'Star Wars' Spinoffs Confirmed by Disney CEO Bob Iger

When Disney announced last October that the company was buying rights to the Lucasfilm Ltd. brand, including its flagship "Star Wars" series, many fans hoped they would be seeing more epic galactic films.

Their dreams are becoming reality. Following the announcement of Disney's quarterly earnings on Tuesday, Chief Executive Bob Iger told CNBC that standalone films about the characters are in the works.

"There's been speculation about some standalone films that have been in development. And I can confirm to you today that we are working on a few standalone films," Iger said. "[Lawrence] Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are both working on films derived from great 'Star Wars' characters that are not part of the overall saga. So we still plan to make 'Star Wars' seven, eight, and nine, starting in 2015. But there are going to be a few other films released in that period of time, too."

The first standalone flick stars Yoda, the diminutive Jedi master, according to Hollywood insider site Ain't It Cool News. Voiced by Frank Oz, Yoda is known for speaking backwards. Where the film picks up is still a mystery, however.

Ain't It Cool suggests there are ideas floating for films focusing on other characters like the mysterious bounty hunter Bobba Fett and the wormy crime boss Jabba the Hutt.

It makes sense that Disney would want to maximize a return on investment. The company paid a $4.05 billion in cash and stock for the Lucasfilm brand. Iger told reporters that the plan is to release a new film in the series every two or three years when the acquisition was announced in October.

The seventh "Star Wars" installment will be directed by J.J. Abrams and is set for release in 2015. The last three films in the franchise have been long been rumored to focus on the children of Princess Leia and Han Solo, as they continue their battle for interstellar justice.

"Star Wars" fans went as far as to capitalize on the Death Star's national security potential last year. A White House petition started in December called for the government to build a functional Death Star, the orbital super-weapon in the films.