In a surprise announcement by Disney, the House Of Mouse acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 Billion, encompassing all of its properties, Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound. The deal also obviously includes the
Star Wars and
Indiana Jones franchises. Under the new regime, a slate of
Star Wars features will be produced. "Star Wars Episode 7" has been announced, with a targeted 2015 release.
With the title "Episode 7," it is implied, if not assumed that the next film would take place chronologically after 1983's
Return of The Jedi. Do you hear that Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford?? The prospect of Mark Hamill returning as an elder Luke Skywalker, by this time a Master Jedi Knight, is extremely exciting to any
Star Wars fan. Lucas in fact revealed today he has story treatments for an entire new trilogy, now in development with Kathleen Kennedy serving as Executive Producer.
"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see
Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," said George Lucas in today's press release.
"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," he said.
"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."
With the general disappointment felt by fans regarding the
Star Wars prequels, all written and dircted by George Lucas, the fact that he is now stepping aside and letting fresh blood to take the reigns of the franchise may very well be a great thing.
Cartoon Network's animated
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is proof positive of the potential an off-shoot series can have when Lucas is not directly steering the ship.
With Lucas now in a Creative Consultant role, having new writers and directors in the mix provides exciting potential for the future of the franchise for those of us who have been put off by the last three big screen installments.
"We are absolutely going to make
Star Wars movies," said Kathleen Kennedy, co-chair of Lucasfilm, in a video interview.
"We are in the midst of the really fun part of the process which is we are sitting down with a couple of writers and we're starting to discuss ideas and we're starting to talk about what those stories might be," she said.
In the video below, Lucas explains his thoughts behind Star Wars' future with Disney, and reveals he already has story treatments for
Episodes VII,
VIII, and
IX.
Disney also bought Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $4 Billion, and is in charge of all the big screen Marvel Studios films, which includes
The Avengers and all the upcoming Marvel Phase Two films,
Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World,
Captain America: The Winter Soldier,
and
Guardians of the Galaxy. So any initial fear of what Disney may do with
Star Wars can be put at ease, they seem to be allowing the proper people to handle these properties.
Highlights from Disney's Press Release:
Burbank, CA and San Francisco, CA, October 30, 2012 – Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.
"Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas," said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "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."
"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. "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."
Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and "evergreen" Star Warsfranchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production. Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.
Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.
The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.
Driven by a tremendously talented creative team, Lucasfilm's legendary Star Warsfranchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks. Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world's top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney's strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.
The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney's very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company's unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. Adding Lucasfilm to Disney's portfolio of world class brands significantly enhances the company's ability to serve consumers with a broad variety of the world's highest-quality content and to create additional long-term value for our shareholders.
SOURCE:
Disney
