Disney CEO Bob Iger says Star Wars Disney+ shows could become movies

While opinions are mixed when it comes to the cinematic merits of THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, the STAR WARS brand is still alive and flourishing. The film is well on its way to $1 billon at the box office and numerous comic and novel tie-ins abound. Arguably the most well received new iteration of STAR WARS is Disney+'s The Mandalorian. An ode to Lone Wolf and Cub with a Western flair, the program just wrapped its first season and JoBlo's own Alex Maidy was one of many critics who sung its praises. The Mandalorian is not the only STAR WARS show set to hit Disney+ either. Series based on both Cassian Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi are in development.

With the success of The Mandalorian and the perceived diminishing returns of STAR WARS on the big screen, many have speculated whether the future of STAR WARS will be exclusive to television. Well those of you fearful that the STAR WARS films will be a a thing of the past remember fear leads to the Dark Side. Jedi Master and Disney CEO Bob Iger is here to assuage your fears…sort of. In a recent interview on The Star Wars Show, Iger discussed the future of STAR WARS and the various platforms the franchise will be featured on. Iger's comments imply that where exactly audiences consume their STAR WARS is fluid:

“I don’t look at it as just television, I look at it as an extension of Star Wars storytelling. What Disney+ has given us the ability to do is to do just that, is to bring Star Wars to people in new ways, and to bring new Star Wars to people. It’s not the same places or the same characters. Just look at Mandalorian. While, obviously, there’s a lot shared, there’s a lot that’s really fresh, and I love that. I love the ability to really be agnostic in terms of what platform it’s being made for. And so it could be, down the road, that a TV show becomes a movie and a movie becomes a TV series. I’m not making any announcements here or not, but I think it’s important for us to be agnostic.”

In my opinion this is a very forward thinking attitude by Iger. The manner in which people absorb their entertainment has shifted radically in the last decade alone. Streaming services have exploded and with the advent of smart phones, people are often watching their favorite television shows and movies on the run. In order for STAR WARS to continue as a viable franchise diversification and drawing in new audiences will be key. You need to keep things fresh, as Iger stated, but you also need to be flexible. Bottom line though is that if you tell a great story people will respond, regardless of where it originates.