Disney to buy Lucasfilm for $4 billion

http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/30/technology/disney-buys-lucasfilm/

Disney to buy Lucasfilm for $4 billion
By Stacy Cowley @CNNMoneyTech October 30, 2012: 9:06 PM ET


Lucasfilm founder George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, is selling his company to Disney for $4 bilion.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The Walt Disney Company agreed Tuesday to buy Lucasfilm in a stock-and-cash deal valued at $4 billion.

The deal will make Lucasfilm owner George Lucas a significant shareholder in Disney, which will pay for the film company with $2 billion cash and around 40 million shares of its stock.

The takeover will give Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) control of Lucasfilm's blockbuster Star Wars franchise, which encompasses both filmed productions and a massive merchandising operation. Disney will also absorb Lucasfilm's special-effects production business, Industrial Light and Magic, and its Skywalker Sound audio production studio....

Some things bother me about this. Lucas' companies have been known to be a lot of fun and well paid jobs. Disney is not known for this. Lucas was able to get the best and brightest in the industry by making it a fun well paid place to work. Disney did buy Pixar and I haven't heard anything really negative about it and they're a similar work environment.

There is going to be a Star Wars seven that Lucas will be consulting on. This is cool because as I understand it Lucas had nine movies in mind when he made episode 4. So there are three more films he's envisioned and it sounds like the seventh one is one of those. With Lucas involved it should be good. The next two, who knows?

Lucas deserves a retirement and 4 Billion is hard to turn down. I'm just curious why he didn't sell to Dreamworks. They must not have been interested is all I can guess.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/10/30/who-should-direct-new-star-wars-movie/?hpt=hp_t2

Who should direct new 'Star Wars' movie? Christopher Nolan? Joss Whedon? J.J. Abrams?
by Solvej Schou

Breathe, Star Wars fans, breathe. Maybe lie down a minute.

Following Tuesday’s nerd-shattering announcement that the Walt Disney Company is buying Lucasfilm, and the plan includes Star Wars: Episode VII, in early development and hoping for a 2015 release, the speculative race is on for who should direct.

Should it be Christopher Nolan, who exploded open the Batman franchise? Or Star Trek reboot master J.J. Abrams? Or Joss Whedon, riding the superhero tidal wave of this year’s The Avengers? Lucasfilm founder George Lucas, who wrote and directed the 1977 Star Wars original and the later prequels, will work as a creative consultant on Star Wars: Episode VII, so love him or hate him, he won’t be returning to helm the next film.

Here are our potential picks:...

I think the Star Wars saga is over. Each sequel was worse than the one before it. IMO.

TrackerSam said:

I think the Star Wars saga is over. Each sequel was worse than the one before it. IMO.

Click to expand...

I'd rank them this way;

Episode 4
Episode 3
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 2
Episode 1

Awww, so Leia is a Disney Princess, now! LoL

Actually the Star Wars franchise has been playing in Disney's world for a while... Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park has a SW section and hawks loads of SW merchandise, and they even host SW Weekends. Guess now they can make a bigger buck off of it...


I know a lot of people are scoffing at the thought of Disney taking over the Star Wars legacy, but Disney is all about top notch productions. I say give them a chance and see where they will take the franchise.

Our cultural IQ just dropped another eight points as the Disneyfication of America continues.

I'm not sure what happened along the way.

I thought the original plan was for 13 movies. I do agree that the last couple were pretty lame. Did Lucas lose the original intention or others collaborated and turned them into something else?

Disney down right stinks...............

wfgodot said:

Our cultural IQ just dropped another eight points as the Disneyfication of America continues.

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Which is not so bad. I am one of those that is a life long DisneyFan.
And Star Wars Fan. So I am OK with this.

I was there on opening day. Grew up going. Marched in parades. My hubby did too. We *Disneymooned* before it was cool. We have a brick on the pathway in front of the train station.I am 3 rides away from 100 rides on Haunted Mansion. My youngest took her first steps during a kid swap on Space Mountain. We meet my parents there often.

Disney has done awesome things with Star Wars. Should there be more movies?
I hope so. I had all the first 3 movie soundtracks on vinyl. To this day, I go see the movie first with my dad. If you have NOT seen the Star Wars show and/or ridden Star Tours at Disney Hollywood Studios then maybe you can't understand how they embrace the concept. And will stay true to the canon.

redkatrampant said:

Which is not so bad. I am one of those that is a life long DisneyFan.
And Star Wars Fan. So I am OK with this.

I was there on opening day. Grew up going. Marched in parades. My hubby did too. We *Disneymooned* before it was cool. We have a brick on the pathway in front of the train station.I am 3 rides away from 100 rides on Haunted Mansion. My youngest took her first steps during a kid swap on Space Mountain. We meet my parents there often.

Disney has done awesome things with Star Wars. Should there be more movies?
I hope so. I had all the first 3 movie soundtracks on vinyl. To this day, I go see the movie first with my dad. If you have NOT seen the Star Wars show and/or ridden Star Tours at Disney Hollywood Studios then maybe you can't understand how they embrace the concept. And will stay true to the canon.

Click to expand...

BBM

You mooned people at Disney? :waitasec: