Is Pixar Making A 'Star Wars' Movie?

When Disney acquired the Star Wars franchise, they quickly made it clear that they had more than just a new cinematic trilogy in mind. There's been talk of TV shows (e.g., Star Wars Rebels), comic books (to be published by Marvel), and spinoffs based on characters like Han Solo and Boba Fett.

Now it seems we can also add a Pixar movie to that growing list of Star Wars projects. Hit the jump for more details.

Pixar has Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, and Finding Dory lined up through 2016, so 2017 would seem to be the earliest possible release date. And that's assuming Pixar is already working on the film, or intends to start soon, as they tend to take their time putting together their theatrical features. Moreover, that's such a long way off that any plans could change drastically or get scrapped altogether between now and then.

If the rumors are true, the Star Wars film will be Pixar's first project based on an existing property. Despite constant speculation, a Pixar Marvel movie has yet to materialize — although the first Disney Marvel picture, Big Hero 6, is coming later this year.

But that's a big if. There's no official word from Pixar, Lucasfilm, or Disney of any possible Star Wars / Pixar team-up. Still, the thought of a crossover makes sense. Both franchises have huge, devoted followings, so a combination of the two is practically a license to print money.

In my mind, the best-case scenario here is that Pixar will be allowed to make a real Pixar movie out of the Star Wars universe, as opposed to a Star Wars movie that just happens to be animated. Besides, if Disney really is determined to release a Star Wars movie every year, they'll have to fill all those release dates somehow.