George Lucas sells Lucasfilm to Disney, Plans To Release Star Wars 7!

[SWfan]

Wow, I never thought this would happen! Hopefully they don't ruin it!

Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

Global leader in high-quality family entertainment agrees to acquire world-renowned Lucasfilm Ltd, including legendary STAR WARS franchise.
Acquisition continues Disney’s strategic focus on creating and monetizing the world’s best branded content, innovative technology and global growth to drive long-term shareholder value.
Lucasfilm to join company’s global portfolio of world class brands including Disney, ESPN, Pixar, Marvel and ABC.
STAR WARS: EPISODE 7 feature film targeted for release in 2015.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/disney-acquire-lucasfilm-ltd-195100740.html

 

[SWfan]

Disney did a conference call to discuss this at 4:30 and they said they're starting with a trilogy with the first film releasing in 2015.

 

[SWfan]

Also for gaming they plan on focusing on social gaming and not console games..

 

[Borsk]

These are interesting quotes to read again:

In 2012, as part of an interview with The New York Times, discussing negative fan reactions to the prequel trilogy and to alterations made to the original trilogy, Lucas said, regarding further Star Wars films: "Why would I make any more, when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?"

In an interview published in Total Film in May 2008, Lucas also ruled out anybody else ever making the sequel trilogy (or other future Star Wars features). 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..." The phenomenon of the Star Wars 'Expanded Universe', with stories told in novels, comic books and other media, also appears to have been a factor in Lucas seeing no need to produce a sequel trilogy: "Whatever it is that happens afterward, that isn't the core Star Wars story that I like to tell," he said in 2008. "There really isn't any story to tell there. It's been covered in the books and video games and comic books, which are things I think are incredibly creative but that I don't really have anything to do with other than being the person who built the sandbox they're playing in."

 

[SWfan]

I guess $4.05 billion changed his mind...

 

[Buzz Bumble]

Yep, George Lucas has sold everything - all the companies, all the merchandising, all the franchises.

Lucas Sells Out
It's a sad, sad day for the Rebel Alliance. The Rebel Leader has been captured and all of its main bases taken over by the evil Studio Empire.

Mouse Troopers are leading away Princess... err, Prince Lucas to the cells deep within the Hollywood Death Star. Who will rescue him (and us) from the evil Studio Empire, saving the Rebel Alliance and the galaxy?

Lucas Skywalker is clinging desperately to the edge of a Cloud City walkway. Donald Vader extends a hand saying, "Join me, and together we'll rule Hollywood." Lucas Skywalker cries out in anguish, "Never! I'll never join you ... wait, did you say billion?!"

Maybe the world IS ending in December 2012. Growing ozone hole, Microsoft bails out Apple, Steve Jobs dies, shrinking polar ice caps, meltdown of the greedy financial world, George Lucas sells out Star Wars - all signs of the impending apocalypse?

I can only guess that George Lucas was disappointed by the rather lacklustre reception to the (frankly pointless and hopeless) 3D-erised release of Episode I.

It remains to be seen what this means for the Clone Wars animated TV show, the planned live-action TV show, the fifth Indiana Jones movies, and everything else ... but the over-egoed, money-grubbers are already planning a rushed, ill-fitting "Episode 7" movie (over-seen by Lucas) to be released in 2015. Another great franchise destroyed by Hollyweird.

 

[Borsk]

The thing a lot of people miss about the originals are those actors (Ford, Hamill, Fisher) playing those characters (Han, Luke, Leia). I'm not sure it matters who makes the next movie. It will be very difficult to recapture those characters, and, to some people, future films will always be a failure because of that.

Here's a list of Disney backed films (scroll down to the 2000s/2010s for the more relevant stuff): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Disney_theatrical_feature_films

I haven't seen every movie on that list, but there's a few fairly good ones. The next Star Wars film could certainly suck, but I wouldn't say all hope is lost.

It remains to be seen what this means for the Clone Wars animated TV show, the planned live-action TV show, the fifth Indiana Jones movies, and everything else ...

