Star Wars fans look on the light side

by Tom Morrison

Some Windsorites are getting excited about the announcement of new Star Wars movies starting in 2015 but are concerned the new owners of the franchise will produce too many sequels.

Disney has approved a deal to purchase Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, but it won’t be finalized until the end of 2012. Lucasfilm, founded by film director George Lucas, is the production company that made the Star Wars movies and Disney plans on making at least three new films in the franchise, releasing them two or three years apart.

Windsor filmmaker Gavin Michael Booth said he was initially shocked by the news but is looking forward to the new movies because they couldn’t be worse than the Star Wars prequel trilogy released between 1999 and 2005.

“It brings back all my sort of nerdy and geeky love as a kid. I remember reading as a kid in the old fan club newsletter that was sent out around the time (Star Wars Episode VI:) Return of the Jedi came out that they were going to be making episodes one, two and three and seven, eight and nine, so these rumours have been around forever. But love it or hate it, I’ll be first in line,” said Booth, 34.

The six major Star Wars movies have made more than $4.3 billion at the box office worldwide. No official plot details for the new movies have been announced but Lucas said in a video on Disney’s YouTube channel he has been working on stories for the movies with future Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy since she became co-chair of the company in June.

“Once Kathy came on board, we started working with writers and started working on all the processes of doing the films, so we’ve got a plan for seven, eight and nine, which is the end of the trilogy, and other films also,” Lucas said. “We have a large group of ideas and characters and books and all kinds of things. We could go on making Star Wars for the next hundred years.”

Lucas will receive the entire $4.05 billion should the deal go through because he owns 100 per cent of the company. A spokesperson for Lucas told The Hollywood Reporter he plans on donating the majority of the funds to educational charities. He will be involved with the new movies as a creative consultant.

Disney also purchased Pixar for $7.4 billion in 2006 and Marvel Entertainment for $4.2 billion in 2009. Shawn Cousineau, owner of Rogues Gallery Comics, has been a fan of Star Wars since the first movie came out in 1977 and said he’s looking forward to Disney’s involvement with the franchise.

“I’m excited. I think it’s time for a little new blood anyway,” said Cousineau, 42. “I think Disney’s done a pretty good job with Marvel thus far and that’s a massive franchise. I’ve heard that they want Steven Spielberg as director which I’m totally down with. Disney as a company does things right.”

However, Cousineau said Disney sometimes tries to make as much money as they can from a franchise while sacrificing quality, so more movies after episodes seven, eight and nine might be a bad idea.

“Unfortunately, that’s one of the only things that’s really wrong with Disney, is things like Pirates of Caribbean. First two movies were great, third started dropping off and that last one was kind of awful,” Cousineau said. “At this point, that’s my only complaint with them is that they tend to milk as far as they can, but with a franchise like Star Wars, why wouldn’t you?”