While 2023 has come to a close, it hasn’t saved the entertainment industry from scandals. One of them was again the struggle in Lucasfilm for the future of the franchise “star Wars“(Star Wars).
Attention! There are spoilers in the lyrics related to The Mandalorian season 2 and its finale!
Low republic
This week studio Lucasfilm presented a trailer dedicated to the launch of a new setting in the timeline of the franchise. This is the period of the so-called “Rise of the Republic“(The High republic). Main events start 200 years before the film “Hidden threat“but they will unfold mainly in comic, manga and book pages (they will be divided into three phases). The exception will be the series.”Acolyte“(The acolyte), for which the former assistant is responsible Harvey Weinstein Leslie Hadland… About him edition GameMAG recently told in detail…
The Rise of the Republic setting was initially received with hostility by some fans (pay attention to the number of dislikes). Apparently, the initiative was supervised by the head of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedytherefore, the development priorities did not surprise anyone. So, in the announcement trailer, a whiteboard was shown, on which the key features of the project were highlighted.
The notorious diversity, which means the promotion of social justice, is mentioned two times, and masculine women and effeminate men flaunt on the art. Also, people noticed the phrase about “chosen family”. This is a popular idea among radical feminists and leftist movements that the institution of the family must be destroyed (echoes of this can be seen in the ninth episode of the saga, when Ray Palpatine took a surname Skywalker).
The scandals around the setting began almost immediately. Many decisions were criticized, in response to which artists and writers (among whom there are outspoken racists) snapped at fans on social networks. Partially, the fact of hack work was eventually recognized even by the studio management, so part of the art was redone, although it was already impossible to completely save the situation.
The release stream dedicated to the Rise of the Republic launch is worth noting separately. In particular, the organizers managed to misspelled the name of the writer Claudia Gray… However, the latter also managed to disgrace herself, having greeted the audience with a Vulcan fireworks from “Star Trek“.
The writer is called the architect of the setting. Justin Ireland… She is a rather curious woman who constantly makes racist statements on social media. The main targets of criticism are “white men” and “white privileges.” Ireland also sees nothing wrong with promoting prostitution in her works for underage children.
It is too early to talk about the bright future of the “Rise of the Republic”. Despite the scandals, there is now a demand for new products. As the portal reports Bleeding Cool, first issue of the comic Star Wars: The High Republic from the publisher Marvel comics has already sold 200 thousand copies (now the third edition is being printed), and dealers are selling limited editions at inflated prices (around $ 200-250). Therefore, it is worth keeping an eye on further sales of new numbers.
Sofa wars
It is also interesting that Lucasfilm still has not reacted in any way to the battle on social networks that unfolded between those responsible for the development of the franchise. Provoked her creative director of the studio Pablo Hidalgowho decided to make fun of Star Wars Theory – the largest YouTube blogger specializing in Star Wars content. A cancer-ridden Canadian fan shed tears while watching The Mandalorian season 2 finale, and Hidalgo joined the trolls in Twitterwho tried to hurt the blogger more painfully.
Top manager mocked fans for a long time calling them “assholes” and “fucking assholes”. Hidalgo also retweeted posts from SJW activists who called fans of the franchise “racist”, “sexist”, “incels”, “misogynists” and so on. He also didn’t hesitate to poke fun at a special group of fans who loved the new trilogy. Disney…
The success of The Mandalorian was a game changer, rallying the franchise’s community of fans. As a result, Pablo Hidalgo deleted the provocative comment and hid his account from strangers. At the same time, the screenwriter fixed the image of the publication in the form of a “header” on Twitter for public viewing, which only exacerbated the situation: fans of “Star Wars” began to demand the dismissal of their opponent.
As a result, Hidalgo published a new post “with apologies.” However, they were considered insincere, so the scandal did not subside, and heavy artillery entered the “couch battles”.
Several colleagues decided to support the Lucasfilm employee. For example, one of the scriptwriters of the animated series “Clone wars“(The clone wars) Henry Gilroy stated that Hidalgo allegedly only “had his own opinion.” Later published in Facebook was deleted for some reason (the Internet remembers everything).
A former employee also joined IGN Mitch Dyerwho is responsible for the mediocre scenario of two games from Electronic Arts based on Star Wars: Battlefront ii and Squadrons… is he statedthat the fans “hit the bottom”. When the screenwriter was criticized in response, Dyer tried to turn everything into a joke and then claimed that he was a freelancer, not working for Disney.
The third was the artist Jordan Masonwho worked on the company’s products Toppsdedicated to Star Wars. is he statedthat the conflict looks like madness, and the feelings of the YouTube blogger supposedly cannot be hurt, as “real fans” are struggling with the problem of “underrepresentation of minorities.” Mason also liked the post, which called the fans of the franchise “white men” and “assholes” who cannot accept that the old canon of “Star Wars” supposedly “was never good.”