I would expect the Clone Wars to keep going until it's run its course. Maybe it gets put on a different channel? I don't expect to ever see a live-action TV show. I have no idea how they can continue the Indiana Jones series. It's even harder to replace Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. He's not getting any younger and they're already covered "Young Indiana Jones".

 

[Borsk]

They switch to Lucas halfway through (you may want to just skip to that part).

 

[Borsk]

George Lucas' Estate Planning Move Worthy of a Jedi Master

 

[darthskellington]

While this is obviously surprising and with much fan concern for a number of reasons, I'm taking the optimistic approach to it all. I think Disney will be as good a custodian as anyone of the franchise. (Personally, I'd be just as happy if another Star Wars product, movie, or show were never made....I could focus on enjoying what is already out there....but we know that would never happen). I'm as a concerned as many about the expanded universe....it would be a shame for what has been created to be over-written....but that was always a risk down the line. Any show or movie Lucas might have made would have thrown all that in jeopardy as well. The Clone Wars cartoon isn't exactly delicate in making sure it meshes with existing comics and novels.

Overall, I think this will guarantee the longevity of Star Wars, and many good things will come of it. Will we like what happens as the result of sequels....that remains to be seen.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

Two cartoons from the New Zealand Herald newspaper.

From Thursday's issue:

From today's weekend issue:

Disney plans to release "Super Special Edition" version of the Original Trilogy with some minor changes:

Now that Disney is in charge and owns Pixar as well, we can expect to see some "great" new spin-off / cross-over movies:

• The Rancor King
• Droid Story
• Beauty & The Wookie
• Snow Leia & The Seven Stormtroopers (see image below)
• A Hutt's Life
• Finding Greedo
• One Hundred & One Hoojibs
• The Little Mon Cal
• Wicket & Stitch
• Home On The Homestead
• The Princess & The Womp Rat
• Meet The Skywalkers
• Brother Wampa
• The Emperor's Apprentice
• The Sabre In The Stone
• Lars (using the Cars-ised landspeeder)
• Rancors Inc.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

This is a nice poster of Yoda & Mickey:

Plus some more images "taking the mickey" out of the announcement.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

Harrison Ford has now given his thoughts on new movies on the Entertainment Weekly website. He's reportedly "open to the idea" of returning as Han Solo, but is waiting to see the script, director, etc.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

The new movie has a scriptwriter and they plan to give the big name directors the first option.

Sources also tell Vulture that the studio's brass want to bring back the three central characters of the original Star Wars: a much older Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. No deals are in place with any of the original actors, though our source did say it had high ambitions to sign up Mark Hamill, and EW recently reported that Harrison Ford was open to the idea of returning. We're told that Arndt's 40-something page treatment will soon be crossing the desks of top directors, including Brad Bird, Steven Spielberg (the former producing partner of Lucasfilm co-chair Kathleen Kennedy), and J.J. Abrams. Whether they'd be interested is unknown (Star Wars is a lot of baggage for an established director), but Disney wants to make sure they've at least tried the biggest names.

Nnnnnooooooo!!! ... almost anyone is better than the hopeless J.J. Abrams. That lazy, talentless fool simply rubber-stamps his name on other people's work.

Spielberg and Tarantino have already said they won't be doing it, but they'll probably be given a script to look over anyway.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

Brad Bird has now said no as well. This is from ComingSoon.net ...

Brad Bird Says He Won't Direct Star Wars: Episode VII A top choice among fans since word of Star Wars: Episode VII first broke, director Brad Bird has, today, confirmed that he won't be involved in the production of the 2015 release. Instead, he plans to move forward with another project at Walt Disney Pictures, a science fiction film currently being called 1952.

There's an obvious candidate ... George Lucas!

 

[Buzz Bumble]

ComingSoon.net has five Flash video clips with George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy's discussion about the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and the "Star Wars" franchise. Being on a dial-up connection, I don't know what's in the videos, so there may not be anything new.