CNBC’s Twitter account floated the story and The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed it. Not only has Disney purchased Lucasfilm, a new Star Wars film is slated for 2015.
You’ll remember the Mouse House purchased Marvel Entertainment in 2009 to the tune of $4.24 billion. Lucasfilm recently collaborated with Disney to produce a line of Star Wars-themed CARS action figures. The acqusition doesn’t come as a huge surprise, though news of Episode 7 is certainly a shocker.
*Update 1: Variety’s Josh Dickey is unloading a series of tweets shedding light on this news. The Disney deal is apparently for Episode 7 and beyond, with a statement from Lucas indicating he’ll be passing the torch off to a new filmmaker:
*Update 2: George Lucas’ official statement:
For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next. 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.
*Update 3: Via Yahoo Finance, Disney will now also retain Industrial, Light & Magic:
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.
*Update 4: via CNN:
Executives from Disney and Lucasfilm plan to provide more details on the deal during a conference call Tuesday afternoon.
*Update 5: Click here for Disney’s official press release.
*Update 6: Executives are confirming the existence of a new trilogy with Episodes VII-IX beginning in 2015 with installments releasing in 2017 and 2019 thereafter. While a treatment for the trilogy exists it’s still in early stages. The studio hopes to release new Star Wars films every 2-3 years longterm.
*Update 7: Lucas will stay on as consultant, but everything in the conference call indicates the deal moved forward in the past year as Lucas decided to retire. The Indiana Jones franchise was not factored into the deal, though it appears to be coming with.
*Update 8:
“We like Star Wars’ potential on TV as well. And we think DisneyXD is a great home for that.”
Update 9: Call just wrapped. Fox will retain distribution rights to previous Star Wars films with Disney getting sole rights to all future installments, though Iger mentions some co-branding between the studios.
That looks to about do it for now. Sound off below and let us know who you want to see direct 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII… wow.
Source: via Slashfilm
19 comments
Star Tours: the Movie!
Morbidly curious about all of it, especially with that reminder about Marvel. Actually getting over general disappointment/fatigue with Star Wars was only a theory up until now; I’m more surprised at how little I cared either way with this news. Anyhoo, here’s to a fun & crazy newscycle for the next 3 years!
14 years ago, this news would have made my head explode. Now all I’m thinking is Pirates of the Caribbean In Outer Space. They will shit out a movie every 2 years to sell toys and theme park rides, until interest completely evaporates. This is a sad, sad day for movie geeks.
I welcome it-people finally have to come to terms with the soulless,corporate enterprise that Star Wars has always been…
I just hope the next movie opens with a Gungan genocide…
Even though the old ones are still at FOX, does this mean we might finally see the original trilogy theatrical cuts?
@RCA:
Gungan style!
Without a doubt, they ought to pump out an awesome transfer of the theatricals just to sweeten us to the new management…
Tim Kelly, “STAR WARS nothing but…STAR WARS” Bill Murray singing SWNBS on SNL in the 70’s
Cont. I wish I could remember the rest of the lyrics, but I cannot! WOW! Perhaps the…Star Wars Sequels can…Top the Prequels! For Disney and lead Jedi…Robert Iger…May The Force Be With You Always! WOW! WOW! WOW!
PS, Avengers 2 will…NOT be the #1 Film of 2015! Perhaps STAR WARS VII could even top…Avatar as #1 all time.
After Disney’s disastrous acquisition of Marvel and the creative and financial failure of The Avengers, we can only look upon this news with nothing but dread and foreboding.
Or we can stop being Man (or Woman) Child Nerds and not act all dickish and maybe, just maybe, look upon this as a potentially awesome development.
But seriously, screw you George. I always knew you were full of shit when you said there were no “7, 8, 9”.
J.J Abrams must be seriously pissed now. I seem to remember him saying he always was more into Star Wars than Star Trek. Maybe he could do both franchises??
George Lucas is almost single-handedly responsible for transforming a generation of innocent, enthusiastic, wide-eyed children into a throng of bitter, snarky, 20-something neckbeards. Disney’s going to have to work overtime to turn back the tide of post-prequel cynicism.
Twenty-somethings? Try forty-somethings. Which means he has wrecked an entire generation of nerds. So… no big deal, I guess.
Horsehit; the whiny, disenfranchised bitter, snarky little assholes are responsible for becoming snarky, bitter disenfranchised assholes. Pluh-lease. Grow up
First, re Ep VII, two words: Brad. Bird.
Next. Regardless of Geekdom’s opinion of the what Lucas has done to HIS creation, it’s still HIS creation. The one, years ago, HE invested HIS time, blood, sweat, tears, etc bringing to life. While I don’t (generally) enjoy any of the prequels, I’m still capable of respecting the fact that Star Wars, ILM, et all, wouldn’t exist without Lucas. No more than the fond, amazing (still remember my Dad opening up the Sunday newspaer to the glorious full page ad for The Empire Strikes Back) would. Yet, they bitch, they whine, they decry Lucas (for, tis truth, such as they no life beyond ancient memories do they still pray to). So I wonder, just what, exactly, have THEY. oh great and bitter unwashed fandomatics, accomplished?
Yeah. That’s what I thought.
THAT said, this IS the best news. Long live the new Empire!
And, no, Disney will have to do no such thing (re shoring up the disenfranchised 40-somethings), at least from a marketing standpoint, as they have almost two generations of kids NOT brought up on the original trilogy. Rather, they’ve been watching the Clone Wars series, very good in it’s own right. No, I suspect all Disney will need to do is make sure they rent enough dump trucks for the money Ep VII WILL make. And that’s if it’s merely ok. If Kathleen Kennedy & the powers that be at da Mouse House find the right talent (cough cough Brad Bird) and manage to make a GREAT movie (yes, I have my doubts too)….It WILL top Avatard & Titanic, AND Avengers. Easy
THIS JUST IN–Diehard Star Wars fans irate that Disney might actually produce a GOOD Star Wars film…
Aye ‘dat
If we get one Star Wars movie that’s as much fun as the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, then I’ll be a happy Star Wars fan.
It’s not like they have a high bar to clear to be better-received than the prequels.
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