It’s happened. No, it’s not President Barack Obama being reelected for another term that has sent the world into a tizzy. Disney has finally acquired the golden egg of studios, Lucasfilm Ltd.
According to The Walt Disney Company website, Star Wars champion George Lucas relinquished his billion-dollar company for a pretty penny. In layman’s terms, Lucas made $4.05 billion for signing over full rights to his company. Disney “agreed to acquire” Lucasfilm on Oct. 30.
Before Disney fully gets hold of Lucasfilm, a few hoops need to be navigated to ensure the legality of the transaction.
With Disney pulling in other studios such as Marvel and Pixar and handling those accounts with wild success, it’s no surprise that Lucas agreed to let Disney take over.
Now that Disney has full rights over the entire company, this means that the Mouse House has access to Lucasfilm’s film production sector, franchises — yes, that means Star Wars — “consumer products, animation, visual effects and audio post production,” reports the Walt Disney Studios website.
Kathleen Kennedy will take over as co-chair of the company and will also act as executive producer for future Star Wars films. Current employees will stay in San Francisco where the company is located, and Lucas will stay on as a creative consultant for future Lucasfilm’s endeavors.
Lucas’ response to the exchange was one of bittersweet excitement.
“Having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come,” said Lucas in an interview with The Walt Disney Company.
“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.”
Disney is equally as excited for the acquisition since the company has already had success with Marvel and Pixar.
Social media outlets exploded with the news of the transaction. Fan reactions ranged from pleased to disappointed. Twitter especially took off with the news.
@DepressedDarth voiced the world’s consensus at the news.
“Dear Disney, Please don’t ruin the Star Wars movies. Sincerely, everyone,” read the tweet from the Vader persona.
As of now, the future for Lucasfilm and Star Wars looks marginally bright. Disney has announced a “Star Wars: Episode 7,” which is slated for release in 2015. What exactly is going to be the catalyst for the next installment is unknown, but fans can’t help but speculate. Disney hopes that they can take the worldwide brand and give it the proper Disney treatment, similar to what House of Mouse has done with Marvel.
The Walt Disney Company website reveals that more movies are expected after the release of “Episode 7.”
The Mouse House has more than proved their capability of handling precious cargo with how the company transformed Marvel with the release of “The Avengers.” In addition to their work with Marvel, Disney’s control of Pixar studios has proven to be very successful as the franchises have flourished since the big takeover.
Disney has made several new additions to the Marvel and Pixar extensions. Joss Whedon’s roll as screenwriter on the avengers is testament to this transition.
Although the direction of the next Star Wars installment is unknown, the audience behind the franchise will be awaiting for Disney’s input now that the company is in control.
Fan disappointment from previous Star Wars films will more than likely weigh in on how Disney will handle the films.
Even though Disney has acquired Lucasfilm, it has been made clear that the creator of the production company and phenomenon that is the Star Wars culture will be heavily involved in the creative process of anything Star Wars related. The next Star Wars film is set to open in 2015.
