Comments on: Disney Confirms Unimaginative, Boring Plan To Make ‘Star Wars’ Spinoffs “Origin Story Films”

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:13 +0000

Ugh, Disney. Does anyone actually want these? No offense to Star Wars fans, but I wish Hollywood would just let this franchise die already.

On another note, though, as disappointing as some parts of STID were, I didn't find the overall movie nearly as bad as The Playlist seems to. Besides, if the new Star Wars movies are bad (and even as someone who likes J.J. Abrams a lot, I'm not really looking forward to them at all), it's going to be near-impossible to tell how much influence Abrams had on the final product.

By: Jeremy Hull

Jeremy Hull — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:13 +0000

Personally, I think that Mr. Kevin Jagernauth is jumping to conclusions before he's even seen a single frame of a movie that's still under development. How about we wait to see what the final storyline is going to be? And is it any shocker that Disney is focusing on how they're going to continue to make money off of one of the most profitable franchises of all time? That's what corporate business leaders do; they focus on the profit while the creative minds sit around and go, "How the hell can we make this good for the fans?"

The story is in good hands with JJ Abrams at the helm. Sir, you may have found 'Star Trek: Into Darkness" a bit – as you put it – 'crass', but you cannot deny the fact that the creative mind behind "LOST" and "Super 8" is a perfect fit. I have high hopes and high expectations – admittedly a little to high – but I am willing to set those expectations aside for a good story and solid directorial approach, because I know that JJ Abrams will deliver a fantastic motion picture.

Frankly I think that Mr. Jagernauth is jumping on the 'lets hate Disney' wagon far to earlier. I'll tell you what? If you have such a huge problem with Disney expanding the 'Star Wars' universe, how about taking the time to create your own treatment and pitch it? Let me know what the opinionated fans think of your concept, and good luck convincing the businessmen the marketing angle is not important.

By: jimmiescoffee

jimmiescoffee — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:13 +0000

wait, Disney bought star wars to cash in on a bunch of shit and MAKE MONEY? call the AP!!!! is nothing sacred? thanks kev!

By: JJ

JJ — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

I don't like this news much either. But guys, you really should stop with those judgemental headlines that are always so full of anger and hate. I mean, this is a great website, but the frequent vicious tone of your articles bothers me a lot. Maybe you should consider being a bit more neutral about things. Just my two cents.

By: Gustavo

Gustavo — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

Star Trek ID was 'crass'? It is elegant, both in visuals and narrative.

'Crass' is a word I'd use to define Now You See Me and Jack the giant Slayer. But a J.J. Abrams movie? Never. You're trying too hard to come off as a pessimist sourpuss.

By: Jake

Jake — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

Very much agreed. The Lucasfilm/Disney STAR WARS transaction was just that, a business deal where new movies also happen to be a component. If these releases fit within the Marvel Studios model, it could be interesting to see TV stalwarts like Alan Taylor, the Russo Bros., or Michelle MacLaren make the leap into studio filmmaking. STAR WARS, regardless of how people feel about each individual entry, did come from the specific vision of one filmmaker, though at its finest a slew of creatives were involved (Irvin Kershner, Gary Kurtz, Willard Hyuck/Gloria Katz, Lawrence Kasdan, etc…). It would be great for a new STAR WARS film to be able to take risks, be daring, and expand upon a rich universe, but with the type of economic demand behind it and news of these origin stories/prequels/direction by the "geek-approved" J.J. Abrams, I doubt it will take place.

Oh well.

By: clara

clara — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

What did you expect to hear from Disney's chief moneyman talking to other moneymen?

By: Jar Jar Abrams

Jar Jar Abrams — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

These films would be a bad idea even if you had good directors and writers. Boba Fett or Yoda can't carry a film, they're better as supporting characters. Yoda's dialogue gets really old if you listen to it for 2 hours, Boba Fett is just a henchman not a character.

Han Solo origin story would've been a good idea in the 90's if River Phoenix never took the speedball that killed him.

By: catherine

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By: RODIE

RODIE — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

I fully expect to see a HAN SOLO movie within the next 8-10 years that stars a 20-year-old playing a teen Han Solo, showing his first adventures in the smuggling trade. No doubt about it. And it could possibly be a massive train wreck.

