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George Lucas revealed he intended to continue making Star Wars movies before shifting his focus to the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. He did not detail what those future films would have involved, only confirming the plan existed at one point.
An amended franchise disclosure document shows TGI Fridays has shuttered nine additional restaurants in the United States this year. The closures continue a downsizing trend that began after the casual dining chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late 2024.
Entrepreneur and Cruise Planners are hosting a free webinar on how entrepreneurship can help working mothers balance career and family, moderated by Terry Rice with guests Summer Bowers and Tammy Overcash. The two women co-own the same Cruise Planners franchise but arrived there through different careers: Bowers left teaching after military relocations disrupted her career and grew a travel-focused social media following into a business, while Overcash's path was separately built around her own career and family circumstances.
Microsoft's Xbox division is transferring future Halo game development to Call of Duty publisher Activision, part of a fresh round of 268 layoffs. The move follows Ninja Theory's failed sale talks, with the Hellblade studio now facing a proposed closure after two potential buyers walked away. Xbox says it is three-quarters through a restructuring plan that has already eliminated 1,600 jobs immediately, with 3,600 total cuts planned.
Sonic the Hedgehog series boss Takashi Iizuka told Tokyo Game Show attendees that Sega executives once wanted to cancel the entire Sonic franchise, and that he had to fight internally to keep it alive. He credited the 2020 live-action film, whose character redesign followed fan backlash, with proving continued demand and enabling sequels; the franchise has since sold over 1.5 billion copies worldwide.
Meritage Hospitality Group, which runs 314 Wendy's locations across 15 states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Wendy's franchising arm, Quality Is Our Recipe LLC, is listed as its largest unsecured creditor, owed roughly $24.9 million in deferred franchise fees. Meritage says it will continue operating its restaurants, including its Bojangles and independent locations, during restructuring.
Paramount has announced release dates for follow-up films to its horror titles 'Heart Eyes' and 'Crawl,' signaling plans to turn both into ongoing franchises. The studio is moving to capitalize on the earlier films' success by locking in theatrical slots for the sequels.
A major Wendy's franchisee operating 314 restaurants has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing what it called sustained system-wide headwinds alongside broader struggles facing the parent company. The filing marks a significant setback for Wendy's, which has already been dealing with declining sales and a contracting store count.
Universal Studios Hollywood has launched Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, a new outdoor roller coaster themed around the movie franchise. The ride sends replica muscle cars, including a version of Dom Toretto's 1970 Dodge Charger, spinning along more than 4,000 feet of track at speeds up to 72 mph. A separate version of the attraction is expected to open at Universal's Florida park next year.
Dave Baumgartner's Bluemont Group opened its 100th Dunkin' location this spring, 16 years after he signed his first franchise deal with no restaurant background. He says starting with 17 stores at once was a mistake and now advises new franchisees to begin with just one location to learn the business first.
Burger King's newest franchise disclosure document shows the chain finished fiscal 2025 with 6,650 U.S. restaurants, down from 6,701 at the start of the year. That net figure of 51 fewer stores masks a larger churn of individual closures and openings happening across the system.
Blizzard Entertainment revealed a new StarCraft game at BlizzCon 2026, marking the franchise's first mainline entry since 2015's Legacy of the Void. The open-world, story-driven shooter is directed by Dan Hay and takes place in the Koprulu Sector seventy years after the previous game's events, with a targeted 2030 release.