Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios Were Forced to Announce Star Wars and MCU Projects Before They Were Ready

Star Wars and the MCU are two of the most important and ambitious franchises that Disney has on its hands. Logically, it is therefore no surprise that the majority of the studio’s announcements are often focused on new titles from one franchise or the other. According to a new report, though, it seems like the urge to unveil new stories can sometimes cause the premature announcement of upcoming projects.

More than 10 years have passed since George Lucas decided to sell Lucasfilm to Disney, in one of the most important deals of this century for the entertainment industry. Since that moment, the Star Wars universe has expanded impressively, developing a new trilogy of films, spinoffs for the big screen and the small screen, and new sagas like the Mandoverse. In fact, other Lucasfilm titles like Indiana Jones and Willow have also ventured into new territories, although they have not fared as well in the last year.

Similarly, Marvel Studios massively increased output once under the ownership of Disney, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe growing to become the biggest franchise in the world. As well as the continuing cinematic saga releasing up to four movies a year, the dawn of Disney+ saw the arrival of several TV shows, such as WandaVision, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Loki.

Being part of the largest entertainment company in the world can bring a lot of pressure for anyone, even Lucasfilm or the equally expansive Marvel Studios. In the new book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards detail how both Kathleen Kennedy and Kevin Feige were forced to announce projects for their franchises that were not ready in order to meet Disney’s demands during Investor Day back in 2020 (via Screen Rant):

“Kevin Feige and Lucasfilm chair Kathleen Kennedy appeared onscreen to announce a dizzying number of new projects… Both Feige and Kennedy were pressured into announcing projects that were nowhere near ready, some of which have since been canceled… or significantly overhauled and delayed.”

Related: Why Disney’s Next Animated Movie Should Be In 2-D

During Disney’s Investor Day 2020, Kathleen Kennedy took the stage to announce Rangers of the New Republic, Ahsoka, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Visions, Lando, The Acolyte, Star Wars: A Droid Story, and Rogue Squadron. While most of these titles have been released, some have fallen by the wayside.

Among those that did move forward without problems were Ahsoka, which recently released on Disney+ to high acclaim, as well as the Rogue One‘s prequel, Andor. Obi-Wan Kenobi brought Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen back to the franchise, and Star Wars: Visions, an animated production, surprised fans in the best possible way.

The Acolyte is one of the next projects coming to Disney+, along with Skeleton Crew. Rangers of the New Republic, for its part, appears to have been canceled, as has the Rogue Squadron movie, which Patty Jenkins was set to direct. However, Rogue Squadron‘s position is still not entirely clear, with many reports delivering conflicting details on whether the project will ever go ahead. Star Wars: A Droid Story and Lando still appear to be in development, along with other newly announced movies coming in the next few years.

Ironically, Marvel Studios’ announcements made during that same Investors Day event have all come to pass, mostly due to the interwoven fabric of the MCU narrative, which allows less opportunity for projects to be dropped. Although the return of Bob Iger to Disney last year seemed to slam the brakes on Marvel’s runaway train, with the release timeline of many projects being dramatically slowed even before the onset of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.