DEBUNKED: No, 'Star Wars' Is Not Discussing R-Rated 'Star Wars' Projects
Disney recently announced ten new Star Wars TV shows coming to Disney+ over the next few years. These shows range from more kid centric animated offering like A Droid Story, to spin-offs of the hit show The Mandalorian. There will be something to satisfy the tastes of any viewer. Now, a new rumor from the website We Got This Covered hints that Disney is developing R-rated Star Wars shows for Hulu. There does not seem to be any truth to this rumor, or a real source to back it up.
Back in December, The Walt Disney Company held their Investor's Day 2020. During their almost 4-hour long presentation, Disney unveiled their plan to move to a more direct to consumer business model. This new DTC focus means creating a large volume of content for Disney+. On Investor's Day, Disney announced nine new Star Wars shows, and then a week later a tenth, The Book of Boba Fett, was announced. They are also developing two new movies, and Lucasfilm publishing is launching Star Wars: The High Republic, a multiple year story that will feature novels, comics, graphic novels, and magazine stories, this month. Lucasfilm has a lot on their plate currently, and if these R-rated shows were in the works, they would have been announced with the rest at Investor's Day.
Now let us talk about this R-rated Star Wars TV shows rumor. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, has said in the past that at its core Star Wars is for children. While the maturity level of the different projects within the Star Wars universe has varied, at its core fans of all ages can enjoy ALL that Star Wars has to offer. We Got This Covered, for those who are unfamiliar with the website, is basically the Weekly World News on internet pop culture sites. The vast majority of what they report is unsubstantiated rumors with click-bait titles so they can get views on their website and with that more ad revenue. Their main source on most of these rumors is Daniel Richtman, a pop culture insider, who keeps all his sources behind a paywall on Patreon. There are no public sources to back up this reporting, and most importantly Disney has not confirmed nor announced a new R-rated Star Wars projects. At the end of their own article, We Got This Covered even admits that this idea is absurd. They flat out state the idea is far-fetched and unnecessary. Click-bait of the highest order.
Star Wars has taken great pains to tell mature stories while keeping the action on a more PG level. Laser blasters and lightsabers are the main weapons. These weapons cauterize any wounds they create so there is no blood. Most of the characters killed on screen in Star Wars are droids, or faceless, like stormtroopers, so they feel less human and the violence seems less real. Star Wars really is a universe for families to enjoy together. There is almost zero chance Disney would alienate a large portion of the fan base to make an R-rated show.
Disney+ is now the focus of Disney's media business model, and Star Wars is the crown jewel of the streaming service. The Mandalorian is currently the most watched show in the world, with three direct spin-offs in the works. Disney has plans for Hulu. That is now the home for all the great content from FX. It is also home to all the mature content under the Disney banner that does not fit on the family friendly Disney+. It does not make any sense for Disney to split the viewership of the Star Wars TV shows between two different services if anything this will just confuse consumers and make it harder to find the content.
This rumor is just that, a rumor with no sources to back it up. Remember, if an article sounds too crazy to be true then it probably is. May the Force be with you.