The popular Darth Vader fan-made movie Shards of the Past has delighted long-time Star Wars buffs. Getting fans of the franchise on board isn’t the easiest thing to do, and Disney knows this all too well. With that being said, the studio has found a way to further drive a wedge between themselves and the intense following that Star Wars has by reportedly treating the popular Star Wars Theory YouTube channel unfairly. In response, passionate fans are calling for a boycott of Star Wars 9 and anything else that has Disney’s fingerprints on it.
Before making Vader Episode 1: Shards of the Past, the Star Wars Theory YouTube channel asked for permission from Lucasfilm. They were then given the green light to move forward, as long as they followed two guidelines: they couldn’t crowdfund and they couldn’t monetize the fan film on YouTube. Toos, who runs the popular channel, decided to fund the movie himself and strictly make it out of his love of Star Wars. The movie was put out on December 20th and has nearly 7 million views.
Earlier this week, Toos received a copyright strike from Warner/Chappel publishing, who is the publisher for the Walt Disney Music Company. Even though he hired a composer to make music that was based on the work of John Williams, the publisher believes that it is too close to the “Imperial March” theme. They did not take down the video, instead, they monetized it themselves and have made over $80,000, according to Toos.
Naturally, a lot of fans aren’t too happy with the situation, with many calling for a boycott of Star Wars: Episode IX and any other Disney-related releases unless the company offers an apology for their treatment of the YouTube channel. Where the situation goes from here remains to be seen, but given the popularity of the Star Wars Theory channel, it seems that we now have one more cause of tension between Lucasfilm and parts of the franchise fanbase.
Source: MovieWeb
