Disney plans `Star Wars` stand-alone films

Los Angeles: Disney plans to expand the `Star Wars` universe even further with stand-alone films focusing on characters outside the main saga.

Those spin-off films would be in addition to the next three installments the company is making after acquiring Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise in a USD 4 billion deal last October, the Hollywood Reporter said. There are no details yet about what direction the offshoots will take a Yoda storyline seems to be a popular choice online. But Disney has brought on Lawrence Kasdan, who helped write `The Empire Strikes Back` and `Return of the Jedi`, and Simon Kinberg, producer of `X-Men: First Class`, for the planned spinoffs. Disney CEO Bob Iger described the `Star Wars` spinoffs as "films derived from great `Star Wars` characters that are not part of the overall saga," and hinted the films could be released alongside the new `Star Wars` trilogy. "We still plan to make `Star Wars` VII, VIII and IX roughly over a six-year period of time starting in 2015," said Iger. "But there are going to be a few other films released in that period of time, too." JJ Abrams has already signed on as director for `Star Wars: Episode VII`, set for release in 2015. `Toy Story 3` writer Michael Ardnt is set to write the screenplay. PTI