SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Disney says it is buying ‘Star Wars’ maker Lucasfilm

Posted: Oct 30 2012 04:10 pm

Quote:

LOS ANGELES — Disney says it is buying ‘Star Wars’ maker Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion from George Lucas.

http://x.co/pBiq

thats all thats been released so far, but its being reported by reuters, the AP, kotaku even picked up on it. and along w/that statement, the rumor of SW Ep. VII being released in 2015

link to the reuters tweet: http://x.co/pBj4

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

"On October 30th, 2012 Disney and Lucasfilm announced that Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion with the annoucement of a an Untitled Star Wars Project aiming for a 2015 release date.

The original press release follows:
"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.
Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments.
“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 Wars franchise 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 Wars franchise 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.

The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm."

Posted: Oct 30 2012 05:04 pm

http://x.co/pBp7

cool article about how Disney might handle episodes VII - IX and what choices are out there to continue the story line

1. Heir To The Empire:
2. X-Wing: Rogue Squadron:
3. Yuuzhan Vong:
4. Legacy of the Force:
5. Indie Star Wars:

Posted: Oct 30 2012 05:37 pm

I just heard this on the news and jumped on to see if anyone had posted it yet.

Insane. A Star Wars VII, VIII, and IX. I'm excited and nervous. I hope they saw what a negative impact a shitty series (I, II, and III) can stir up. (Although I did enjoy III, I didn't enjoy I and II).

Disney is going to milk this cow for all it's worth.

Wizard Joined: Jun 12 2009 Posts: 4209

This is weird.

I'm not sure how others feel about it, but I just hope they don't make Luke the main character again. It's fine if he's there, just don't make him the protagonist. I'm sure they'd find a way to ruin it forever.

That having been said, I think this could go either way as a whole. The article user linked is great, but what if they decide to ignore those choices and make their own story? Can't they ignore canonicity and essentially rewrite what's already there, or am I missing something?

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

username wrote:

episodes VII - IX

Title: Alexz Aficionado Joined: May 21 2008 Posts: 2889

Star Wars as we knew it is dead.

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

Oh Jesus Christ people, are you serious? This can only be a good thing. First off, Pixar, Marvel, Industrial Light and Magic and Skywalker Sound are all under the same company now. In a time when VFX companies are going belly up, Disney just combined the most powerful minds in entertainment.

And honestly, do you people want the prequels to be the swan song of the Star Wars franchise? No you don't, even if you think they were okay movies. The best part is that writing and directing of any SW movie will not be done by Lucas, and he will simply be a creative consultant to make sure the feel is still there.

Basically, this can only be a good thing for the franchise. Deal with it, it's happening. These movies were primarily for kids and they always will be and I'm still excited as fuck for what's gonna happen.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Kyle Katarn?!?

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

JoshWoodzy wrote:

Oh Jesus Christ people, are you serious? This can only be a good thing. First off, Pixar, Marvel, Industrial Light and Magic and Skywalker Sound are all under the same company now. In a time when VFX companies are going belly up, Disney just combined the most powerful minds in entertainment.

And honestly, do you people want the prequels to be the swan song of the Star Wars franchise? No you don't, even if you think they were okay movies. The best part is that writing and directing of any SW movie will not be done by Lucas, and he will simply be a creative consultant to make sure the feel is still there.

Basically, this can only be a good thing for the franchise. Deal with it, it's happening. These movies were primarily for kids and they always will be and I'm still excited as fuck for what's gonna happen.

Quote:

Asked if he was happy for new Star Wars tales to be told after he was gone, Lucas replied: "I've left pretty explicit instructions for there not to be any more features. There will definitely be no Episodes VII–IX. That's because there isn't any story. I mean, I never thought of anything. And now there have been novels about the events after Episode VI, which isn't at all what I would have done with it. The Star Wars story is really the tragedy of Darth Vader. That is the story. Once Vader dies, he doesn't come back to life, the Emperor doesn't get cloned and Luke doesn't get married..."

This is my feelings.

It's not that they couldn't make a good film. It's the fact that there is no need for a new series. Vader is dead and he was a primary character from episode one. What could possibly happen of interest?

