Coeurli Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 October 30, 2012 Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm By Heather Hust Rivera, The Walt Disney Company Great news! The Force is coming to Disney! Bob Iger just announced that The Walt Disney Company is acquiring Lucasfilm – the global entertainment company founded by George Lucas and the home of the legendary Star Wars franchise. In addition to getting the rights to one of the greatest family franchises and epic stories of all time, Disney is also acquiring all of Lucasfilm’s operating businesses – including Industrial Light and Magic and Skywalker Sound. Did you know? The Star Wars universe now has more than 17,000 characters inhabiting several thousand planets spanning 20,000 years. This gives Disney infinite inspiration and opportunities to continue the epic Star Wars saga. Fans can expect a new feature film, Star Wars Episode 7, in theaters worldwide in 2015. George Lucas will serve as creative consultant on the film and Kathleen Kennedy, the filmmaker George handpicked to lead Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the rest of Lucasfilm into the future will be the executive producer (she’s also joining Disney as president of Lucasfilm). With this many characters to develop and stories to tell, Disney plans to release a new Star Wars feature film every two or three years for the foreseeable future. We’ve actually had a great working relationship with Lucasfilm for years -- with Star Wars and Indiana Jones themed attractions in our parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo. So, we’re starting with a strong foundation and compatible brands – and the addition of Lucasfilm Ltd. will support our growth strategy and create even more opportunity for Disney to create incredible entertainment and drive significant long-term value for our shareholders. You can find more information about Disney’s exciting acquisition of Lucasfilm here. link dafuq, George ?! :| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Final Track Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 :sad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheese Nip 2 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 As a lifelong Star Wars fan I think this is absolutely terrible. I mean sure Disney did pretty good with The Avengers but I cannot trust them with Star Wars. Lucas has said in the past the series was about Vader and Luke. That's it. He said he didn't want to make any more and he wouldn't want anyone else making any. Star Wars has already been made to commercial by Hasnro and what not (Angry Birds Star Wars toys? Really?). Expanded universe is fine, but a Star Wars VII is adding to a story that is finished. A TV show or something would be fine because it doesn't mess with the core of the franchise, but once you start altering the whole thing eventually you're gonna mess up. They better not bring Vader back to life or something like that....The prequels to me we're just some character background but sequels....I just don't trust it. Sorry. That was a mega nerd rant:P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Final Track Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Well, Lucas always wanted to make 9 films, so I'm less worried about the story than the production itself :\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanessarrent Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Clearly George need money and anyway, he's not able to make good movie anymore. Look the last Indiana Jones, the movie is just terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prospector Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 WTF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashleyMN28 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Wow. This is disturbing. I just don't trust Disney with Stars Wars. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Rose Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Disney character version of Star Wars (like Family Guy or Robot Chicken) anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coeurli Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 ^You mean... ...like this ? :cheesy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 ^You mean... ...like this ? :cheesy: I don't want my eyes anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollyxyloto Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 The original Star Wars were good. All these new episodes and stuff are crap. LEAVE THEM ALONE DISNEY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spider-Man Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Disney buying 'Star Wars' maker Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion Disney buying 'Star Wars' maker Lucasfilm for $4.05B Published October 30, 2012 Associated Press May 25, 2012: Director George Lucas arrives on the red carpet ahead of the screening of the film "Cosmopolis" in competition at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. (Reuters) LOS ANGELES – A decade since George Lucas said "Star Wars" was finished on the big screen, a new trilogy under new ownership is destined for theaters after The Walt Disney Co. announced Tuesday that it was buying Lucasfilm Ltd. from him for $4.05 billion. The seventh movie, with a working title of "Episode 7," is set for release in 2015. Episodes 8 and 9 will follow. The trilogy will continue the story of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia beyond "Return of the Jedi," the third film released and the sixth in the saga. After that, Disney plans a new "Star Wars" movie every two or three years. Lucas will serve as creative consultant in the new movies. "I'm doing this so that the films will have a longer life," Lucas, the 68-year-old creator of the series and sole owner of Lucasfilm, said in an interview posted on YouTube. "I get to be a fan now ... I sort of look forward to it. It's a lot more fun actually, than actually having to go out into the mud and snow." Disney CEO Bob Iger said Lucasfilm had already developed an extensive story line on the next trilogy, and Episode 7 was now in early-stage development. He said he talked with Lucas about buying the company from him a year and a half ago, but they didn't decide on a deal until very recently as Lucas set in motion his retirement. "The