Words that have become immortal with time, unblemished even as new generations visit it, words that still bring goosebumps to many. That is the power of the opening line of any Star Wars film, brought to the screen first in 1977. And now you might end up seeing them each year itself! For those who fell off into a long prolonged slumber, some time in October 2012 came the news that pretty much shook the Star Wars fanbase (and that is a big big number!), that Disney had purchased Lucasfilm for a staggering $4 billion. While it would have prompted many to laugh at the possibility of Mickey wielding a threatening lightsabre, the manner in which Disney made its purchase of Marvel count (incidentally that too was for about $4 billion!) through the well-crafted and elegantly showcased series of movies upto The Avengers, made Disney appear as someone who knows what it is doing.
So coming back to the Star Wars series, what are Disney's plans for the same? Quite elaborate, if you are keeping a tab on the latest slew of announcements coming from the Disney camp. We all knew that Disney wanted the first of its Star Wars films (that would be Episode VII, for the minuscule population that still got no clue what I'm talking about!) to hit the theatres by 2015, but now the official announcement has been made. Star Wars will have its next three episodes releasing in 2015, 2017 and 2019! So every alternate year a Star Wars film to savour? No, wait. There's more. The latest announcement does not allow for any breathing space, for there will be a Star Wars related film releasing in each of the other alternate years! These would be spin-offs of existing characters, and if rumours are to be believed they could be stories on a young Yoda, or a young Han Solo (no Harrison Ford for that, surely). Phew! We did ask for more of Star Wars, but so much?
The die-hard fans would be hugging each other, thrilled that life will once again revolve around inter-galactic conflicts, more new planetary names to learn, stranger creatures to dig deeper into, and understand further the science and the mysticism behind the Force further. But the die-hard fans should also be worried, skeptical at least. Star Wars isn't so popular for just being a wonderfully told film. It is far bigger than that, it has a life form of itself. For a long time it has narrated the most thrilling of tales in the most grandiose of manners, pulling in each and every one of its audience into a journey of a lifetime. It has a sanctity tag attached to it. You never speak ill of Star Wars, is a rule to be followed and fought for! At least for the original trilogy. And the fear that fills me up is whether Disney knows what it is doing with this majestic saga. Are their plans reeking of being excessive, in fact over excessive?
Well-written stories that are turned into well directed movies work. Disney has already created a roaring surge of enthusiasm with the Marvel movies. But Star Wars is different; it has not been formed with a history of tons of comic books behind it. It's heart and soul was George Lucas who would be at best in an advisory role now on. New episodes of Star Wars have to be freshly written, they have no known path to undertake and so whichever path they choose cannot afford to fall short of expectations, it cannot be a clumsy attempt to earn back the $4 billion quickly. Disney of course knows about the burden of expectations, of that I am sure. Roping in a director of the stature of J.J. Abrams is like sending a beacon that the ship is in good hands. And so it is not the initial movies I am worried about, but what would happen when we end up with spin-offs of spin-offs, or a Star Wars: Episode XV? Would it be still meeting the high standards that we so wish to see, or be build with lower production budgets so that a lower audience headcount keeps the franchise profitable? And my worries are compounded by knowing that Disney's Chief Executive Robert Iger would be stepping down in 2015, the man behind the acquisition of Pixar and bringing Steve Jobs to the Board, the man behind the acquisition of Marvel and now Lucasfilm.
Or maybe all my worries are ill-founded. Maybe Star Wars turns out to be such a phenomenon once again that George Lucas is cheered for a Presidential position. Heck, who really knows anything. May the Force be with them!
PS: An old post ... to relieve memories of the old!
No comments:
Post a Comment