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George Lucas Finally Relinquishes His Tight Control Of Star Wars... To Mickey Mouse

Deals

from the disney's-your-father dept

Tue, Oct 30th 2012 1:33pm — Leigh Beadon

Disney surprised everyone today by announcing that they've struck a deal to acquire Lucasfilm—famously 100% owned by George Lucas—and all its valuable film properties. Lucas himself is stepping aside, and Lucasfilm Co-Chairman Kathleen Kennedy will become president of the company under Disney.

As if all this wasn't enough of a shock for Star Wars fans, Disney has also announced that they will revive Lucas' abandoned plans for Episode 7 and aim for release in 2015. One can't help finding some irony in the statement from Lucas:

“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.”

As most of us know, fans of Star Wars and other Lucasfilm properties have loudly criticized Lucas for retaining tight control on his old works and, worse still, meddling with them by releasing updated versions to replace the beloved originals. There has long been a wish that Lucas would let Star Wars "live beyond" him—but I doubt selling it to Disney is what anyone had in mind.

It's unlikely anyone has high hopes for the quality of future Star Wars movies, but if Disney built a Star Wars theme park, it'd probably be a hit. Meanwhile, what are the odds that Darth Vader will finally get paid?

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Filed Under: george lucas, star wars
Companies: disney, lucasfilm

108 Comments

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Reader Comments

The First Word

“
So i guess the Empire really does strike back. All hail Darth Mickey!
—DOlz
 ”

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    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 31 Oct 2012 @ 10:38am

      Re:

      That scene at the end of ROTJ with Obi Wan, Yoda, and Anakin will now be edited again to include Walt.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Dark Helmet (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:43pm

    And just like that....

    ....The star wars franchise is officially dead. It was already dealt a huge blow by episodes 1 & 2, although 3 nearly redeemed it from the dark side of racist CGI characters and cutesy plot nonsense.

    It's over. I had long thought that the problem with any episodes beyond the original trilogy would be that they'd pick the wrong plotlines from the books others have released. I was sure they wouldn't touch the Thrawn series of books. Now I'm sure they WILL, Thrawn being a blue-skinned being and that being all hip right now (meaning Disney will want to capitalize on what they think is a fad)....and they will completely fuck it up.

    /nerd-rant

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      MrWilson, 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:57pm

      Re: And just like that....

      As a longtime Star Wars fan, I'm not sure how to feel about this. I can't tell yet if the satisfaction of my thirst for more Star Wars content will be worth the dumbing down of the quality that Disney will perpetrate or if they'll be just as bad as Lucas has been lately while just releasing more content.

      Some Disney franchises haven't been terrible. I enjoyed Tron Legacy and I'm waiting for more Tron Uprising.

      I'm hopeful, but skeptical, about this. But then my love of the original trilogy survived Lucas' latter day meddling, so maybe I'm just a sucker.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Tim Griffiths (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 6:15am

        Re: Re: And just like that....

        Disney own Marvel and Marvel while marvel has been producing films like Iron Man and the Avengers. Pixar have arguably suffered since being taken over but there's nothing to say it's directly due to Disney messing the company up.

        My view on it is simply this, the worst of what I could expect from Disney owning the rights to Star Wars has already been done by Lucas him self. In the Clone Wars Darth Maul has been brought back, he didn't die after being cut in half but was going crazy in a cave with a spider like droid body. Another Sith, who just happens to be his brother, finds him and now Maul has droid legs and is planing to take over the galaxy or some crap. He also speaks. If that does not give you a sense of how creative bankrupt the whole thing has gotten nothing will.

        Truth is that Star Wars is at it's best when Lucas is acting as a creative consultant who people are willing to say "no" to. Given his stepping aside and is no longer the soul controller of the rights we may actually see something good come out of it. If it's an awful cash in then it's just going to be another awful cash in but if it's not... and we actually get see on film what the expanded universe has been promising at the hands of a capable director? Well that may be worth the risk.

        Now of course being owned by the mouse means Star Wars is likely never going to be public domain but it never was anyway.