last `Star Wars' movie release was 2005's `Revenge of the Sith' -- and we believe there's substantial pent-up demand," Iger said. The blockbuster deal announced Tuesday will see Disney pay half the acquisition price in cash and half in newly issued stock. The company expects it to add to earnings in 2015. Along with the cash, Lucas will end up owning about 40 million Disney shares, which is about a 2.2 percent stake of the 1.83 billion shares that will be in circulation when the transaction closes. The deal includes Lucasfilm's prized high-tech production companies, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, as well as rights to the "Indiana Jones" franchise. Lucas was hailed as a cinematic visionary when the original "Star Wars" came out in 1977. But he had become an object of often-vicious ridicule by the time he released 3-D versions of all six films in the Star Wars franchise earlier this year. Die-hard Star War fans had been vilifying Lucas for years, convinced that he had become a commercial sell-out and had compounded his sins by desecrating the heroic tale that he originally sought to tell. They railed against him for adding grating characters such as Jar Jar Binks in the second trilogy and attacked him for tinkering with the original trilogy, too. Any revision in special edition or home video releases -- such as making the Ewoks blink or having a green-skinned alien named Greedo take the first shot at Han Solo in a famous bar scene -- were treated as blasphemy. The criticism grated on Lucas, who vowed never to make another Star Wars movie. "Why would I make any more when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?" Lucas told The New York Times earlier this year. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the fourth film in another lucrative franchise, subjected Lucas to even more barbs when it came to the big screen in 2008. Fans of those films were especially outraged about an opening scene that featured Indiana Jones crawling into a lead-lined refrigerator to survive a nuclear bomb blasting. Lucas was fed up by the time he released "Red Tails," a movie depicting the valor of African-American pilots during World War II, earlier this year. He told the Times he was ready to retire from the business of making blockbusters and return to his roots as a student at USC's film school, where he once made a movie about clouds moving in a desert. Kathleen Kennedy, the current co-chairman of Lucasfilm, will become the division's president and report to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. She will serve as executive producer for the new movies. Directors for the new movies have not yet been announced. In the YouTube video, Lucas said the decision to continue with the saga wasn't inconsistent with past statements. "I always said I wasn't going to do any more and that's true, because I'm not going to do any more, but that doesn't mean I'm unwilling to turn it over to Kathy to do more," Lucas said. He said he has given Kennedy his story lines and other ideas, "and I have complete confidence that she's going to take them and make great movies." Kennedy added that she and Lucas had discussed ideas with a couple of writers about the future movies and said Lucas would continue to have a key advisory role. "My Yoda has to be there," she said. The deal brings Lucasfilm under the Disney banner with other brands including Pixar, Marvel, ESPN and ABC, all companies that Disney has acquired over the years. A former weatherman who rose through the ranks of ABC, Iger has orchestrated some of the company's biggest acquisitions, including the $7.4 billion purchase of animated movie studio Pixar in 2006 and the $4.2 billion acquisition of comic book giant Marvel in 2009. Coincidentally, Lucas owned the startup that later became Pixar, before he sold it to Apple's Steve Jobs in 1986 for about $5 million. When Jobs sold Pixar to Disney, he became Disney's largest single shareholder with a 7.7 percent stake. Those shares are now held in a trust. Disney shares were not trading with stock markets closed due to the impact of Superstorm Sandy in New York. They closed on Friday at $50.08. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/10/30/disney-buying-tar-wars-maker-lucasfilm-for-405b/#ixzz2ApMEDpkP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prospector Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 ^ Episode III is not so bad, but the other 2 are boring :nod:. Imagine yoda with mickey ears, how cute is that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanessarrent Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyqlTi7lkhY]The Future of Star Wars Movies - YouTube[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kestrel Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 ack...my main worry is for the fan sites esp fanfic...George Lucas and co have always turned a blind eye...I wonder if disney will do the same... :\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getithom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Right in the feels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tash Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Disney buying 'Star Wars' maker Lucasfilm for $4.05B Threads merged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeeburns Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Star Wars job goes to Toy Story 3 writer Arndt has been twice-nominated for an Oscar, winning once Star Wars job goes to Toy Story 3 writer Hollywood scribe Michael Arndt will write the next instalment in the Star Wars series, Lucasfilm has confirmed. Arndt won an Oscar for best original screenplay for the 2006 comedy Little Miss Sunshine. His screenplay for Toy Story 3 was nominated for best adapted screenplay in 2010. He has also co-written the second film in the Hunger Games trilogy. According to the Hollywod Reporter, the latest Star Wars story will focus on a new generation of heroes. However, there could be appearances by actors Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher in older incarnations of their characters - Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia - from the original Star Wars trilogy. :o Harrison Ford, who played space smuggler Han Solo, is also reported to be interested in reprising his role. :shocked2: Ford's Hollywood star rose with his appearances in the three Star Wars film, which he followed up with his role as archaeologist adventurer Indiana Jones and films including with The Fugitive and his Oscar-nominated turn in Witness. Hamill is an in-demand voice actor and Fisher, who struggled with drug addictions throughout the 1970s, is a successful novelist and screenwriter. In October, it was announced that Disney had bought George Lucas's Lucasfilms company for a reported $4.05 billion (£2.5bn) and was committed to producing three new films. George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy will produce the films but have yet to hire a director for the project. Pixar alumnus Brad Bird has been touted in the movie press as has British director of Kick-Ass, Matthew Vaughn. Star Wars: Episode 7, the next film in the franchise is due to be released in 2015. