Disney buys Lucasfilm, 3 new Star Wars movies coming

Wow! It'll be interesting to see what Disney can do with the Star Wars universe without George Lucas at the helm, could be good!

In 2015, we're planning to release Star Wars Episode 7 – the first feature film under the "Disney-Lucasfilm" brand. That will be followed by Episodes 8 and 9 – and our long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years. We're very happy that George Lucas will be creative consultant on our new Star Wars films and that Kathleen Kennedy, the current Co-Chair of Lucasfilm, will executive produce. George handpicked Kathy earlier this year to lead Lucasfilm into the future. She'll join Disney as President of Lucasfilm, reporting into Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn and integrating and building the Star Wars franchise across our company.

http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-news/press-releases/2012/10/disney-acquire-lucasfilm-ltd

Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company (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.

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

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

Disney is taking over the galaxy.
"Come to the Mouse side!"

Y'know, I have mixed feelings about this.

On the one side, I've been a Star Wars junkie my whole life. I have loved all the movies in their own quirky ways, and I have many friends who, alongside myself, have learned and discovered more about the Star Wars universe than what's present in the films. So, to see something this dramatic makes me sad, seeing as what I grew up with going to disappear slowly. Knowing Disney, at least

On the other side, however, it'll be interesting to see a new wave come through. I'll probably make my wife come with me to see them in theatres (I might get to bring any future kids with us, too, make them into proud nerds like their ol' man lol), just because I love the movies.

Hell, it'll be better than redoing every single movie every 5 years with a re-re-re-re-remastered version with 3D, new cast, and Smell-o-vision

If this means that George Lucas is LESS involved in the next round of movies, then I'm all for it. I mean, there's no way there wouldn't be more Star Wars movies... There's too much money involved.

And 4 billion. Holy Hell George, do ya think your 10 olympic sized swimming pools weren't full enough yet?

Quite looking forward to it myself.  Even though the first 3 films made (episodes 4-6) were the better ones, I did still enjoy the new films as well as all the clone wars cartoons series.

 Will be nice to see how Disney do with start wars.  They did in my opinion do a good job with Tron legacy for example which isn't their normal slice of film type after all.  So there is good potential for some good films.

Disney has a massive portfolio now if you think about it - Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm all under the one roof.

I wonder when they're going to bite the bullet and just buy the US Government. Nobody will ever see it coming.

IIRC the star wars lore following episode 6 was really shallow and badly thought out.  I hope I'm wrong but I don't think you can make a good movie of that and still be truthful to the story, simply because the story was horrible.

Disney has a massive portfolio now if you think about it - Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm all under the one roof.

Definitely ^^

I wonder when they're going to bite the bullet and just buy the US Government. Nobody will ever see it coming.

This made me laugh!   

This has got my vote!!!
They did a good thing with marvel why not star wars and the possible story arcs they can cover means those of us who have got involved with the expanded star wars universe through the games, RPGs, comics and novels might get to see some of our more obscure characters come to life on the big screen! Disney won't stop at the next three I'm sure. For good or ill I think we're in for films showing the old republic through to legacy era for us established fans and a whole new generation
I say give them a chance before we criticise it after all its still Lucas film in theory just funded and reporting to Disney
Sorry for the rambling rant but I like Star Wars and love the idea it's going to be revived for the big screen

Starwars (IV, V and VI, that is) was perfect the first time around, apart from wookies being replaced by ewoks in Return of the Jedi upon demand from George Lucas' idiot daughter. It didn't need to be improved, polished, added to or changed in any way. When they started screwing with it in the mid nineties it began a downward spiral into using unnecesary crap to get more and more money from the parents of the new generation of kids, and when all the charm of the original versions was elbowed aside George Lucas had a few more millions in his pocket. Following that, episodes I, II and III were just plain dirt, lacking anything in the way of personality and substance.  Call me old fashioned, but IV, V and VI are the only Starwars films that exist and ever will exist. I have no doubt that Disney will spend the next however many years flogging the long dead Starwars-horse, churning out crap after crap after pointless, irrelevant, mindless crap. I LOVE Starwars, good GOD I do! That is why I will continue to sit in my living room with a cold beer and a bag of crown mints and watch the original versions of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, ignoring completely any Starwars-labeled scunge that has slithered into existance since.

I'm pretty keen to see Star Wars restored as a viable brand, and look forwards to seeing what Disney do with it.

Worst case scenario, we have a bunch more bad cheesy sci fi.  Best case scenario?  Awesome new Star Wars trilogy, and getting to see Wookies mess shit up.

Starwars (IV, V and VI, that is) was perfect the first time around, apart from wookies being replaced by ewoks in Return of the Jedi upon demand from George Lucas' idiot daughter. It didn't need to be improved, polished, added to or changed in any way. When they started screwing with it in the mid nineties it began a downward spiral into using unnecesary crap to get more and more money from the parents of the new generation of kids, and when all the charm of the original versions was elbowed aside George Lucas had a few more millions in his pocket. Following that, episodes I, II and III were just plain dirt, lacking anything in the way of personality and substance.  Call me old fashioned, but IV, V and VI are the only Starwars films that exist and ever will exist. I have no doubt that Disney will spend the next however many years flogging the long dead Starwars-horse, churning out crap after crap after pointless, irrelevant, mindless crap. I LOVE Starwars, good GOD I do! That is why I will continue to sit in my living room with a cold beer and a bag of crown mints and watch the original versions of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, ignoring completely any Starwars-labeled scunge that has slithered into existance since. 

But you will go watch these new films.

Yes you will. Come over to the Dark Side, we have cookies!

Cookies???????

I'm in!!!!!!!!

I can safely say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I will never pay a cent to see these films, and in the unlikely event that I have an opportunity to see them for free for any reason I will decline....I think I may be an old man trapped in a young man's body, dudes....newfangled nonsense trying to fix what aint broke none. Get off my lawn!

Actually the books that take place after episode VI are pretty cool if you ask me!

The Thrawn Trilogy would make a pretty epic episode VII, VIII, IX.

(un)Fortunately Disney is basically ignoring the entire EU and starting from scratch.

I think 7, 8, 9 will be well received but although I am a big fan and will without a shadow of a doubt go see and most likely buy the blue ray of any Star Wars film to come out my worry is what happens when they have done the next trilogy they say a new film every 2 years but does that stop at episode 9 or will they start messing with other eras of the expanded universe. Call me a cynic if you will but i do worry what Disney might do to such as the clone wars era deserters or even worse the old republic imagon Disney mandolorians!!!!!!

But they might just let Lucas film have the proverbial credit card and leave them to it as they are keeping George Lucas as creative consultant and the rest of the staff will no doubt stay as it will have been bought as a going concern with contracts passed on to Disney or we would have herd a lot more moneing and griping about redundancy I think.

But for the sake of those of us that love it I hope Disney does a good job of it and just remember all you doubters DISNEY OWNS MARVAL FILMS TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My favorite Disney character used to be Magneto, now it's Darth Vader.