, to write and produce their first entry into their trilogy of movies.

This even gives them the flexibility to draft scripts for all three films ahead of time that way, they have a complete narrative plan all the way through their trilogy, and do not simply have to just build on where ever the last film left off, which is what happened to the Star Wars sequel trilogy and what fans have speculated to have happened for the final season of Game of Thrones.

The bottom line is that the more time that Benioff and Weiss have to work on their trilogy, the better the final product will most likely be.

The Mandalorian. Photo credit: Lucasfilm

This will give the Disney+ live action Star Wars Shows more of a chance to thrive

While there will not be any more Star Wars films released until 2022, one thing that fans will have to look forward to is the release of The Mandalorian, which is an upcoming Disney+ live-action Star Wars series set to be released in November 2019.

The Mandalorian is set to take place five years after the events of Return of the Jedi and the fall of the empire, and will follow a lone gunfighter, played by Pedro Pascal in the outer reaches of the galaxy.

This will not be the only live-action Star Wars series coming to Disney+, as CEO Bob Iger confirmed that a Rogue One prequel series and a third mystery series are currently in development.

With no new Star Wars movies set to be released for several years, Star Wars fans who were disappointed by the movie hiatus will likely turn to these live-action shows to help satisfy their fandom.

If these shows are successful, then many fans who have previously felt burned by the past few movies may return to the franchise to enjoy these shows, and it is in Disney’s best interests to make these shows a good as possible, as they intend them to be their flagship programming for the launch of Disney+.

With the lack of movies being released during that time, these shows will be displayed more prominently to Star Wars fans, and if they are received positively, it would in turn lead to more getting created, meaning more of a variety of stories being told in the galaxy far far away.

What do you think about the time gap between movies?

James Richards

Never trust a man with two first names.