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20288810 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeeburns Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Star Wars: George Lucas hints at cast 'reunion' Left-right: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill in the original Star Wars film Star Wars: George Lucas hints at cast 'reunion' Hopes that Star Wars actors Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will reprise their roles on screen have been raised by the saga's creator. Speaking to Bloomsberg Businessweek, George Lucas revealed that the trio had been "in final stages of negotiation" when his Lucasfilm company was sold to Disney last year. That deal will pave the way for a new Star Wars film, directed by JJ Abrams. But Lucas would not confirm whether the "negotiation" had been successful. Lucas' remarks coincided with an interview with Fisher in which she said she would return to the role of Princess Leia in the new film, due out in 2015. However, that was swiftly followed by a retraction from a representative, saying the 56-year-old actress had been "joking". Both Hamill and Ford are said to be open to the possibility of returning as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, according to Entertainment Weekly. When Disney purchased Lucasfilm for $4.05bn (£2.7bn) last year, it said it planned to make a new trilogy of Star Wars films to follow on from the existing six movies. Earlier this week, Disney chief executive Bob Iger told shareholders the company was also working on "some stand-alone movies featuring the great Star Wars characters". The original Star Wars, released in 1977, tells of a young farm boy (Hamill) who joins forces with a space bandit (Ford) to liberate an imprisoned princess (Fisher). All three actors returned to their roles in the two sequels, 1980's The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return of the Jedi. But none of the trio appeared in the three Star Wars prequels - The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith - which were released in 1999, 2002 and 2005 respectively. Given that the new films will be set in the years after the events seen in Return of the Jedi, however, the Skywalker, Solo and Leia characters could conceivably feature. Left-right: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill as they are today "We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison - or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation," Lucas, 68, is quoted as telling Bloomsberg's Devin Leonard. "So I called them to say, 'Look, this is what's going on.' Maybe I'm not supposed to say that. I think [Disney] want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21713361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryalvord Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 I heard in a news that around $4 billion have been paid for this deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeeburns Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 New Star Wars film yearly from 2015 New Star Wars film yearly from 2015 Disney has said a new Star Wars film will appear yearly from 2015, alternating between new episodes in the space saga and spinoff character films. The announcement, made at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, was reported by Comingsoon. Star Trek director JJ Abrams will begin the new cycle of movies with Episode VII, from a script by Little Miss Sunshine writer Michael Arndt. Star Wars creator George Lucas sold his film production company Lucasfilm to Disney last year for $4.05bn (£2.5bn). The latest announcement was made by Walt Disney Co chairman Alan Horn, at the annual movie theatre convention CinemaCon in Las Vegas. In February, Disney announced that alongside a new trilogy, a series of films built around existing characters from the Star Wars universe were in development. It is rumoured the first stand-alone film could focus on the diminutive Jedi master Yoda. The spinoff films will be written by Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan worked on the scripts of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi - the second and third instalments of the first Star Wars trilogy while Kinberg is best known for his work on X-Men: The Last Stand and Guy Ritchie's hit reboot of Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. Fan reaction to Disney's announcement on social networks and film websites have been mixed. "Ridiculous", tweeted The Mail Man, "I've got a bad feeling about this," remarked Kurt Brookes, using one of the film's famous lines. "New Star Wars every year? My kids are overjoyed," said Bryan Hitch. Writing for Forbes magazine, Carol Pinchefsky, said: "The Twitterati are already concerned that there will be a Star Wars overload, that the movies will be "force marched" out as fast as Disney can make them. "After all, Disney isn't typically known for pumping out entries in a franchise this rapidly (Pirates of the Caribbean notwithstanding)." The original Star Wars film, released in the UK in 1977, starred Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford as they took on the evil Empire "in a galaxy, far, far away". In a recent interview George Lucas hinted at a cast reunion, revealing the trio were "in final stages of negotiation". