December’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” was touted as the end of the stories involving this family of Force-users. We wondered what would come after that. Disney-Lucasfilm was insistent on continuing the sci-fi film franchise despite subpar reception of the two non-Skywalker spinoffs. By that we mean “Rogue One” and the unfortunate, unprofitable “Solo.”
Recently Disney released a timetable of their major releases from their various studios over the next several years. Naturally that includes more “Star Wars” film installments. But they’re no longer the episodic trilogy adventures of Force-users called Skywalker. And another thing, they’re more distantly spaced.
Following “The Rise of Skywalker” this year, Lucasfilm is holding back on a new “Star Wars” movie until around 2022. If a studio is looking for a way to address franchise fatigue, like with what happened between “The Last Jedi” and “Solo,” and “Rogue One,” a multi-year hiatus works great.
It’s not like the Disney umbrella would stumble over one film franchise taking a rest. Pixar, Marvel Studios, and Disney’s own studios themselves can handle the slack. And it’s not as if “Star Wars” will temporarily halt entirely. There are still the various animated and streaming spinoffs airing or coming.
The release of these future “Star Wars” films from 2022 on will also alternate with a new franchise from Fox. A movie about the Galaxy Far, Far Away will alternate with a sequel for the more recent sci-fi masterpiece “Avatar.” This one has four sequels.