If you’re wondering why a few weeks have passed without any updates on the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Wars: Episode VII, which is set to hit theaters in December of 2015, it’s probably because the people making it are still mostly in the dark as well.
Alan Horn, Disney’s current chairman, has revealed that he has yet to see a finished script or proposed budget for the wildly-anticipated sci-fi blockbuster. The news came during an event for Variety this morning where reporter Marc Graser tweeted the following piece of information:
Disney expects to get script for Star Wars 7 in January. No budget for movie although studio wouldn't be surprised if it costs $200 million.
— Marc Graser (@marcgraser) December 13, 2013
Abrams is working on the screenplay with Lawrence Kasdan, who previously penned the scripts for Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. $200 million isn’t an absurd number for a movie as buzz-worthy as an on-screen continuation of the Star Wars saga, but that’s an estimate for now, so the film could end up going a little (or a lot) higher than that figure.
Graser later reported the following news:
Disney expects a Star Wars related movie (including spin offs) every year from Lucasfilm. #StarWars
— Marc Graser (@marcgraser) December 13, 2013
Disney obviously has a vested interest in bringing Star Wars back as a legitimate franchise, so news that they want annual Star Wars updates isn’t that surprising, though the idea that the studio might oversaturate the market with films related to the series is a little depressing. I’d love to see a few more Star Wars films, but a large amount of spin-off series seems like a blatant money-grabbing attempt by Disney. So long as we don’t catch wind of a stand-alone spin-off like Jar Jar Binks, I’ll give the mouse house the benefit of the doubt for now. That said, I’ll definitely be keeping a cautious eye out for news of Disney’s plans for future installments.
Horn also discussed the future of another iconic LucasFilm franchise, saying the following about the Indiana Jones series:
Disney's Alan Horn on Indiana Jones: "We need a story." Guesses it will be another two to three years before we see a fifth movie.
— Marc Graser (@marcgraser) December 13, 2013
Given the middling reception for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it’s not that surprising that Disney is prioritizing other projects above the future adventures of Harrison Ford’s intrepid archaeologist. Two to three years does seem a little aggressive for pulling a decent story together, so hopefully Horn will tread carefully to ensure that Indiana Jones 5 doesn’t incur as much fan wrath as Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did.
We’ll keep you posted on any future developments regarding both series.
Tell us, are you excited for a big-screen continuation of the Star Wars franchise?
Star Wars: Episode VII enters light-speed at the box office on December 18th, 2015.