A former Lucasfilm employee also distinguished himself Pete Fletzerwho hosts a podcast Around the galaxy… is he accused Star Wars Theory in an attempt to pressure pity in order to knock out a few extra dollars from subscribers. At the same time, Fletcher himself admitted that he shed a tear when watching a new cartoon from the studio Pixar “Soul“(Soul).
However, fans were also supported by not the last people. For example, the Star Wars writer Tricia Barr askedwhen Pablo Hidalgo will already apologize for the targeted insults and mockery of the fans of the franchise.
The star of the series “The Mandalorian” also reacted to the incident Gina Karanawhich is over a year old participates in exciting boxing by correspondence with inadequate “Social Justice Wrestlers” (SJW). In an interview with a blogger Drunk 3PO the artist said that she saw nothing wrong with people sharing their emotions from what they saw. It is also normal that some may have a different opinion about what is happening. But it is not normal that a certain group of people try to tell others that their opinion should not be taken into account.
The main defender was himself Luke Skywalker – Mark Hamill… He posted several messages on Twitter. The actor admitted that he was moved by the positive fan reaction to Luke’s return to The Mandalorian. He also thanked the creators of the series Jonah Favreau and Dave Filoni for the work done.
It is interesting that Hamill did not voice any thanks to the head of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy. It’s no secret that the actor didn’t like the way he treated his character in “Last Jedi“(The last jedi) producer Ryan Johnson… Despite the contractual obligations, Hamill almost openly criticized the controversial decisions sanctioned by the studio before the release of the film.
Stumbling door
The key issue for Disney with Star Wars is money. The franchise was purchased from George Lucas in the hope that the colossal costs can be recaptured by collecting films, selling merchandise and launching theme parks.
However, the course chosen by Kathleen Kennedy’s team led Lucasfilm to a standstill. If the film released in 2015 “The Force Awakens“(The force awakens) became a notable event, generating huge cash flows (only the tape itself raised more than two billion dollars), then released in 2019 “Skywalker. Sunrise“(The rise of skywalker) could not get around created for much more modest budgets “Joker“(Joker) (total fees were about $ 1.074 billion). This is especially offensive for Disney, given the movie’s record. “Avengers Endgame“(Avengers: endgame).
how told spring 2023 chapter Diamond select toys Chuck Terceira, the situation was no better with merchandise. The demand for Star Wars-themed goods during this period was not as high as it was 5-10 years ago, when the franchise was in a coma. This is especially true of certain characters from the new trilogy (Finn, Rose Tiko, Ray Palpatine), in which the interest from the fans was minimal.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the failure of theme parks based on “Star Wars”, which are called Galaxy’s Edge… About a billion dollars were spent on the project, but during the implementation many strategic mistakes were made (poor choice of location, lack of connections with old trilogies, sale of low-quality goods, and so on), which led to dismissal Katherine Powell from the presidency Disney parks west and the elimination of the position itself. And the pandemic only made the situation worse.
how told former vice president Walt disney world Dan Cockerellthe blame for what happened is solely the head of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy. It was she who convinced the Disney management that it was important to associate the park exclusively with the new trilogy.
Initially, they wanted to build the location on the territory Disney’s Hollywood Studiosusing elements from all three trilogies in the decorations. The main area was planned to be stylized as Tatooine, and the legendary cantina in Mos Eisley was to become the central location. However, part of the territory was intended to be turned into the forests of Endor. The plans also included a palace Jabba the Hutt, new version of the show Jedi Training Academy and attraction Path of the forcededicated to the lore of the Jedi and Sith.
But Kennedy vetoed that Lucasfilm needed to grow its audience and attract new fans. According to the head of the studio, the original trilogy of films by George Lucas is supposedly interesting only to people aged 50 and older.
As a result, Galaxy’s Edge was stylized as a planet that did not appear in the films. Also, new characters were invented that did not appear in the films. This caused discontent from fans and bewilderment from ordinary vacationers who wanted to see the park in Star Wars. Darth Vader, Han Solo, Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker…
Strange things happened to the last hero. It seemed that Lucasfilm literally hated the character of Mark Hamill, seeking to belittle his role in the story. Only the “Last Jedi” business was not limited.
So, in one of the books they directly stated that the main character did nothing, and the heroine of the film did all the work for him “Rogue One“(Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) Gene Erso… And in an interview with reporters, Kathleen Kennedy said that the girls “do not want to associate themselves with such heroes as Luke Skywalker or Han Solo.”
Drunk 3PO added that a themed booth with images of the main characters of the franchise was available at the Galaxy’s Edge opening. The exception was Luke Skywalker, whose absence the park staff could not clearly explain.
Passion for “The Mandalorian”
The 2019 release of The Mandalorian series clearly demonstrates the flawed Lucasfilm policies under Kennedy. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni not only did what Disney management initially wanted (turn Star Wars into an analogue of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), but also restore audience loyalty. Especially revealing was the finale of the second season, in which the very Luke Skywalker appeared, and not the left bearded grandfather drinking blue milk in the back of the galaxy.
