Disney has purchased Lucasfilm, which is owned entirely by George Lucas himself, for $4.05 Billion. Lucas will receive approximately half of that amount in cash and half in Disney shares. Disney will completely take over Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and yes that means the Star Wars franchise as well. Lucas mentions that he feels it’s time to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers and that a large corporation like Disney will help protect Lucasfilm.
Disney has already made plans to continue the Star Wars franchise by creating another installment with George offering a few tips here and there but not taking any major role in the film making process at all. The new installment will be Star Wars Episode 7 and is scheduled to be released in 2015. It is important to note that Disney has been very successful in working with Marvel and Pixar, so this whole deal seems a little less scary when you take into consideration the talent that Disney has.
Many may be delighted to see George Lucas finally hand over the reins to someone else, while purists may find the move a bit upsetting. I remain skeptical but optimistic and as always the proof is in the pudding. The fact is that the deal is done and work is already underway. We will just have to see what they come up with, but again considering Disney’s ability to not only turn film into gold but create quality films, I think this may be the best possible way to move all of Lucas’ creativity forward.
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