Star Wars: Predicting The Next 10 Years Of The Franchise
8. 2017: The Death Of Han Solo, The End Of Rebels And The Netflix Era
Entering murkier territory here, little is known besides the middle film in the new Star Wars trilogy and a - very likely - third season of Star Wars Rebels. As for those Netflix rumours? Expect them to come to fruition in 2017...
What We Know Will Happen
After the success of The Force Awakens and Rogue One, anticipation will be higher than ever for Episode VIII to raise the stakes higher when it is released in May 2017, just five months after the last Star Wars film.
What We Predict Will Happen
And talking of raised stakes, expect things to take a turn for the worse as Episode VIII ends with the tragic death of Han Solo. Harrison Ford asked for his character to die in Return Of The Jedi and he will get his wish, not at Christmas 2015 as many suspect but the climatic ending to the middle film, proving that it can compete with the emotional clout that The Empire Strikes Back.
Using Marvel's Netflix series as a template, expect the first Star Wars series around March / April time to build up Star Wars fever and the second to fill the long gap before the next film - around October 2017. Perhaps a Clone Wars wrap-up film and Bounty Hunter series (with cameos by Boba Fett) following the success of their appearances in Rogue One?
Disney and Lucasfilm will be keen to keep the new universe fresh and exciting, with new concepts and ideas that will keep any storylines from growing stale. Star Wars Rebels will meet its natural end after its third season, wrapping up with a TV movie that celebrates the 40th anniversary of A New Hope, serving as a fantastic prequel to the very first Star Wars film.
Enter Star Wars Jedi Academy, a new animated TV series that focuses on Luke Skywalker's new Jedi Order a year or two before The Force Awakens.