The story has basically no antagonist anymore. There is no story arc. The story followed anakin from his childhood in 1 to his death in 6. A new trilogy would have little to do with that.

Like don't get me wrong. A new series of films in the Star Wars universe could be decent, if it wasn't tied to those stories. If they started a new saga and not a continuation it could be decent but there is really nowhere to go. Honestly i can see the linkage between 6 and 7 being totally piss poor.

Quote:

On Endor, the strike team, with the help of the Ewoks, defeats the Imperial forces and destroys the shield generator, allowing the Rebel fleet to launch a final assault on the Death Star. Lando leads the remaining ships into the station's core and destroys the main reactor. Luke escapes on Palpatine's Imperial shuttle with his father's body before the Death Star explodes, while Lando escapes in the Falcon. On Endor, Han tells Leia that he knows she loves Luke and offers to step aside; she tells him that Luke is her brother and kisses him. That evening, Luke returns to Endor and cremates his father's body and armor on a funeral pyre. As the Rebels celebrate the end of the Empire, Luke sees the spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda and Anakin Skywalker watching over them.

Where do you really go after this?

What Skywalker is going to go and fight some mysterious new force? Who cares? Some rebel wants to rejuvenate the empire? So what, it's some absolute nobody. Vader was so good because his story extends over such a long period. Thrusting some absolute carp into the story is stupid and pointless.

Nothing good can come with extending the series and although Lucas is an absolute dick with regards to digital remasters and shit, it is still essentially his story and if he is saying there was nothing to come of it then what is the point of continuing? It's just unnecessarily milking the property for all that its worth.

EDIT:

Quote:

Episode VII would begin roughly 20 (or perhaps 30 or 40) years after the end of Return of the Jedi.
R2-D2 and C-3PO would be the only characters who might continue through all nine films.
The trilogy would deal with the rebuilding of the republic.
"It's like a saga, the story of a group of people, a family" (Lucas).
The focus would be on Luke Skywalker’s journey to becoming the premier Jedi knight, with Luke's sister (who was not Leia) appearing in Episode VIII, and the first appearance of Emperor, and Luke's ultimate confrontation with him, in Episode IX (a storyline as planned pre-1980, according to Kurtz).
Luke would have a romantic relationship with a female love interest.
The main theme of the trilogy would be moral and philosophical problems, such as the necessity for moral choices and the wisdom needed to distinguish right from wrong, justice, confrontation, and passing on what you have learned.
The key actors, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, would appear, in their 60s or 70s.
In Episode IX, Hamill would cameo, "like Obi Wan handing the lightsaber down to the next new hope" (according to Hamill).

Why this would be shit.

1. Rebuilding for three films, zzzz.
2. None of the original cast - a recast of Luke Skywalker? No thanks.

It looks like clasping at straws to me. What's the big threat? I mean it's only an outline but it sounds rather dull.

Joined: Oct 19 2009 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1479

That's Vader revisionism. The movies weren't about Darth Vader until the prequel trilogy, and I don't believe they were ever meant to be.

Also, as Woodzy said, anything they make will undoubtedly be better than the prequel trilogy.

Posted: Oct 30 2012 11:15 pm

I'm kind of excited about the prospect of new Star Wars movies. I was super stoked for the prequels and then let down, so I'm hesitant to get excited for some sequels but I want new Star Wars at the same time and I think this might be the best way for that to happen. It is pretty much going to have to be based around new characters though, given that the original cast is really getting on in years. Hopefully there will be no Jar-Jars this time.

Joined: Sep 05 2012 Posts: 81

I wouldn't mind a movie set in the Old Republic, or even a CGI Shadows of the Empire. If they really plan on doing VII -IX, I think they should go with the Yuuzhan Vong storyline.

Posted: Oct 31 2012 07:43 am

press release wrote:

...with George Lucas serving as creative consultant.

He's still going to screw it all up. Like with the books [SPOILER:03f1c149d6]when he made them kill off the much more likable, and interesting, Anakin Solo in favor of the whiny, selfish schmuck Jacen (I bet he hates sand, too) [/SPOILER:03f1c149d6]

All I really want is an HD original trilogy without the stupid edits. Confused

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

LeshLush wrote:

That's Vader revisionism. The movies weren't about Darth Vader until the prequel trilogy, and I don't believe they were ever meant to be.