        Screwed up thing is that all told this should be taken as hopeful news... which is crazy.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 2 Nov 2012 @ 1:24am

          Re: Re: Re: And just like that....

          not sure if 'soul' was deliberate for emphasis, or not!

          anyway, from my perspective, III was the worst of them all, with pathetic, cringe-worthy dialogue.

          never mind that the events of III fail by such a large margin of meshing with IV that it hurts

          never mind that the event I waited my whole life for (how Darth Vader came to be) was incredibly lame, and how Hayden Christensen is one of the worst actors ever to appear on the big screen

          unless Disney pass the Star wars reboot to one of their subsidiaries, the next one will be sachrine-sweet offal due to the restrictions Disney impose on anything that has their name on it

          Lucas may have (wait, did) destroyed the prequels, but at least he cared about his creation.

          Disney will just milk the cow for all the cash they can get, fans and story be damned! :'(

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Colin, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:39pm

      Re: And just like that....

      If they're smart they'll let Brad Bird direct it.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:40pm

      Re: And just like that....

      Why in the hell can't they revive the Spaceball franchise? All the characters were alive at the end of the last one.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      silverscarcat (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 3:46pm

      Re: And just like that....

      I'm willing to give it a chance...

      Despite everything else Disney is...

      They still make pretty good movies.

      I'm willing to at least give them a chance before demonizing them on this.

      Everything else though...

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 11:25pm

      Re: And just like that....

      Well if they had to pick any of the books to be made into another trilogy, its the Thrawn trilogy. How it will turn out is an entirely different question, depending if they just ignore the source material.Atleast it wasnt written out of a scratchpad like episode 1..

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Christopher Best (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 7:39am

      Re: And just like that....

      I have two words of disagreement: John Lasseter.

      Seriously, he's the man in charge of Disney's creative branch now. He's the former head creative person from Pixar, who was brought on to right the company during the Disney/Pixar reconciliation. That guy is awesome and does amazing things and (usually) doesn't allow crap to be produced under his watch.

      I only wish Lucas had given up Lucasfilm 20 years ago. I met my wife via Star Wars fandom, but I've ceased being a fan a long long time ago.

      That being said, John Carter of Mars does not give me high hopes for an adaptation of Timothy Zahn's books... But I'll remain cautiously optimistic, for now!

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Rikuo (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:44pm

    I actually had to read this article twice, especially with George seemingly willingly giving up control.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    GeneralEmergency (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:44pm

    And you thought Jar-Jar Binks was bad...

    .

    ...Episode 7 will have a cute, small flying android called "Tinker-Bot".

    .

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      sehlat (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:21pm

      Re: And you thought Jar-Jar Binks was bad...

      At least let me get an airsickness bag on before posting something like this. Please.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Forest_GS (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:48pm

    Kingdom Hearts turned out all right.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Rikuo (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:58pm

      Re:

      Now, if they were to make an M-rated Disney Smash Brothers, where I could play as Darth Maul and slice Mickey Mouse into fine thin ribbons with plenty of blood and screaming...

      One can dream.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    David (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:50pm

    I hope they let someone fresh do the writing

    I have a young friend, around 23 or so, who grew up with Star Wars that has a movie concept. His stuff is amazing, I hope they look for that kind of driven fan talent.

    I am just scared for the animated Mickey version.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Demoliri (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:17pm

      Re: I hope they let someone fresh do the writing

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Clone_Wars_(film)

      George already done it I'm afraid.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Joe Publius (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:50pm

        Re: Re: I hope they let someone fresh do the writing

        On the other hand, the consensus from the Clone Wars series runnning on Cartoon Network has been postive. IMO, It all rests on a showrunner with the clarity to explain to the viewers what they're going to get. Will it be for better or worse:

        - Pulpy mature Space Opera? (Ep5; Clone Wars mini series from 2002)
        - An adventure story with hooks for all ages? (Eps 4 and 6)
        - The somewhat fluffy action flick? (Ep 2, 3, Clone Wars Series)
        - A show for kids? (Ep 1, Clone Wars Movie, Droids)

        Not that I've thought a lot about this.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    DOlz, 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:50pm

