Mickey Mouse, You're My Only Hope . . . Or, Use the Force, Disney

By Steven McLain

Star Wars VII is in a pretty bad way.  First, J.J. Abrams said he wouldn't do it.  And now, Guillermo del Toro turned it down as well, saying he's way to busy making remakes of classic 80s cartoons.  Word is even Brad Bird won't touch George Lucas's world with a ten-foot pole.  And it makes me wonder just what the heck happened to turn Star Wars from the most critically acclaimed space fantasy of all time, a perennial favorite with viewers and the basis of rabid fan enthusiasm, into something that the best directors of our age don't even want to associate with.  It sort of has the feeling of that popular kid in high school who ten years later got fat and calls you up around midnight to come score chicks with him at the bar. 

I don't actually Episodes I through III on the debacle.  Yeah, they were pretty bad, but they didn't ruin the franchise as much as all those Clone Wars cartoons, licensed action figures and midichlorians did.  I don't want to get too deep into the muck with this, but George took a bold leap with his franchise; and sometimes bold leaps just turn into belly-flops.  The crass commercialization of the franchise, however, sunk it completely (to mix metaphors).  What used to be something original and compelling became just another gimmick to turn a buck--and people caught on.  Especially the people who like to make original and compelling cinema (though del Toro's recent Voltron remake makes me wonder). 

That's beside the point.  The point is that Star Wars isn't a franchise that people want to get behind anymore.  It's too restrictive, too puerile (case in point: Han shot first).  It's too childish (but once more, Peter Jackson seems to be doing okay making childish adaptations of beloved stories).  Regardless.  If Disney want to turn the ship of Star Wars around, they need a serious marketing coup.  They need to address the silliness of the franchise so that it appeals to the hard-core fans, while accruing new fans along the way.  I think they should start pounding out the books again, leverage some of their capital into fan films, or maybe even a series of webisodes that could boost interest and drive sales.  Somehow, Disney has to make us all believe in the Force again.