Ever since the Walt Disney company bought Lucasfilm two years ago, rumors have been swirling about just what Disney’s plans for the Star Wars franchise in its many theme parks. About a year ago, the first stories started to come out that Disney Imagineering was planning a total do-over of Tomorrowland in Disneyland with a Star Wars make-over. There were rumors of a rides based mostly on the classic trilogy, like a speeder bike chase through the forests of Endor replacing Autopia, a Mos Eisley Cantina restaurant, and many other attractions based on the original series of films. Then rumors changed to indicate that Disney would replace the aging Toontown area of Disneyland with an all-new Star Wars-themed Land.

Now, in an interview with Variety, Disney CEO Bob Iger sheds some light on what Disney’s plans for Star Wars are…and it looks like they’ll be focusing much more on the new sequel trilogy than anything from the previous six films. According to Iger, “There will be a much larger Star Wars presence in our parks globally. But we want to do this big, which takes time, and to do it right.” Iger apparently doesn’t want a situation in which theme park guests would be disappointed with an attraction after seeing The Force Awakens, and not seeing any visual cues or characters from the new movies. “We couldn’t tell (Disney Imagineering) what was new; I slowed it all down so what we come forward with will have a blend of the past, present and maybe the future; now we have a sense of what’s in Star Wars 8 and what some of the standalone films will have in them.”  While Disney’s plans for Star Wars are still under wraps, don’t expect them to be for much longer – Disney is expected to announce just what those plans are at either Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim on April 16-19 of next year, or the D23 Expo, Aug. 14-16, both which will be held at the Anaheim convention center.

HT [Variety]