    So i guess the Empire really does strike back. All hail Darth Mickey!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Chosen Reject (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:50pm

    From the article:
    The last Star Wars movie release was 2005’s Revenge of the Sith – and we believe there’s substantial pent up demand. 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
    Many dairy cows will feel great empathy for this once-beloved franchise.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Zos (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:52pm

    I cannot express the level of my disgust.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Shadow Dragon (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:52pm

    Oh Fuck!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    S. T. Stone, 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:53pm

    The next Disney Princess: Leia!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Forest_GS (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:55pm

      Re:

      Wow, that actually makes sense o.o

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 3:22pm

      Re:

      Actually, it'll be Leia and Amidala, both teen-age, hanging out with the rest of the Disney Princesses...
      (Considering Leia is Amidala's mother, that strikes me as REALLLY creepy...)

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 3:23pm

        Re: Re:

        Oops, Amidala is Leia's mother...
        Geez...

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Cory of PC (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 4:36pm

          Re: Re: Re:

          Actually, that would be kinda creepy if Leia was Amidala's mother.

          ... Wait, does the Star Wars universe have time-traveling abilities?

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Tim Griffiths (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 8:50am

        Re: Re:

        If that's strikes you as creepy you really don't want to read some of the fanfic out there, or see the results of rule 34 for Star Wars.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Jeff (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:55pm

    This won't end well for our collective culture - now that Luke and Leia will be pimped out to sell the... wait... what?!?! THEY'RE ALREADY PIMPED OUT!!?!?! OMFG!!!!1!

    /nerd-rage-on


    For $4B?? I'd say that G.L. put one over on Disney; but I'm confident Disney *will* find a way to make every last penny of that $4B back and then some...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 31 Oct 2012 @ 7:06am

      Re:

      I read in another article that LucasFilm generates 250 million a year in revenue from Star Wars. Why can't they pay Darth Vader again?

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    atroon, 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:56pm

    I wonder...

    If George Lucas is terminally ill. That makes sense to me, if he is. If not, why would he do this? It's not like he needs more money. And bonus, he doesn't have to stick around to see what Disney does to the franchise.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    E. Zachary Knight (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 1:56pm

    Disney in the year 2070

    Mr. Senator, we can't let Star Wars enter the public domain. To do so would be a great injustice to the creators of this much loved brand. You must pass the "New Hope Copyright Extension Act" to extend the Star Wars copyright to 150 years.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:01pm

      Re: Disney in the year 2070

      Oh so if another company buys it the copyright renews? Geez some of the stuff will never come out then.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        E. Zachary Knight (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:04pm

        Re: Re: Disney in the year 2070

        No. That's not it. Corporate copyright lasts 95 years. So Star Wars a New Hope which came out in 1977 will have its copyright expire in 2072 unless there is another extension between now and then.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Dark Helmet (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:22pm

          Re: Re: Re: Disney in the year 2070

          UNLESS there's another extension? You say that as though it weren't already a foregone conclusion....

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            technomage (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:38pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Disney in the year 2070

            A Long Time From Now....In A Galaxy, Far, Far Away.....

            Star Wars will still be under copyright....from the ewoks.

            which reminds me....expect the next iteration to feature E-Woks with their faithful drone companion Wall-E....Trying to save their dinner Akbar-TarTar from Wok-With-Wan Kenobi Jr.

            It's a Mous...err.Trap!!!

            [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:41pm

          Re: Re: Re: Disney in the year 2070

          A movie released and recouped decades ago will expire in 2072? Jesus, copyright is fucked up.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    jupiterkansas (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:04pm

    Well... they couldn't make the movies any worse, could they?

    Even though I've lost all interest in anything Star Wars.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    sehlat (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:10pm

    Episode 7 - The Empire Has Won

    Episode 8 - Tax Time
    Episode 9 - Vice President in Charge of Heavy-Handed Copyright Threats Luke Skywalker Resigns in Disgust

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    PlagueSD (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:14pm

    I can see the new commercials now...

    QUICK!!! Get your copy of Star Wars - The original episodes 4, 5, and 6 unedited!!! You should act quickly before they get locked in the Disney Vault and are gone FOREVER!!!!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Chris M, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:22pm

    To those already bitching...

