Disney CEO Bob Iger: Get ready for a ‘slowdown’ on ‘Star Wars’ films

“Solo: A Star Wars
Story.”
Disney

• Disney CEO Bob Iger has reconsidered his “Star Wars”
  release strategy in the wake of the disappointing box-office
  performance of May’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
• Iger told The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview
  that “Star Wars” fans can expect “some slowdown” in the
  production of the series.

 

It appears that the disappointing box-office performance of
“Solo:
A Star Wars Story” has led Disney CEO Bob Iger to reconsider
his release strategy for the “Star Wars” film
series. 

Iger told
The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview that “Star Wars”
fans can expect “some slowdown” in the production of the series,
which saw two films, “Solo” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,”
released in the span of five months this past year.

While 2017’s “The Last Jedi” grossed $1.33 billion
worldwide and received critical acclaim, the “Solo” spin-off

fell way short of box-office expectations in its debut over
Memorial Day weekened, and ended with a $392 million worldwide
gross against a reported $250 million production
budget. 

“Solo” notably had extended reshoots under director
Ron Howard, who replaced the film’s ousted directors Philip Lord
and Christopher Miller last summer, and the movie’s critical
reception was lukewarm. 

THR’s Matt Belloni said in his conversation with Iger
published Thursday, “Many believe Disney should pump the breaks
and not put out a ‘Star Wars’ movie each year.”

Iger responded to Belloni with the following, referencing
the upcoming
“Star Wars” film series from the “Game of Thrones”
cocreators, and detailing the “mistake” he believes he made in
the “Star Wars” release strategy, along with his subsequent
approach to a “slowdown”: 

“I made the timing decision, and as I look back, I think
the mistake that I made — I take the blame — was a little too
much, too fast. You can expect some slowdown, but that doesn’t
mean we’re not gonna make films. J.J. [Abrams] is busy making
‘[Episode] IX.’ We have creative
entities, including [‘Game of Thrones’ creators
David] Benioff and [D.B.] Weiss, who are developing sagas of
their own, which we haven’t been specific about. And we are just
at the point where we’re gonna start making decisions about what
comes next after J.J.’s. But I think we’re gonna be a little bit
more careful about volume and timing. And the buck stops here on
that.”

Read the rest of the interview here.