We knew that Disney was planning on making some “spin-off” movies to cash in on the $4 billion price tag they paid for LucasFilm. We just didn’t know what movies they would make and how many they would make.

After a stockholders call with Disney CEO Bob Iger, it looks like the answer is many and as quickly as possible. Iger revealed Disney currently has three Star Wars movies in development beyond the next trilogy and want them on-screen starting in 2016.

While Disney had previously stated that two spin-off movies were in development, Iger updated that number to “at least three” movies in development. I somehow doubt that means that we’ll be getting only three additional movies beyond the VII, VIII and IX trilogy.

The current reports say that the first two spin-off movies will be about Han Solo and Boba Fett. Simon Kinberg and Lawrence Kasdan have each been tapped to write a spin-off movie. The Solo movie is expected to be set between Episodes III and IV while Boba Fett’s story may be post-Empire Strikes Back but before Return of the Jedi. The third movie is rumoured to be about Yoda and will be set long before Episode I.

Interestingly, Disney’s CFO, Jay Rasulo, does not refer to the movies as spin-offs but calls them “origin stories.” At least this gives us an idea of what to expect from them. Given that LucasFilm/Disney just killed the Expanded Universe canon, the origins of these characters can be completely different from what had been previously established in canon. I’m not confident in their abilities to retcon an interesting origin over 30 years down the road.

You know, it’s kind of like all those Marvel movies. There are a whole pile of characters and stories to be told. Some stories are told better than others. I’m hoping that they’re closer to Captain America: Winter Soldier than Spider-Man 3 but with the writer of such gems as This Means War and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, I’m just ever so slightly concerned how this will turn out.

Source: /Film