So, remember that rumor from earlier today about how Disney was possibly planning a Yoda stand alone as part of their expansive "Star Wars" plans? Well, it just got a bit more weight from someone pretty high up the food chain.
Disney CEO Bob Iger chatted with CNBC today and dropped a pretty big bombshell: yes, "Star Wars" stand alone films are in the works and they will be "derived from great 'Star Wars' characters that are not part of the overall saga." That last bit is the one that will be the biggest speculation point. Iger essentially says that while the plan is still to deliver "Star Wars" episodes 7-9, it seems they are not going to be employing the Marvel approach of massive world building. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
We'd wager it'll allow writers and directors to explore other areas of classic characters without having to adhere to a larger arc, so we could get young Yoda or Obi-Wan Kenobi (for example) which is a fascinating prospect. It also bodes well for people clamoring for a Boba Fett flick, and not tying it into the main series opens up a lot of possibilities. As reported in the fall, Simon Kinberg and Lawrence Kasdan are penning these spinoffs, but are also doing it in consultation with "Star Wars: Episode 7" helmer J.J. Abrams.
One more thing: CNBC tweets that the rough release plan for these first batch of "Star Wars" movies is 2015-2021 — which means the suits are doing some, very, very long term thinking here.
So here we go: what character do you want see in a standalone flick? Tell us below. While we were definitely wary of a Luke Skywalker movie tied to the main saga, freed from those constraints makes it much, much more interesting.