Disney to use the force in marketing Star Wars and its spin-offs
News of a spin-off film about Han Solo and a rumoured return for Darth Vader are the latest signs that Disney is keen to expand the Star Wars universe
A long time ago - 38 years to be exact - movie audiences were transported to a galaxy far, far away: one where imperial cruisers battled rebel fighters, where protocol droids rubbed circuits with Wookiees, and where a spaceship called the Millennium Falcon could make "the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs".
That was 1977, but in 2015, as the franchise approaches its seventh big-screen instalment, interest in Star Wars shows no sign of abating. This week brought news of a new film about Han Solo and of a reappearance for Darth Vader.
"Countless fans around the world are in a constant state of vigilance, waiting for the release of new poster art, new trailers and other titbits and information,"says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at box office monitor Rentrak. "It's hard to imagine any other movie franchise that could evoke a level of passion, enthusiasm and excitement."
The latest bout of Star Wars mania dates from Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm from the film's creator, George Lucas, in 2012; the US$4 billion acquisition was accompanied by an announcement of three more sequential "episodes" - VII, VIII and IX - plus unspecified plans for spin-offs and "standalones" to plug the gaps in the release schedule.
Details of the second such spin-off have been made public: an "origins story" about Han Solo, the intergalactic smuggler played by Harrison Ford in the first three films, which is scheduled to be released in May 2018.