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22197797 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeeburns Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 Star Wars: Episode VII to be filmed in UK Star Wars creator George Lucas sold his production company to Disney last year Star Wars: Episode VII to be filmed in UK The latest Star Wars film is to be made in the UK, producer Lucasfilm has said. The seventh movie in the sci-fi series is due to start production next year and is scheduled for release in 2015. Filming on previous Star Wars also took place in Britain at studios including Elstree, Shepperton and Leavesden. Chancellor George Osborne met executives from Disney-owned Lucasfilm in London earlier this year to discuss the plans and the production is thought to be eligible for a tax break. In a statement, Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president, said: "We've devoted serious time and attention to revisiting the origins of Star Wars as inspiration for our process on the new movie, and I'm thrilled that returning to the UK for production and utilising the incredible talent there can be a part of that." The company said representatives from Lucasfilm met with Mr Osborne "to establish an agreement to produce Star Wars in the UK". Mr Osborne said: "Today's announcement that the next Star Wars film will be shot and produced in the UK is great news for fans and our creative industries, and it is clear evidence that our incentives are attracting the largest studios back to the UK. I am personally committed to seeing more great films and television made in Britain." In recent years hundreds of films have benefitted from tax relief, which require that at least 25% of the total production expenditure takes place in the UK. Relief can be claimed on production expenditure in the UK, up to a maximum of 80% of the total budget. Disney announced it would be making three new Star Wars films after it purchased Lucasfilm, the company started by Star Wars creator George Lucas, in October 2012. Star Wars: Episode VII will be directed by JJ Abrams, from a script by Little Miss Sunshine writer Michael Arndt. The six films in the series have grossed more than £2.8bn ($4.4bn) at the worldwide box office. Pinewood and Ealing studios were also used for production of previous Star Wars films. The 1977 original, the Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983 were shot at UK studios, as well as on location across the world. The series was revived in 1999 for three prequels. Studio production on the Phantom Menace took place at Leavesden studios in Hertfordshire, with Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith filmed in both the UK and Australia. Lucasfilm has not confirmed where the new film would be made but Star Wars fans website Jedinews has speculated that Pinewood studios may be one of the sites. Earlier this month, the Sun newspaper also reported that scenes would be shot in the Highlands and the Isle of Skye. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22491025 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeeburns Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Star Wars hopefuls attend open auditions in Bristol Star Wars hopefuls attend open auditions in Bristol Hundreds of people are queuing at a Bristol arts centre for the first in a series of open auditions for two lead roles in the next Star Wars film. Producers Lucasfilm are seeking two actors for roles in the forthcoming Star Wars: Episode VII. The two roles are for a "street smart" girl in her late teens and a "smart capable" man in his late teens or early 20s, according to the casting call. Casting sessions will take place across the UK and Ireland. The auditions are taking place at Bristol's Arnolfini from 11:00 GMT, but many hopefuls have been queuing up in the rain since 04:30. "This is something I grew up with and it's massive - it's a massive deal," said Ben Millier, from Frome in Somerset. You can't not audition for this if you're in the age range, if you fit it, because it's just a big deal." Alex Rambo, another hopeful from Bristol, said if there was the "slightest chance - it's all worth it no matter how long you have to queue for". And Tom Millineux, who has also been queuing for several hours, said he "couldn't resist the temptation" despite his "absolute lack of acting experience". Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled to begin shooting at Pinewood Studios near London in spring 2014 before the film is released in December 2015. The open auditions for a "major Hollywood movie" were first published on the Twitter account @UKopencall, which announced a "nationwide search for lead roles for a Disney movie". Lucasfilm has since confirmed the auditions are for the next Star Wars film. Disney bought Lucasfilm, the production company behind the series, in October 2012 for £2.6bn ($4bn). Open auditions also begin this week in the US, according to an online notice. Casting directors will be visiting cities including Nashville and Chicago as well as accepting online applications. While it is unprecedented for lead parts in a franchise of this size to hold open auditions in this way, Star Wars has in the past given major roles to little-known actors through the traditional casting process, dating back to the original trilogy when the then unknown Mark Hamill won the role of Luke Skywalker. Other movies have successfully cast secondary actors and actresses through open auditions in the past, most notably some of the later Harry Potter films. Actress Dakota Blue Richards won the lead role of Lyra in The Golden Compass, the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's Northern Lights, through open casting. Director JJ Abrams, who is also co-scripting the new Star Wars movie, will not be attending the open auditions. Instead, those at the auditions, who must be over the age of 16 for the female role, and over 18 for the male role, will briefly meet members of the casting team of the film. Casting sessions will take place across the UK and Ireland. Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin and London will also host open auditions throughout November. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-24877078 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumbersGirl Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I was there in spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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