Disney announced this month that it will add original “Star Wars” characters to its Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lands, and incorporate music from composer John Williams, signaling a change in direction for the multibillion-dollar project, the company said.
The themed lands were built around the fictional planet Batuu and originally emphasized characters and storylines from the newer “Star Wars” trilogy. Disney invested billions in the design and construction of Galaxy’s Edge, the company has said.
Former Walt Disney World vice president Dan Cockerell said the decision to focus on the new trilogy reflected advice from Kathleen Kennedy, then head of Lucasfilm, to then-Disney CEO Bob Iger. “Kathleen Kennedy . . . her point of view was, there are way more Disney Star Wars stories ahead of us than behind us,” Cockerell said, recounting a call he received about the meeting.
Cockerell said the recent additions represent a reversal of that early guidance. He told reporters the move to bring characters from the original trilogy into Galaxy’s Edge shows a reassessment of the earlier strategy. Disney declined further comment beyond its announcement.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
