With additional reporting from Tyler Colp
Well, that just changed everything.
Disney has just announced that it is buying Lucasfilm LTD for $4.05 Billion from George Lucas. Kathleen Kennedy will be taking over as head of the new Disney division.
Wow, that sounds pretty weird.
In the deal, Disney essentially purchases all of Lucasfilm and its properties. This includes Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, their games and IPs.
Suddenly Disney looks like the goliath ready to stomp David, owning ABC, ESPN, Marvel, Pixar, and now Lucasfilm, among others. We’ve already seen some great things come from the Marvel purchase, namely the money behind producing the Avengers franchise. Hey, also interesting to note is that Apple and Disney have an incredibly close relationship too.
Imagine all of the crossovers that can/will happen now.
Speaking of Star Wars, it was revealed that Star Wars 7 is in production and will release in 2015, kicking off what we believe is probably another trilogy of films. Interestingly (happily?) enough George Lucas will NOT be directing the films, but just serving as creative consultant. “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers,” Lucas stated.
Oh, it’s on.
Via Disney
Investor call tidbits:
Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger noted that they’re “already moving forward with plans to continue the Star Wars epic saga.” They expect Episode 7 in 2015, with 8 and 9 to follow every 2 years. Episode 7 (VII?) is in early stages of development.
The company acquired the rights to Star Wars, Indiana Jones, ILM and Skywalker Sound, and plan to release 9-10 live action films per year. The company also plans to use Star Wars in their parks and resorts, games, and television.
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