Also, as Woodzy said, anything they make will undoubtedly be better than the prequel trilogy.

Well i think they were meant to be about him or have heavy involvement around him. Though i know what you mean he could have just conjured that out of thin air.

The thing about it is, that to the best of my knowledge on Star Wars there was meant to be 1-9 or 12 parts and each part had a 10 page statement of what was happening.

So i guess the first three may have already been in place and Lucas just wanted to do it in some random order. The summaries above are apparently from Lucas' ideas which he has released over the years or whatever. I don't think he ever wrote a fully fleshed story for it though.

Again don't get me wrong, they could make a good movie but i just think it will be fractured from what has happened so far. Unless they go with the quote in the previous post.

Posted: Oct 31 2012 10:52 am

I'm sick of repeating myself, but this is a bad idea, done solely for the money making potential and WILL be the end of Star Wars as we know it. Yes, the franchise will probably get huge and be a success, but it WILL NOT be the Star Wars you loved growing up. I have been a SW fan my entire damn life and I even love the prequels, but that CGI Clone Wars piece of shit and now this announcement makes me ashamed of my fandom.

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

Black Zarak wrote:

I'm sick of repeating myself, but this is a bad idea, done solely for the money making potential

LOL, and the prequels weren't cash grabs?

Quote:

and WILL be the end of Star Wars as we know it.

Star Wars as we've known in in the past decade is a bunch of shitty, forced prequels and almost everyone knows and agrees. If you think the new ones are gonna be any worse, that's fine, but no, Star Wars is not ruined and it's not the end of Star Wars. These movies are made for kids and they are gonna love it and I probably will too, especially without Lucas in direct creative control.

Posted: Oct 31 2012 11:20 am

I'll say this. Show me a decline in the quality of Marvel since the Disney buyout. If you can, maybe you're right.

But go to Disney Hollywood Studios, one of parks that comprised Walt Disney World down in Florida. Every store sells Star Wars merchandise already and Star Tours is the third most popular attraction, behind Tower of Terror and the Rock N' Rollercoaster. This was more of a marriage of convenience for Disney. This thing already makes us money, might as well own it.

Plus, Lucasfilm is other things besides Star Wars. Industrial Light & Magic is one of the best special effects companies going, and is also part of Lucasfilm.

Wizard Joined: Jun 12 2009 Posts: 4209

JoshWoodzy wrote:

Star Wars is not ruined and it's not the end of Star Wars. These movies are made for kids and they are gonna love it and I probably will too, especially without Lucas in direct creative control.

QFT

What was ruined in the prequels was less the Star Wars franchise as a whole and more the story of Anakin. They were really shitty, very few will disagree about that. But the prequels shouldn't color your perception of the originals any, that doesn't make any sense. It makes more sense to ignore the prequels than say they've condemned the entire series.

And now that Lucas is somewhat out of the picture, maybe they can actually make something good. His ability to direct a film is long gone, he has no business being at the helm of a project like this anymore.

As long as the director is somewhat competent, this should be at least enjoyable.

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

You know who didn't direct Empire and Return of the Jedi? George Lucas, and they were both fantastic, Empire more so.

Posted: Oct 31 2012 02:59 pm

im with woodzy. im cautiously optimistic. episode VII cant be worse than the prequels. unless episode is all about ewoks then ill be pissed.

also, they can make more star wars themed rides in disneyland now.

Posted: Oct 31 2012 08:20 pm

No, I've made my point in a hundred places already, I'm sick of repeating myself, you're idiots and you're wrong, goodnight.

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

Black Zarak wrote:

No, I've made my point in a hundred places already, I'm sick of repeating myself, you're idiots and you're wrong, goodnight.

Posted: Oct 31 2012 09:45 pm

Eh, we'll see I guess. If it's good I'll be pleasantly surprised, if it sucks I wouldn't bat an eye.

Posted: Oct 31 2012 11:43 pm

Me as a Jedi would be so tits. This is unrelated to literally everything you guys are talking about but seriously...Jedi...Michael...Myers. Think about it.