Disney has just confirmed that it has agreed to acquire George Lucas‘ Lucasfilm Ltd, and that includes rights to the Star Wars franchise that will now continue on. The companies have targeted a 2015 release for Star Wars: Episode 7 and plan future movies based on the movies’ most iconic franchises. The stock and cash transaction is worth an estimated $4.05 billion, and the companies have scheduled a conference call in a half-hour to discuss the deal, which was approved by the Disney board and Lucas, the sole Lucasfilm shareholder.
As for the new Star Wars installment, the companies only would say that Lucasfilm co-chairman Kathleen Kennedy would be executive producer on Episode 7 and any more Star Wars movies, and Lucas would serve as creative consultant. There was no indication about where the story would pick up, though technically in the franchise’s chronology it would follow Star Wars: Episode 6 — Return Of The Jedi, the third film in the initial trilogy that came out in 1983.
As part of the deal, Kennedy will become president of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, whose feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date. And that doesn’t even take into account the franchise’s massive merchandising clout.
“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” said Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger in a release announcing the deal. “This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.”
Disney is paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing based on Disney’s stock price on October 26. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm chairman and founder Lucas.
“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said Lucas. “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.”
Lucasfilm’s businesses include live-action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio postproduction. Disney also acquires the technologies from the San Francisco-based company, which operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light + Magic, and Skywalker Sound.
If the film is out in 2 1/2 years, I wonder how long this has been in the works?
Episode II came out exactly 3 years after Episode I, and Episode III came out exactly three years after Episode II.
Disney buying all the fan-nerd companies. First Marvel, now Lucasfilm. What's next, Wizards of the Coast?
Where is Mana? Can somebody get a hold on this motherfucker so I can make sense of all this!
"It's now time for me to pass 'Star Wars' on to a new generation of filmmakers," said Lucas, 68, in a statement.
I guess Disney got sick of trying to replicate PotC success and just went out and bought a bigger franchise. And now I'm wondering what's going to happen to Indiana Jones?
I guess Disney got sick of trying to replicate PotC success and just went out and bought a bigger franchise. And now I'm wondering what's going to happen to Indiana Jones?
Paramount originally signed a 5-movie deal, but I'm not sure if any other deal was signed since then or what the terms of that deal might be beyond that. Disney could probably wrangle it away if they really wanted to, though.
Chances of a good Star Wars movie increased dramatically today
John Carter.
Chances of a good Star Wars movie increased dramatically today
John Carter.
So, why isn't ILM doing the CG for Iron Man 3? Surely this had to be in the plans for Disney for a while now. I also really think Episode 7 is a waste of time. Disney is better off making smaller Star Wars films focused on other aspects of the universe, due to the extremely poor reception of the prequel trilogy. Not to mention those would be easier to handle in terms of budget and scope. Bounty hunters, let's go!
Oh and is Disney picking up the game division? I gotta wonder what happens to SW 1313 and other games they've been working on.
I also really think Episode 7 is a waste of time. Disney is better off making smaller Star Wars films focused on other aspects of the universe, due to the extremely poor reception of the prequel trilogy.
I personally find Tangled as proof that they have the ability to make a good Star Wars film because it was charming, well written, and had great visual aesthetic. Best Disney film since The Lion King. If Lucas himself has very little creative output, I think SWVII could be the best thing for Star Wars in decades.
ANOTHER UPDATE: In case you're curious about whether George Lucas is happy to be $4 billion richer today, or you'd like to hear him discuss what other, non-money-related reasons he had for yielding control of his franchise to Disney, here's this just-posted video in which he discusses the merger with Lucasfilm's new head, Kathleen Kennedy. In it, Lucas also describes the "treasure trove" of Star Wars stories he's bequeathed to his heir—including story treatments for Episodes 7, 8, and 9, plus "a bunch of other movies"—with Kennedy adding that they're already sitting down with writers to discuss plans for what to do with those. Lucas also says he'll be happy to be just "a fan" now, obviously forgetting that Star Wars fans are never happy.
Well, I wouldn't expect the people who made Tangled would be making a new SW movie, or that it would naturally translate.
I'll go with the conventional wisdom: a new SW should be better than the prequels, but there's plenty of room for improvement where it could still end up not being good. Hope we get a HD release for the untouched original trilogy, but not holding my breath.
I hope Disney buys Christopher Nolan next
Great big chunks of Revenge of the Sith were ghost-directed by Spielburg. Open secret.
It was also the least bad of the prequel trilogy.
It was also the least bad of the prequel trilogy.What? revenge of the Sith was god-awful. Phantom Menace is the least etrrible, but it's still fucking awful.
jesus christ i can't even comprehend the amount of merchandising we'll see
jesus christ i can't even comprehend the amount of merchandising we'll see
More than usual?
What? revenge of the Sith was god-awful. Phantom Menace is the least etrrible, but it's still fucking awful.
The prequels were doomed to begin with. You had a story that was already pre-determined (for the most part) and a fanbase that grew up ravenously digesting mature sci-fi. There was no way you could please them and still appeal to your other target demo (7-14 yr old boys). Every misstep that script made was because of trying to solve that riddle.