The Mandalorian hasn’t just become a flagship project Disney +, which allowed Mickey Mouse to take a strong position in the streaming war. The series has significantly spurred merchandise sales.
Disney did not have time to properly prepare the goods for the launch of the first season of The Mandalorian. However, before the release of the second season in the fall of 2023, the company unleashed an avalanche of various goods that people were willing to buy on fans. So, before the New Year, there was a whole trend when viewers decorated Christmas trees using a toy baby Yoda (Grogu).
Favreau and Filoni have released a product that puts pressure on nostalgia, while presenting completely new characters. They have fan love, money and great prospects. The same “Rise of the Republic” is still presented in the form of comics, books and a series from Lesley Hadland “Acolyte”.
“The Mandalorian” will receive a whole scattering of serial spin-offs, including serials “Ahsoka“(Ahsoka), “Rangers of the New Republic“(Rangers of the New Republic), “Boba Fett’s book“(The Book of Boba Fett) etc. Continued as a spin-off “Defective batch“(The bad batch) received the animated series “The Clone Wars”.
And that infuriates Kennedy’s loyal people inside Lucasfilm. They especially do not like the return of Luke Skywalker, whose image they have trampled in the mud for several years.
As told by a blogger specializing in insiders about Disney amusement parks WDW Pro, inside the studio, discontent is now brewing, which may result in an attempt to sabotage the work of “two white men” (we are talking about Favreau and Filoni). In particular, representatives of the script group (including Pablo Hidalgo) can use secondary works (comics and books) for this purpose.
In addition, there is a group of people inside Lucasfilm and Disney who allegedly lobby for racism. They insist that in all future projects of the studios a complete ban on starring “white men-Caucasians” should be introduced. However, WDW Pro warns that this information should be treated with caution for now.
The future of Galaxy’s Edge
Amusement parks have become a major source of headache for Disney’s management in the face of the pandemic. Plans to rebuild the business have not gone away, given the start of worldwide vaccine shipments. But the difficulty lies in the lack of funds, because the company lost several billion dollars in 2023.
Therefore, the company needs to prioritize projects, freezing all others. This also applies to one of the main objects – an amusement park Magic kingdomwhich turns 50 in 2023.
According to WDW Pro sources and newspapers USA Today, Mickey Mouse froze work on the construction of a number of attractions. In particular, we are talking about a roller coaster based on the franchise “Throne“, a water attraction based on the Pixar cartoon”Moana“, restaurant Roundup rodeo bbq (based on the “Toy Stories“). The attraction based on”Guardians of the galaxy“.
But at the same time, Disney plans to completely redo the Galaxy’s Edge park. According to WDW Pro and a well-known insider Jim Hill, ready-made rides will not go anywhere, but fans should expect the appearance of familiar characters.
We are talking about the heroes of the series “The Mandalorian”, including Dina Jarina, Ahsoku Tano, Grogu, Bobu Fetta etc. This will clearly compromise the integrity of the entire Galaxy’s Edge concept.
According to WDW Pro, the easiest way is to divide the park area into two parts. The area around the attraction Rise of the Resistance will be dedicated to the Disney trilogy, but the area with shops and an attraction Smuggler’s Run will be given to The Mandalorian and related projects.
The insider added that Rise of the Resistance turned out to be a successful attraction. He is still able to attract fans, although breakdowns have occurred regularly there.
But Smuggler’s Run (flight to “Millennium Falcon“) needs a complete overhaul due to the negative reaction of visitors (bad CGI graphics and the concept in general). However, Disney does not have the money for this yet. Hana Solo, and a little later to redo the video sequence. Hill describes an option in which the Millennium Falcon will be replaced by Dean Jarin’s ship. “Razor blade“.
From all of the above, so far we can conclude that a kind of competition has now been organized inside Lucasfilm. On the one hand, the Favreau / Filoni team is making money for Mickey Mouse, creating an analogue of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
On the other hand, no one has touched Kennedy’s team so far in order to preserve the image and prevent an information attack from the “fighters for social justice” and the Western publications that support them. According to the sources of the YouTube channel Midnight’s edge, the projects of the head of Lucasfilm try to isolate from the rest of the universe so that they can not harm the entire franchise. This is exactly what the concept of “Rise of the Republic” looks like now.
In the current conditions, Disney is concerned about money, so the end consumer was offered to vote with a wallet for the most preferred option for him.
See also: Insiders: Iron Man was offered to play the main villain in the series “The Mandalorian”
“The Mandalorian” waiting for “Heir to the Empire”? Insiders talk about the new concept of “Star Wars”
Rumors: Lucasfilm is working on a TV series about young Luke Skywalker without Mark Hamill
Mickey Mouse Hocus Pocus: Disney Destroyed HBO Max with Movie and TV Series Napalm
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