Last year, we heard that Disney had one Star Wars TV show in the pipeline for its upcoming digital streaming service. Now comes word that multiple series are being planned for the platform.
Image: Lucasfilm/Disney
The Hollywood Reporter cites remarks made by Disney CEO Bob Iger during an earnings call today, where he said that the company is pouring resources into producing all-new Star Wars television:
We are developing not just one, but a few Star Wars series specifically for the Disney direct to consumer app. We’ve mentioned that and we are close to being able to reveal at least one of the [entities] that is developing that for us. Because the deal isn’t completely closed, we can’t be specific about that … I think you’ll find the level of talent … on the television front will be rather significant as well.
Rumblings of live-action Star Wars TV shows have made the rounds for years for a while, even before the most recent plans were divulged last November. While none of those past efforts came to fruition, this last charge is different because Star Wars would be a major draw for people on the fence about plunking down money for yet another digital delivery platform. Just like the ever-increasing stream of movies it’s planning to make, it’s in Disney’s best interest to make a TV show happen. We’re probably looking at a when-not-if scenario, folks.
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10 responses to “Report: Disney Is Developing Multiple Star Wars TV Shows For Its Streaming Platform”
I really want Disney’s streaming platform to fail. Not because I’m against streaming, but because I hate the precedent it sets of every major production studio making their own streaming app so consumers have to pay for like five different subscription services instead of just the one like we do now with Netflix.
I mean, I’m fine with there being multiple streaming services, but content exclusivity between them needs to die.
But the exclusive content on Netflix is okay because you’re already paying for it?
Originals from Netflix aren’t there to entice you to their platform, at least not originally. Disney’s being the kid from school who owned the ball and would take it away and go home when they’re not having fun anymore.
If anything, that’s actually forcing Netflix to compete, because they’re losing out on offerings so they’re needing to fill in.
What? Yes they are!? Absolutely they are and always have been, right back to the original seasons of Orange is the New Black. Please don’t try to rewrite history here. Netflix has been stepping up its game the last few years, delivering amazing stuff BECAUSE more streaming services have been coming into play, I for one don’t want the Disney service to fail, because it will breed competition, which is healthy. It already looks like Hulu, one of the bigger ones is about to die off for example, so we need another bigshot in there to fill that void, lest you want a monopoly to occur.
Oh and when monopolies occur, the quality invariably dips…
After the Fox merger completes, Disney will presumably hold 60% of Hulu. I kind of wonder if Hulu will effectively just morph into Disney’s new service.
I’m sure that part of the reason for developing original content was to improve their bargaining position with distributors (i.e. the studios can’t band together and threaten to cripple the service completely), but they could satisfy that goal while licensing their original shows to other services.
The fact that Netflix has kept them exclusive shows that they see them as something to attract new customers or retain existing ones. So is that really so different to what Disney is doing?
This is pretty much Disney’s version of EA’s Origin… for TV.
The franchise is rooted, RIP Star Wars
I used to joke about Disney making some kind of Jedi High series where some dopey kid has to balance homework, girls and fighting the Sith.
Wait….did I just describe the prequels?
I’m just hoping they don’t try to cram all these new series in around the timeline of the original trilogy. There’s a whole 20000 years of blank space to fill in and unlike most other IP you don’t need a specific character for the setting to be recognizable, you just need lightsabers…