The prequels were doomed to begin with. You had a story that was already pre-determined (for the most part) and a fanbase that grew up ravenously digesting mature sci-fi. There was no way you could please them and still appeal to your other target demo (7-14 yr old boys). Every misstep that script made was because of trying to solve that riddle.
Lucas and co. should've asked at every step of the way "does adding this make the movie good for the reasons the OT was good", but they didn't.
Edgar Wright would be a good pickQuoteThe prequels were doomed to begin with. You had a story that was already pre-determined (for the most part) and a fanbase that grew up ravenously digesting mature sci-fi. There was no way you could please them and still appeal to your other target demo (7-14 yr old boys). Every misstep that script made was because of trying to solve that riddle.
I don't think the prequels had to be bad. Anakin and Obi Wan being bros and then not bros and a volcano was pretty much all they had to start with, and is pretty ripe with potential. It's not like they were hamstrung by the existing material.
Lucas and co. should've asked at every step of the way "does adding this make the movie good for the reasons the OT was good", but they didn't.
Someone Photoshop all the Disney Princesses alongside Leia in the bikini stat
Jedi did have the best space battle, I'll get it that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCxKUuOn_94
So Disney also bought Wilco?
There's a rumor going around that they might bring back Vader :-\
A Star Wars movie directed by Brad Bird? *swoon*QFT
A Star Wars movie directed by Brad Bird? *swoon*
Meh.
Quentin Tarantino writing and directing a Star Wars Gaiden
There's just no way that bringing back Vader [other than as a Force ghost] would make any sense, or not be incredibly stupid.
There's just no way that bringing back Vader [other than as a Force ghost] would make any sense, or not be incredibly stupid.
And since went aren´t force ghost incredibly stupid?
But once again, cable networks were the driving force behind Disney’s earnings, responsible for 57% of the company’s total operating income. The cable channel doing most the heavy lifting for Disney is ESPN, which along with a contribution from the Disney Channel, generates more profits than the rest of Walt Disney combined.
ESPN is worth $40 billion according to a research report this summer from Wunderlich or barely ten times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $3.9 billion. Disney as a whole is currently worth $84 billion.
That didn't take long: within one month, we got all of our screenwriters lined up for the new Disney-Lucasfilm Star Wars trilogy, and one of them is a pretty reliable man for the job. As we reported earlier, Michael Arndt will be taking Episode VII, and now it's being reported that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg will take on Episodes VIII and IX, though it's unspecified who will take which script. If you recall, Kasdan wrote both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and if I may make a wild prediction, I'm going to call the final episode for him. Let the veteran round out the new trilogy. Kinberg is also hardly a slouch, having written Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Sherlock Holmes, plus he's currently writing the sequel to X-Men: First Class, on which he was a producer. (In other words, experience in sci-fi/fantasy franchises.) Both Kasdan and Kinberg will also join Kathleen Kennedy as producers on both films.
All three of the new movies will be based on story notes from George Lucas, but will be written and directed by others. Probably the best thing for Star Wars that George Lucas could ever do at this point.
The Hollywood Reporter (and several other sites) seem to have this news all but confirmed. Disney-Lucasfilm have not offered a comment yet, except to say that they will make an official announcement on StarWars.com, where they confirmed Arndt's role. For the moment, that is still the most recent news item.
http://boingboing.net/2012/11/21/lawrence-kasdan-new-star-wars.htmlQuoteThat didn't take long: within one month, we got all of our screenwriters lined up for the new Disney-Lucasfilm Star Wars trilogy, and one of them is a pretty reliable man for the job. As we reported earlier, Michael Arndt will be taking Episode VII, and now it's being reported that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg will take on Episodes VIII and IX, though it's unspecified who will take which script. If you recall, Kasdan wrote both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and if I may make a wild prediction, I'm going to call the final episode for him. Let the veteran round out the new trilogy. Kinberg is also hardly a slouch, having written Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Sherlock Holmes, plus he's currently writing the sequel to X-Men: First Class, on which he was a producer. (In other words, experience in sci-fi/fantasy franchises.) Both Kasdan and Kinberg will also join Kathleen Kennedy as producers on both films.
All three of the new movies will be based on story notes from George Lucas, but will be written and directed by others. Probably the best thing for Star Wars that George Lucas could ever do at this point.
The Hollywood Reporter (and several other sites) seem to have this news all but confirmed. Disney-Lucasfilm have not offered a comment yet, except to say that they will make an official announcement on StarWars.com, where they confirmed Arndt's role. For the moment, that is still the most recent news item.
I am afraid to get my hopes up too much, but there is a chance Star Wars will be redeemed. Hopefully it will be as inexplicable and fast as it was handled at the end of RotJ.
The best thing that could happen now is that episodes 7, 8, and 9 could all be brilliantly written and well directed, ushering in a new golden age for Star Wars, loved by hardcore fans and the public at large. And Lucas would have to live knowing that he truly sucked hard when given the reigns of his own creation and no one loves him, and that it was all his fault.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BBhNkywMJY