Under the stewardship of CEO Bob Iger, Disney has purchased Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm to shore up the studio’s franchise dominance. And while no one expected Pixar to ever stop making animated movies, some industry observers have predicted that the demand for new Star Wars or Marvel films may eventually dry up.

Disney feels differently, and according Iger, the Star Wars and Marvel movies may never come to an end! While speaking with BBC, Iger said, “There are five Star Wars films — four more with Episode VII: The Force Awakens — that are in varying stages of development and production. There will be more after that, I don’t know how many, I don’t know how often.”

The four previously announced Star Wars movies are Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the untitled young Han Solo film, and Star Wars Episode VIII and IX. What comes next is purely conjecture at this point. There have been rumors of a Boba Fett solo film or even a new Obi-Wan Kenobi adventure with Ewan McGregor reprising his role from the prequel trilogy. McGregor had a vocal cameo in The Force Awakens and he has indicated his willingness to return to the franchise, but nothing is set in stone.

Another possibility is that Star Wars Episode X could eventually start a new trilogy of the main Star Wars saga. Now that Disney is fully committed to Star Wars, there may not be a decade or more in-between Episode IX and Episode X.

As for Marvel, Iger said, “You’re dealing with thousands and thousands of characters — that will go on forever.” It’s true that Marvel has a deep bench of characters who could be adapted for film or television, but it’s probably not “thousands.”

That said, there’s no reason to think that Marvel Studios will permanently retire Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, or Thor once Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Chris Hemsworth decide to move on. Even if some of Marvel’s lesser known heroes fail to catch on, the studio can always fall back on the core Avengers characters. Iger also dismissed concerns about moviegoers getting sick of superhero films.

“No, I don’t think they’re getting weary,” said Iger, “but I think we keep raising the bar in terms of telling stories that bring them back, that excite them, that make it feel new and that is what we do for a living.”

What do you think about the endless future of Star Wars and Marvel films? Let us know in the comment section below!

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HT: BBC

Image Credit: Lucasfilm