Why You Shouldn't Have a Bad Feeling About Disney Making New 'Star Wars' Movies

The news that Disney has acquired Lucasfilm and now plans to release Star Wars: Episode VII in 2015 with new Star Wars films every two to three years after that has been met with a certain degree of negative feedback online. Some people don't want to see new Star Wars movies, which is understandable after the quality of the Prequel Trilogy. Star Wars: Episode VII isn't going to be The Phantom Menace, though.

Here's why you shouldn't fear the new Star Wars world that we're living in.

George Lucas won't be the one calling the shots
Look, there was a time when George Lucas was a creative genius. He changed special effects when he made the original Star Wars. He was a shrewd businessman when he made deals to control merchandising and sequels for the franchise. The thing about Star Wars, though, is that the films reached their highest point when Lucas wasn't the one fully in charge.

It's a fact that The Empire Strikes Back is the greatest of all the Star Wars films. (Yes, it's a fact. If anyone feels otherwise, they're crazy.) Unlike the three latest Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back wasn't directed by Lucas. Irvin Kershner was the man in the director's chair for Episode V. Lucas only had a story credit. Lucas always excelled at plotting stories and creating new worlds. Dialogue and sophisticated filmmaking weren't his strengths. All of those lines about hating sand in Attack of the Clones? That was Lucas.

By selling his company to Disney, Lucas has agreed to step away from Star Wars. He'll have the title of creative consultant, but at the end of the day, Disney will be making the big decisions now.

The franchise is now open for a new generation of directors to lead
In the press release announcing the sale of Lucasfilm, Lucas stated that it was time to pass Star Wars onto a new generation of filmmakers. Disney can bring in any director they'd like to direct Star Wars: Episode VII and the movies that follow it. When this news broke, the Internet immediately went crazy suggesting that Christopher Nolan or J.J. Abrams direct Star Wars: Episode VII. A likely reaction to this idea is to dismiss the notion of a top-caliber director taking on Star Wars, especially after the Prequel Trilogy.

Let's look at other popular movie franchises for a second. Nolan went from being a small-film director to bringing the Batman films to the point where The Dark Knight changed how the Academy nominates films for Best Picture. Alfonso Cuaron fit Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in between Y Tu Mamá También and Children of Men. Now, I'm not saying that Disney is going to bring in Paul Thomas Anderson to direct Star Wars: Episode VII, but we shouldn't count out the notion that the studio will go bold when resurrecting the Star Wars film franchise.

Disney has already proven itself with its purchase of Marvel
Remember when Disney bought Marvel a few years ago? There was worry that Disney would dilute Marvel's properties and jeopardize the young Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, one record-setting The Avengers movie later, and it's clear that Disney's purchase was a brilliant move. While Warner Bros.'s DC Comics struggles to find success on the big screen, Marvel is preparing to bring in billions of dollars more with Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Disney bought Lucasfilm because Bob Iger and his crew knew that Star Wars was a ready-made franchise capable of bringing in a billion dollars per film. They're not going to screw that up. Disney will put the resources into Lucasfilm that it needs to turn Star Wars into a box office behemoth that delivers hit after hit just like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They're going to hire actors that are perfect for their roles. They're going to bring in directors who have a passion for the films. And they're going to tell a massive story that spans across many movies.

This is Star Wars' chance to redeem itself
The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith didn't live up to the standard the Original Trilogy set. The original Star Wars earned a Oscar nomination for Best Picture. The Prequel Trilogy didn't come anywhere close to that. Instead of rooting against Star Wars, though, those of us who love the franchise should take this chance to cheer the franchise on. I highly doubt Disney will put out a Star Wars: Episode VII that lets fans down. They can't. Not after the Prequel Trilogy.

This is Star Wars' chance to redeem itself. Like Darth Vader reclaiming his life as Anakin Skywalker by throwing Emperor Palpatine into the bowels of the second Death Star, Disney can make Star Wars legendary again by delivering a movie that blows us all away.