George Lucas's Astounding Prophecy: How Disney's Star Wars Strategy Was Foreseen Two Decades Ago

Summary

Disney initially distanced themselves from George Lucas's vision for Star Wars, but have now shifted their approach to align with his ideas.

Lucas' belief in television as the future of Star Wars has been vindicated by the success of shows like The Mandalorian. While Disney has returned to making Star Wars movies, they have adopted a different strategy by releasing standalone films with a two-year break, allowing Lucasfilm enough time for development.

Disney's Star Wars strategy has recently undergone significant changes, aligning more closely with George Lucas' predictions made almost two decades ago. In 2012, Disney's initial approach appeared to distance itself from Lucas by announcing a sequel trilogy that he had previously claimed would never happen. Rejecting Lucas' story treatments, Disney also aimed to recapture the authenticity of the original Star Wars trilogy, opting for practical effects instead of the CGI-heavy prequel trilogy. Additionally, Disney unveiled plans for standalone movies, signaling their intention to release a Star Wars film annually in the foreseeable future.

However, after a decade, Disney's strategy has evolved, reflecting a shift towards Lucas' vision for the franchise. The negative sentiment towards the Star Wars prequel trilogy diminished, and the reception of the new movies became more mixed. As a result, Disney decided to slow down the pace of releasing new Star Wars films. While Disney has certainly made significant changes and left an imprint on the Star Wars franchise, they felt the need to reassess their progress and reevaluate their future approach. This ultimately prompted a substantial transformation of Disney's Star Wars in 2019, aligning it with Lucas' strategic direction from 2005.

George Lucas Believed Television Was The Future Of Star Wars

Prior to the release of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith in theaters, Lucas and his team had already begun planning the future of Star Wars for television. Lucas unveiled two proposed Star Wars TV shows: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a 3D animated series, and Star Wars: Underworld, a live-action series. The latter was ultimately scrapped due to budget limitations, while The Clone Wars enjoyed a run of six seasons before being discontinued by Disney. Lucas initially had no interest in creating more Star Wars movies, but recognized television as the ideal platform to further expand the franchise.

Despite eventually changing his stance, Lucas firmly believed for a significant period of time that the story of Star Wars concluded with Return of the Jedi. He viewed the Star Wars saga as centered around the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, and therefore saw no need for additional episodic films once he had achieved redemption. Prior to the sale of Lucasfilm, Lucas did have plans for a sequel trilogy, but Disney ultimately decided not to utilize his ideas. Instead, they returned the Star Wars franchise to a film-focused approach, releasing movies annually that paid homage to the style of the classic Star Wars films. This strategy yielded mixed results, but Disney achieved success in another area.

The Mandalorian's Success Proved Lucas Was Right

Just before the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in theaters, Disney made their move into the small screen realm with The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars TV show. Prior to this, Disney had already introduced two animated series, but The Mandalorian represented a bigger investment in Star Wars TV shows, ones that felt more like movies in terms of budget and production quality. This was the original vision behind Lucas' planned series, Underworld, but unfortunately, he and his team were unable to create a high-quality live-action series within a reasonable budget. The Mandalorian, however, proved to be a triumph upon its release, lauded for its fresh characters and stunning visual effects, ultimately proving Lucas' belief in the potential of Star Wars on the small screen.

With The Mandalorian gaining momentum and the sequel trilogy coming to a close, Disney shifted their focus away from movies and turned their attention to creating more TV shows. The Book of Boba Fett continued the story of the infamous bounty hunter from The Mandalorian season 2, the planned Obi-Wan Kenobi movie was transformed into a TV show, and the series Andor delved into the backstory of Cassian Andor before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Disney also rectified one of their major oversights by bringing back The Clone Wars for a seventh season, and within the next few years, they released four additional animated shows. With no signs of slowing down, there is an extensive lineup of Star Wars TV shows scheduled for release.

Have Disney & Lucasfilm Learned Their Lesson With Star Wars Movies?

Star Wars is set to make a comeback on the big screen in 2026, and it remains to be seen whether Disney and Lucasfilm have learned from their past endeavors. The reception of Disney's Star Wars films has been a mixed bag, with the sequel trilogy dividing fans and Solo: A Star Wars Story failing to perform well at the box office. In the current era, where budget constraints pose a significant challenge for the franchise, Lucas' quest for more cost-effective film-making methods is more pertinent than ever. Disney initially seemed to adopt this ideology with The Mandalorian, utilizing groundbreaking technology and launching a new era of shows, but they are now making a return to the Star Wars movie format.

However, it is evident that Disney is taking a different approach this time around. The upcoming Star Wars movies will be standalone ventures instead of another trilogy, and there will be a two-year gap between each release. Lucas himself had contemplated the idea of standalone Star Wars films, and the movie adaptation of The Mandalorian will be tied to the live-action shows, similar to Lucas releasing The Clone Wars movie in theaters. Most importantly, Lucasfilm will have ample time to develop each film before showcasing them on the big screen. In the meantime, Disney will continue to pursue their Star Wars TV strategy, a vision foreseen by George Lucas nearly two decades ago.