December 1, 2023

Will the future of Disney+ be saved by 'Star Wars'? Is it time to change course?

Trend Analysis
Szymon Karbowski
Will the future of Disney+ be saved by 'Star Wars'? Is it time to change course?

Star Wars television, having been experimented with, has become a Franchise within a Franchise. The launch of the Disney+ platform in 2019 and the success of its original action series centered on the Star Wars universe, particularly ‘The Mandalorian’, may have brought significant benefits, but have they been as expected? Have they overdone it with the number of titles produced around the series from the intergalactic universe?

When Disney CEO Bob Iger announced plans for one of the most popular sagas, Star Wars, a few years ago, many commentators were full of enthusiasm and optimism. Many felt that the family-owned studio, with its mastery of the Marvel universe, was perfectly placed to handle stories from the so-called 'galaxy far, far away'. It was going to be a new kind of marriage in pop culture. Of course, there have also been some ironic comments in the public sphere that Iger has "thrown himself into this universe like a little boy in primary school".
Disney knew that fans of this intergalactic world would prefer to watch the story on small screens, so they focused on streaming. As a result, it does not have to contend with the time constraints of film production; series offer unlimited opportunities to extend the story for many minutes. The Walt Disney Company, which owns this franchise, knows that the audience for this universe is one of the most loyal.

The underrated story of Star Wars has saved the future of the franchise, and could continue to do so. Of course, the coming years will show whether this will happen. Lucasfilm was bought out by Disney in 2012 for a reported $4.05 billion. This is one of the best decisions the Walt Disney Company has made in the last two decades. The list of planned new films and TV shows announced by the studio for 2020, which included titles such as 'Rogue Squadron', 'A Droids Story’ and ‘Rangers of the New Republic', was expected to attract fans of the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately, none of the titles mentioned above have ever seen the light of day. Other projects in the Star Wars franchise also suffered. 'Willow' was pulled from the Disney+ platform just six months after its premiere. 'Children of Blood and Bone' also failed to make its debut.

In addition, the remake of the 2003 RPG ‘Knights of the Old Republic’, which set a new direction in Star Wars storytelling, has also experienced significant problems and delays. According to reports, the Remake video game project in general has been put on hold after being transferred to another studio. Does this mean the end for this production? It was supposed to be a chance to make a prestige TV movie. Fortunately, other big-budgeted role-playing game series are enjoying their 'golden moment'. ‘Andor' proved that Disney+ does not need to produce or offer films or series with an elaborate storyline for it to be a huge success. KOTOR also has a huge fan base.

Lucasfilm is exploring themes related to the New Republic, and audiences can expect to be transported back to a time when the Sith were very frightening characters when they see new configurations of the story related to this. According to information published in Empire magazine, Star Wars will release three series from the universe in 2024: 'The Acolyte', 'Andor' (season 2) and 'Skeleton Crew'. Next year will therefore be the first year since the launch of Disney+ without a season of the hit series 'The Mandalorian' and the related series 'Ahsoka' or 'The Book of Boba Fett'.

Unfortunately, marketers and accountants, who some compare to the evil Sith, plague every star show that revolves around this universe. They just follow the excel and profit forecasts that the next productions are expected to bring. Loyal fans lose out. The good news is that among all the titles, there are a few that have made Disney+ a real success. It remains to be seen what happens next for the universe, and whether its loyal fans can really withstand the volume of titles and profit-driven scripts, whose creative stories often lose their originality to marketing ploys. Could the future of Disney depend on the storied past of the Star Wars universe?

#SzymonKarbowski #StreamVX #Disney+ #StarWars #videostreaming

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