    You people do realize that Disney also owns Pixar right? Anyone think they started making worse movies after that acquisition (Toy Story 3 for example)? Or what about Marvel? The Avengers is well thought of don't you think? Sheesh, this is FANTASTIC news. Lucas will no longer ne the sole voice and considering what that fanbase thinks of the prequels, how is this nothing but good news? I mean hell, Disney could bring in Joss Whedon to write the new movie.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
      identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 4:16pm

      Re: To those already bitching...

      You're talking to idiot pirates. What response did you expect?

      Fact: Disney couldn't fuck things up as bad as Lucas did if they tried.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        techflaws (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 12:44am

        Re: Re: To those already bitching...

        Exhibit A: all Disney movies since 1992.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Niall (profile), 1 Nov 2012 @ 8:39am

          Re: Re: Re: To those already bitching...

          What about Pirates of the Caribbean? I'd say that's been pretty successful and mostly not botched.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            techflaws (profile), 2 Nov 2012 @ 8:42am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: To those already bitching...

            Exception to the rule, and I'm talking about part 1 only. Just look at John Carter or their last animation movies.

            [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      PRMan, 30 Oct 2012 @ 4:58pm

      Re: To those already bitching...

      I think the new trilogy is every bit as good as the original, it's just that people are comparing their 8-year-old glasses to their 38-year-old glasses. My kids saw them all at 8 and think they're all great (except for the song in ROTJ).

      Sure, Disney makes some clunkers, but we could actually get a couple really good Star Wars movies out of this.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 31 Oct 2012 @ 6:23am

        Re: Re: To those already bitching...

        The difference to me is that the original trilogy can be enjoyed as both a child and an adult. I'm sure the new trilogy is great for kids, but as an adult I found it appalling. Of course, that's just my opinion, but it seems to be shared by many of the fans I know.

        While I dislike Disney to a large extent (they are one of the few companies I consider to actually be evil), this could be a good thing for Star Wars fans. Disney has the opportunity win a lot of hearts and minds be undoing some of the damage Lucas has brought to the franchise. I won't hold my breath, though.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Rebel Freek, 30 Oct 2012 @ 5:40pm

      Re: To those already bitching...

      I'm actually in full agreement of this. Disney taking control of LucasFilm will do nothing but improve on what he was hording and slowly destroying himself. I personally have a great amount for certain people in the Disney organization that are improving everything they are making*coughJohnLassetercough*! Hell, look at the Marvel Movies that Disney has been pushing out compared to the pre-Disney era. This is a good thing, just wait for it.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      techflaws (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 12:45am

      Re: To those already bitching...

      The Avengers is well thought of don't you think?

      Nope, I got bored albeit not as bad as with Transformers 3.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Ninja (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 4:52am

      Re: To those already bitching...

      The Avengers was pleasant to watch but if you pay close attention there were some pretty stupid flaws plot-wise.

      In any case, this will have one of the following two outcomes:

      - Epic success and the franchise will be reinvigorated.
      - Abyssal failure and we'll be wishing Lucas didn't do it.

      In either case they'll milk the franchise to exhaustion while going nuclear concerning copyrights. Overall I believe it's more harm than good for the copyright side.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:25pm

    Disney contaminate anything they touch.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:27pm

    Do not want.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:28pm

    Look on the bright side, everybody!

    The arguments over whether Mickey shot first will go on for decades!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Darth Blue, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:30pm

    Fanbase

    My question is how will this affect the fanbase? George be damned, he actually allows the fans to openly release movies and art and games, and other related material and didn't exactly theaten to sue them out of existance unlike another series from another company.

    *coughstartrekandviacomcough*

    Now that Disney has it, what will happen?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ShellMG, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:34pm

    I was 11 years old when I saw Star Wars for the first time in 1977.

    When I read the headline, a part of that child just died.

    The jaded adult is still trying to wrap her brain around it. I know there are copyright and trademark issues in play, but I don't want to think about all that right now. I have a bad feeling about this.

