HUGE Star Wars news

[DVCcurious]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/h...s-lucasfilm-deal-extended-three-years-1147653

Kathleen Kennedy isn’t going anywhere.

 

[Shanti]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/h...s-lucasfilm-deal-extended-three-years-1147653

Kathleen Kennedy isn’t going anywhere.

Bummer. I saw your title and was hoping the news would be something like, "Studio decides to stop milking Star Wars franchise, and instead start making original movies again..."

 

[jknezek]

Yep. This was first posted Friday afternoon in the News Thread.

 

[rteetz]

Bummer. I saw your title and was hoping the news would be something like, "Studio decides to stop milking Star Wars franchise, and instead start making original movies again..."

Bob Iger has said they are going to slow down.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Bob Iger has said they are going to slow down.

The box office trajectory has not been good...and Solo's results were downright catastrophic.

Losing almost 100 million on A Star Wars film?!?!? And her contract was extended three years?

 

[rteetz]

The box office trajectory has not been good...and Solo's results were downright catastrophic.

Losing almost 100 million on A Star Wars film?!?!? And her contract was extended three years?

I don't have a problem with it personally.

I know many others do though.

 

[jknezek]

The box office trajectory has not been good...and Solo's results were downright catastrophic.

Losing almost 100 million on A Star Wars film?!?!? And her contract was extended three years?

Look. I'm no Kennedy fan. I think she dropped the ball on coherence in the story line, which should have been her major remit. But... 3 of the 4 movies have been huge hits. There is a vocal part of the fan base that is really unhappy with her and the direction of the story, a part I fall into without the foaming at the mouth that too many have demonstrated, but there are also a lot of people that loved it.

From a financial perspective, only Solo has been an issue. You don't can people in the movies on a 75% hit rate. And like it or not, financially, she's at 75%. There is work for her to do now. And I think this next installment and the management of the tv component is going to be under some greater scrutiny going forward after Solo, but she's paid off so far and that is the over riding important part.

They are paying her for what she's done and hope she can keep doing it. And so long as she's getting 3 huge money makers for every one bomb, they are going to keep extending her contract.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

I don't have a problem with it personally.

I know many others do though.

Personally, I've loved all of the films...especially The Last Jedi but there was horrendous backlash and there seems a be a huge chunk of the fan community that won't give them another dime with Kennedy at the helm. Fair or unfair it's business and I'm surprised she's got 3 year extension.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Look. I'm no Kennedy fan. I think she dropped the ball on coherence in the story line, which should have been her major remit. But... 3 of the 4 movies have been huge hits. There is a vocal part of the fan base that is really unhappy with her and the direction of the story, a part I fall into without the foaming at the mouth that too many have demonstrated, but there are also a lot of people that loved it.

From a financial perspective, only Solo has been an issue. You don't can people in the movies on a 75% hit rate. And like it or not, financially, she's at 75%. There is work for her to do now. And I think this next installment and the management of the tv component is going to be under some greater scrutiny going forward after Solo, but she's paid off so far and that is the over riding important part.

They are paying her for what she's done and hope she can keep doing it. And so long as she's getting 3 huge money makers for every one bomb, they are going to keep extending her contract.

Fair enough. The Last Jedi remains a question mark as to it's impact. Although it started very strong, it had considerably weaker legs than it's predecessors.

 

[jknezek]

Personally, I've loved all of the films...especially The Last Jedi but there was horrendous backlash and there seems a be a huge chunk of the fan community that won't give them another dime with Kennedy at the helm. Fair or unfair it's business and I'm surprised she's got 3 year extension.

I think Disney is less concerned with the aging OT fans then they are the newer, younger fans. The aging OT fans didn't much care for the prequels either, but a whole new generation did. My own kids like the OT, like the prequels, they are ok with the new trilogy though they didn't care for VIII much either. My rather precocious 9 year old daughter was complaining about the idiotic plot. But my kids love Clone Wars and Rebels. Lots of ways to reach the next money spenders. You don't really want to abandon the old money spenders, but given a choice, I think Disney is more interested in the younger set than the graying beards.

 

[rteetz]

I think Disney is less concerned with the aging OT fans then they are the newer, younger fans. The aging OT fans didn't much care for the prequels either, but a whole new generation did. My own kids like the OT, like the prequels, they are ok with the new trilogy though they didn't care for VIII much either. My rather precocious 9 year old daughter was complaining about the idiotic plot. But my kids love Clone Wars and Rebels. Lots of ways to reach the next money spenders. You don't really want to abandon the old money spenders, but given a choice, I think Disney is more interested in the younger set than the graying beards.

I agree here. This is why they are starting new television series and creating content geared towards the new Star Wars generations on the streaming service.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

I agree here. This is why they are starting new television series and creating content geared towards the new Star Wars generations on the streaming service.

I hope they are successful as I am a fan of ALL of the Disney Star Wars films(actually The Force Awakens is my least favorite of the 4) but am concerned at the nosedive in box office receipts and merchandise sales. If they are able to stem the bleeding and build a digital foundation for the franchise then all will be well.

 

[BrianL]

Look. I'm no Kennedy fan. I think she dropped the ball on coherence in the story line, which should have been her major remit. But... 3 of the 4 movies have been huge hits. There is a vocal part of the fan base that is really unhappy with her and the direction of the story, a part I fall into without the foaming at the mouth that too many have demonstrated, but there are also a lot of people that loved it.

