Star Wars: Disney CEO Reiterates Theatrical Releases Are on a "Hiatus"

Now that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's theatrical run is coming to an end, fans can't help but wonder what could be next for the galaxy far, far away, but if you're hoping to learn about what's next for the franchise in the theatrical world, don't get your hopes up, as Disney CEO Bob Iger recently reminded that Lucasfilm is taking a bit of a "hiatus" on that corner of the saga. Between Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and two more live-action TV series, there are a number of stories fans can look forward to as we wait for updates on theatrical releases.

"The priority in the next few years is television," Iger shared during Disney's quarterly earnings call. He went on to note that there would be a "hiatus" from theatrical adventures.

Sadly, this doesn't clarify what the future of the franchise looks like, as the studio revealed last year a series of Star Wars release dates in December 2022, December 2024, and December 2026. At the time these release dates were announced, Game of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were reportedly developing the first film to occupy the 2022 release date, only for the pair to then announce they were parting ways with Lucasfilm.

The Rise of Skywalker currently sits at $1.05 billion worldwide, likely falling short of Star Wars: The Last Jedi's box office. Despite earning positive reactions from fans, the film earned the lowest critical reception of the entire franchise, with some critiques being that there was a lack of cohesion between each installment in the sequel trilogy. In this regard, it would seem as though Lucasfilm wants to ensure that their future film series are fully thought-out to deliver a more unified experience, focusing on the quality of a film over a targeted release date.

Iger may have admitted there would be a hiatus, but this is a word he has been using for nearly two years about new theatrical releases, starting after the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, as he mentioned the entire studio's focus would be on Episode IX. Lucasfilm is currently developing a Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel series, as well as an Obi-Wan Kenobi series, so it's possible that updates on the theatrical end of the franchise could come later this year, once those stories begin to make headway. Given that J.J. Abrams was announced as the director of The Rise of Skywalker only two years before its debut could mean an update on the 2022 film could come as late as this fall.

Stay tuned for details on the Star Wars franchise.

What do you think of Iger's remarks? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!