By: Dustin Philipson

Dustin Philipson — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

News f***ing flash: The original trilogy was the VERY template for this kind of merchandising tie-in approach this horned-rim glasses wearing schmo is lamenting.

Please spare me this "corporate-take-over-of-a-beloved-franchise" crap; it exposes you as the NON-Star Wars fan you most likely are (but apparently you love your Karl Marx Cliff's Notes, and most likely think Middle-America is a wast land of idiocy and consumer of lowest-common-denominator pop-culture trash blah-blah-regurgitated-sh*t-my-college-profs-burned-into-my-brain-blah-blah-blah).

I don't know what you were taking interest in as a kid in your coastal cocoon in the 80's/early 90's, but my buddies & me in the midwest, we were covering up with Star Wars comforters, puttin' Star Wars posters on our walls, staging elaborate battles in our living rooms with our Star Wars action figures and accompanying playsets (which we kept in our official Star Wars carrying cases, shaped like character's busts from the movies).

Heck I think for breakfast we would even enjoy bowls of 'Kellogg's C-3PO's'. And we sure as hell made sure to be home in front of the TV when they aired those made-for-t.v. Ewok spin-off movies.

POINT: This franchise has from it's inception been heavily merchandised. Some children had their imaginations sparked by the official Star Wars products/ toys/ tie-in's etc. long before they were even old enough to watch the films.

So please spare us all your hipster "corporations-are-raping-my-child-hood" spiel.

– Dustin Philipson

By: John M

John M — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

I agree with Dustin, plus you're reporting on the CFO of Disney's conference with banks and investors. News flash, the conversation in that context will be talking about money. Disney is a business and they need to generate a profit off these films to continue making them. This by no means dooms these films to be flops. The key to having a successful film is creating something your target audience will enjoy and like. Please point out where Disney has ruined the Marvel Cinematic Universe for example. They haven't and they won't interfere with Star Wars. They want these films to be more like the original trilogy.

Star Wars is also heavily merchandised anyway, in case you failed to realize that.

By: shedzy

shedzy — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

If people dont like the films, they wont see the films;
if people dont see the films, then they wont buy the merchandise;
if people dont buy the merchandise then Disney wont make the money……..

Fear leads to anger
anger leads to hate
and hate leads to the dark side…………

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

The only thing that would make any of this bad is if the films themselves are bad. It's a good point to bring up that the originals were surrounded with a flood of marketing, and that didn't hurt their quality – – for the first 2 pictures. But Return of the Jedi is an absolute failure as a film, a sequel, and as simple entertainment, and this is directly because the marketing department started steering the ship. It's remarkable to me that companies seem to think that licenses create revenue sui generis — when easily the greatest guarantee of making money on a product is to continue making it well.

Hopefully Disney looks at the .5 billion that Phantom Menace made as the disaster that it was: that is everyone going to see the film ONCE. There is no long term money in that. Make it well, and they will see it a thousand times, and buy all the Yoda crap you want to hawk at them. I know I did.

By: Fred

Fred — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

There it is, in the middle of this hardline editorial so crusty that the author must have chomped a cigar to write it: um. That great linguistic equalizer that has come to make the entire world using it sound like nine year old girls. Why, the pure schizophrenic nature of its appearance in this tough-as-nails piece made the author himself flub the eviscerated title the cutesy term prefaced unless Star Trek Into The Darkness was a Bollywood knockoff unknown to many of us.

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

I'm not predicting they will be "flops" by any stretch, but I share the author's sadness that they could not find it in themselves to branch out and tell us NEW stories, one's only hinted at in the larger SW universe.

An Old Republic trilogy, for example, about Jedi Grand Master Satile Shan and the rise of Darth Malgus would have more room to maneuver in terms of story and character than more Han/Luke/Leia/Londo/etc films.

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:02:12 +0000

That's a pretty depressing analysis of the situation. Thankfully, I disagree with just about all of it.

An 'Origin Story' doesn't mean that it will be about Han, Boba, or Yoda. It is safe to say that the new trilogy will feature any number of new and interesting characters of its own. Any of these might be candidates for an 'Origin Story' and surely the realm of possibilities there is endless.