    (Insert Wilhelm scream here)

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Ed C., 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:35pm

    Oh great, now all of the classics in Disney's vault will be cased carbonite.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    evil has been born, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:35pm

    little did the jedi know that it was not the sith or the dark side that was greatest threat to the galaxy....it was a mouse....

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Star What?, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:36pm

    what are the odds that Darth Vader will finally get paid?

    0

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Lone Starr, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:37pm

    Well, I thought I'd eventually see Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money in my lifetime. In fact, I hoped for it. Sadly, it looks like I'll see Disney's Star Wars: The Search For More Money before I see a Spaceballs sequel. I believe the first comment (and link) is perfect for how I feel about this.

    http://nooooooooooooooo.com/

    Lucas FINALLY gives up control of Star Wars. To Disney!

    Did anyone else feel that? I sensed a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of 'hopeful for a non-Lucas controlled/dominated Star Wars' fans cried out in anguish.

    (Oh yeah, I'm taking the username Lone Starr. Because I'm from Texas and because Spaceballs is now officially the only redeeming legacy Star Wars has left the world as far as I'm concerned.)

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:43pm

    I wouldn't mind seeing Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy turned into film.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 31 Oct 2012 @ 3:50am

      Re:

      Apparently they're going to ignore all the expanded universe canon and make a completely new trilogy, tho this is all so dubious, i can atleast hope they use the thrawn trilogy

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        ethorad (profile), 4 Nov 2012 @ 10:12am

        Re: Re:

        You think Disney ignore an existing story and come up with their own? Yeah, that's gonna happen.

        Ever since that funny film they did about a mouse on a steamboat I don't think they've done anything original. Not counting drafts of copyright legislation of course.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    meanwhile at disney, 30 Oct 2012 @ 2:45pm

    ghost of disney: UNLIMITED POWER!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    gorehound (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 3:04pm

    I sense a great disturbance in the force and it is a giant ugly Mouse !!!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 3:09pm

    First Marvel, now this? What's Disney up to?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Beech, 30 Oct 2012 @ 3:33pm

    How the HELL is Disney the "new generation of film makers"?

    This was a cash grab, pure and simple. If Lucas really cared about the franchise and new filmmakers he would have sold the franchise to Joss Whedon for a dollar.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Sam Hyatt, 18 Aug 2016 @ 12:00pm

      Re: Beech

      Thankfully Whedon wasn't asked, or we'd have vampire sex offenders saving the galaxy instead of Sith lords turning against their Masters.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    MahaliaShere (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 3:34pm

    Disney, buying up properties like it's going out of style.

    I'll just leave this here.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlHIxZyJHg4&feature=related

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Nathan F (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 3:37pm

    Lucas hasn't been dead for at least a year, I still won't be seeing, playing or reading anything Star Wars related.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Unanimous Cow Herd (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 3:43pm

    It's as if...

    millions of nerds suddenly cried out...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Panda (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 3:54pm

    It's Alderan all over again.

    I feel a disturbance in the Force. It's like a billion voices crying out all at once. "Noooo!"

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jim G., 30 Oct 2012 @ 4:02pm

    I certainly like the idea of Joss Whedon directing the next Star Wars film. Perhaps someone should send him a hologram via a droid?

    "Help us, Jossi-Wan Whedobi! You're our only hope!"

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      varagix, 30 Oct 2012 @ 4:13pm

      Re:

      He also wrote the script for the 4th Alien movie, Alien Resurrection. Sometimes he does amazing stuff. And sometimes... not so much.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        techflaws (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 12:52am

        Re: Re:

        Joss is a one-trick pony, Firefly be damned.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Niall (profile), 1 Nov 2012 @ 8:43am

          Re: Re: Re:

          So Buffy and Angel don't count? And Firefly was amazing. Shame about Dollhouse but no-one is perfect.

          I'm pretty sure Twilight wouldn't have been so successful without Buffy trailblazing...

          I'll also point out that Joss was part of the writing team for the original Toy Story.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    PolyPusher (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 5:07pm

    At first I was angry about this.

