With numerous Star Wars films lined up for the foreseeable future, The Walt Disney Company has underlined the growing importance of the science fiction franchise in its theme parks.

In a recent interview with Variety, the US entertainment trade magazine, Disney chairman and chief executive officer Bob Iger said the company would have a "far greater Star Wars presence" at its theme parks in the future.

It is thought this will include branded Star Wars rides and attractions at the company's parks in the US, Europe and Asia.


Iger's additional comment that some of Disney's new ventures would be comparable to Universal's highly successful Harry Potter model have led to suggestions that the group is planning to develop a Star Wars branded theme park.



Disney purchased Lucasfilm, the production company that held the rights to Star Wars, for just over $4bn in 2012. It will release the next film in the ongoing franchise, Star Wars: Episode VII, in December 2015.