From a financial perspective, only Solo has been an issue. You don't can people in the movies on a 75% hit rate. And like it or not, financially, she's at 75%. There is work for her to do now. And I think this next installment and the management of the tv component is going to be under some greater scrutiny going forward after Solo, but she's paid off so far and that is the over riding important part.

They are paying her for what she's done and hope she can keep doing it. And so long as she's getting 3 huge money makers for every one bomb, they are going to keep extending her contract.

Just to be fair to Kennedy her track record is way higher than 75%. She's 3-for-4 in Star Wars movies, yes (box-office measure only), but she has produced a lot of hits during her career prior to that, including many of Steven Spielberg's big hits, like E.T., The Color Purple, and Jurassic Park. Check out her filmography. Yeah, they're not all hits, but she was Producer of Exec. Producer on a large number of big movies and is well-respected in Hollywood. She was exec on Back to the Future and The Goonies for crying out loud! This idea that she doesn't know what she's doing is just some of these Star War's fan's myopic viewpoint. With a resume like her's there's no way she's have been in trouble over one movie.

Solo was more a victim of timing than anything else and it's a really good movie!

 

[jknezek]

Just to be fair to Kennedy her track record is way higher than 75%. She's 3-for-4 in Star Wars movies, yes (box-office measure only), but she has produced a lot of hits during her career prior to that, including many of Steven Spielberg's big hits, like E.T., The Color Purple, and Jurassic Park. Check out her filmography. Yeah, they're not all hits, but she was Producer of Exec. Producer on a large number of big movies and is well-respected in Hollywood. She was exec on Back to the Future and The Goonies for crying out loud! This idea that she doesn't know what she's doing is just some of these Star War's fan's myopic viewpoint. With a resume like her's there's no way she's have been in trouble over one movie.

Solo was more a victim of timing than anything else and it's a really good movie!

Yeah. I was just referring to the Star Wars film. Her filmography is incredibly impressive, but it was essentially the same before her first contract. She got this second contract because she went 3 for 4 with major hits while heading LucasFilm during the first contract.

And I agree. Solo is quite entertaining and is much better than it's theatrical release bombing suggests.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Yeah. I was just referring to the Star Wars film. Her filmography is incredibly impressive, but it was essentially the same before her first contract. She got this second contract because she went 3 for 4 with major hits while heading LucasFilm during the first contract.

And I agree. Solo is quite entertaining and is much better than it's theatrical release bombing suggests.

Since when has "timing" affected whether a Star Wars bombed or not? Star Wars fans have notoriously turned out in droves no matter when a film was released. I'm afraid there may be something much larger going on here.

 

[jknezek]

Since when has "timing" affected whether a Star Wars bombed or not? Star Wars fans have notoriously turned out in droves no matter when a film was released. I'm afraid there may be something much larger going on here.

The films have never been that close before. It's an anomalous situation. And yes, the reason the "timing" didn't work, was because Solo was the wrong project as well as following on the heels of something that a portion of the hardcore base wasn't happy with. Solo appealed more to the base than the new fans. Nostalgia does that. But since you ticked off part of the base, it was the wrong time for nostalgia.

Further, I also think it suffered from the Marvel releases. Black Panther couldn't be missed. Infinity Wars couldn't be missed. Solo.... well... we can wait for that on video if it means not paying yet another baby sitter. And with as much crossover as those fan bases have? It was probably the first Star Wars movie that wasn't the most anticipated movie in its slot, not by a long shot, and that turned out badly.

Now I lay all this at Kennedy's feet. Wrong movie, wrong time, wrong schedule. That is completely her remit right now. But again, 3 of 4 she got right. She keeps those 3 of 4 odds, she'll hold that job as long as she wants. She drops to 2 of the next 4, or the live action tv show struggles to draw what Disney prays it draws, and she's going to feel that seat warming up quickly. Contracts can always be bought out.

 

[YesterDark]

I don't mind the re-hire as long as we can get rid of all the current universe stuff as fast as possible and move on with stories not related to death stars and people named or related to a skywalker.

 

[BrianL]

Yeah. I was just referring to the Star Wars film. Her filmography is incredibly impressive, but it was essentially the same before her first contract. She got this second contract because she went 3 for 4 with major hits while heading LucasFilm during the first contract.

And I agree. Solo is quite entertaining and is much better than it's theatrical release bombing suggests.

If it weren't for the reshoots pushing the budget through the roof, it wouldn't be considered quite so disastrous anyway. Of course, the director troubles can also be blamed on the Kennedy, but hey, you can't get them all right.

 

[jade1]

I think Disney is less concerned with the aging OT fans then they are the newer, younger fans.

I think this will be easy to tell when IX comes out.

Luke will have a very small ghost part (should be no part really if they continue to not care).

Leia basically nothing.

Rey will continue no lineage connection.

Although Lando is back? Please. That' seems like a cry for forgiveness.

Now if they give Luke flash backs, maybe a large ghost part or weirdly back to life, and/or give Rey lineage-then they caved to OT fans.

 

[danikoski]

If Solo would have been released this fall instead of spring when it had to compete with two Marvel megahits, it probably would've done very well. It would have made a nice Thanksgiving release. And the timing isn't just Kennedy...I think it's more Disney higher ups trying to have their cake and eat it too. And they got burned.

I'm probably going to watch Solo again this weekend...I've had it for a week...I've had TLJ since it came out, and I haven't rewatched it. For me personally, that says something.