    Then I realized that John Lasseter is now head of all things creative "Chief Creative Officer" at Disney. He's past his days as a director, however the man knows good story telling and if there's anyone I trust to figure out what to do with Star Wars, it's him.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      ComicGuy89 (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 5:59pm

      Re: At first I was angry about this.

      I agree. Disney may have shady, disagreeable corporate tactics, but they're pretty good in storytelling, especially recently. Avengers and Pixar movies also prove they can take a hands-off approach with non-native franchises.

      Star Wars has been in a rut for a while now, and, while I loved the prequels, fantasy movie-making has improved drastically since Episode III aired. This is actually a great chance for Star Wars to be epic again.

      Although I was shocked that a corporate monster like Disney is taking reins of Star Wars, I must concede to their movie-making capabilities and I think the future of Star Wars has not shined as brightly for a while now.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 5:10pm

    Pluto Binks

    Now we know why Mickey's dog was named Pluto...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    WulfTheSaxon (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 6:59pm

    Now please release the complete Nelvana Ewoks and Droids cartoons on DVD or Blu-ray.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 31 Oct 2012 @ 7:06am

      Re:

      "Now please release the complete Nelvana Ewoks and Droids cartoons on DVD or Blu-ray."

      Or, at least, the Star Wars Holiday Special...

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Wally (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 8:07pm

    Yet another classic doomed to rot away in the Disney Vault.

    "We're doomed"
    -C3-PO

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2012 @ 9:04pm

    I'll never say a bad thing about Disney again if they give me a kick-ass Han Solo origin movie.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    TheLastCzarnian (profile), 30 Oct 2012 @ 10:21pm

    You're all missing something...

    Yes, Lucas was heavy-handed in his movies, but what about fan-created materials? He was almost always supportive of those, but Disney? Not so much. There was a truck that used to drive around my town with a big Mickey sticker on the hood. One day, it was gone. Rumor has it that the owner got a C&D letter from Disney. Sound strange? Trying doing an image search for "Hello Kitty car" and see how many fans have sticker-covered daily drivers. Now do a search for "Mickey Mouse car" and you'll find... very few.

    There will probably be good movies made by Disney. But the die-hard fans will almost surely suffer.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    nospacesorspecialcharacters (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 3:29am

    Really? 78 Comments - no-one said it yet...

    I have a really bad feeling about this!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Ninja (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 5:33am

      Re: Really? 78 Comments - no-one said it yet...

      A disturbance in the Force you feel. Stronger the Dark Side has become. Act we must.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    nospacesorspecialcharacters (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 3:35am

    How I imagine negotiations went with Lucas...

    Executives: "You cannot keep the franchise forever, George."

    Lucas: "I will not make it."

    Executives: "Yes, your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for it are strong. Especially for... Disney. So, you like Disney movies. Now your failure is complete. If you will not make Episode VII... then perhaps they will..!"

    Lucas: "OOOOOOOOOOkaaay!"

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 31 Oct 2012 @ 5:05am

    Hopefully the Storm Trooper costume dude retains his court victory and therefore can continue to produce storm trooper outfits. Just because the asset is sold does not mean all court proceedings are null and void.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Ninja (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 5:31am

    I sense a disturbance in the Force...

    ... of epic proportions.

    It has begun, the end of the world as we know it. The Mayans were right!

    In another news, Buzz Lightyear is confirmed as Star Wars VII clone army commander.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bob E Skunky, 31 Oct 2012 @ 11:03am

    All that money for a company whose films have never made a profit ?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    RobM (profile), 31 Oct 2012 @ 4:07pm

    So that geodesic sphere at Epcot is now a Death Star.

    I haven't been inside it in 30 years, so I guess they added a few tweaks?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    RD, 31 Oct 2012 @ 10:22pm

    So you gotta wonder...

    So you gotta wonder if Disney will use typical "hollywood accounting methods" to ensure that Lucas never sees a dime?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

The Last Word

“

Disney in the year 2070

Mr. Senator, we can't let Star Wars enter the public domain. To do so would be a great injustice to the creators of this much loved brand. You must pass the "New Hope Copyright Extension Act" to extend the Star Wars copyright to 150 years.
—E. Zachary Knight
 ”

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