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Disney's Titling Problem With Its Star Wars Movies

Posted by timothy on from the what-occupies-the-mind dept.

An anonymous reader writes "When George Lucas produced his Star Wars movies, he subtitled them 'Episode I,' 'Episode IV' etc. But that style will become inappropriate and confusing with Disney producing a new Star Wars movie each year, observes blogger Christopher Knight: 'Those were individual chapters of one story in an epic fantasy setting. And it suffices for that one multi-generational epic on film. Except now, there is the intent to produce several stories in that same setting. And they aren't necessarily going to pertain to the tale of the Skywalker family from Anakin to Luke to whoever it will be in the next trilogy.' Knight's solution is to retroactively amend the titles of Episodes I through IX to reflect it being the Skywalkers' saga, just as Lucas retroactively subtitled the first movie to be Episode IV."

16 of 279 comments (clear)

  1. Peh. by Black+Parrot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They should just name them after the action figure each one is made to sell.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    1. Re:Peh. by pitchpipe · · Score: 5, Funny

      Jar Jar Strikes Back??? NOOOOOOOOOOOO...

      --
      Look where all this talking got us, baby.
    2. Re:Peh. by Billly+Gates · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well better than Darth mouse!

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
  2. Just rename everything by anarcobra · · Score: 5, Funny

    The movies formerly known as star wars.

  3. How about this by MonkeyPaw · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How about this? Stop making stupid Star Wars movies and come up with a new idea.

    --
    My studio - www.graylands.ca
    1. Re:How about this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      come up with a new idea.

      Disney? Come up with a new idea? Hahaha, oh wow, are you kidding? They've finished sucking classical childrens stories dry, and now they've moved on to modern culture, Disney hasn't had a single original idea since the ink dried on Steam Boat Willy.

    2. Re:How about this by OhANameWhatName · · Score: 5, Insightful

      come up with a new ide

      Quit living in the past. Modern film making is about certainties. If you try to come up with a new idea, what if it didn't work?

      The studios need to know precisely what's going to happen before they even try. That's why you stick with the same formula over and over again and the only new content is derived from best selling works. That way you know what's going to fail and what's going to succeed.

      Risk is not an option.

    3. Re:How about this by blackraven14250 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The Lion King was substantially ripped off too, from Kimba the White Lion. What, you thought Disney actually did anything original?

    4. Re:How about this by Stormwatch · · Score: 5, Informative

      Disney hasn't had a single original idea since the ink dried on Steam Boat Willy.

      Are you implying that Steamboat Willy was original? Nope! It was a parody of Buster Keaton's Steamboat Bill Jr.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
  4. Just use the A.D. notation . . . by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 5, Funny

    . . . you know, like A.D., as in, "Anno Disneyi" . . . ?

    . . . and BCE . . . "Before Crap Era" . . .

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    1. Re:Just use the A.D. notation . . . by plover · · Score: 5, Insightful

      . . . you know, like A.D., as in, "Anno Disneyi" . . . ?

      . . . and BCE . . . "Before Crap Era" . . .

      BCE == Before Copyrights were Eternal.

      --
      John
  5. Re:Retroactively? by CaitlinAnnPatton · · Score: 5, Informative

    Didn't the original scrolling intro always say "episode 4"?

    Not in the original showing of the film. The "Episode IV" part was added later when the film's popularity made it viable for a sequel. OR something like that.

  6. I recently embraced the New Imperialism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    So in my view the Rebel Alliance are not freedom fighters, but terrorists. Leave it to Disney to make movies celebrating horrific, terrorist acts against the forces of the democratically elected galactic government. It's sickening.

    1. Re:I recently embraced the New Imperialism by gignac.adam · · Score: 5, Funny

      Alderaan shot first...

  7. Re:Retroactively? by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 5, Informative

    It did when I saw the original theatrical release on opening day in1978.

    Except that Star Wars premiered in 1977. And it did not say "Episode 4" when it did. I was there, and it didn't. It did get a 1978 re-release, but "Episode IV" was not placed into the title crawl until the 1981 re-release (after The Empire Strikes Back proclaimed itself "Episode V" in its original 1980 release).

  8. Truth in advertising by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Funny

    They could just name the last six movies, "The.Star.Wars.Saga.dvdrip.engsubs.aXX0" and I'm not sure anyone would notice.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.