Disney Buying LucasFilm! WHOA

[javy2004]

WDI and ILM being this much closer together in future projects will be amazing! I'm assuming it would imply that ILM won't work on any attractions in theme parks other than Disney parks. Looks like Transformers is the last thing a rival park will get from ILM.

My brain felt like it melted when i read the headline on Cnet.com thinking, 'this is just like Ozzfest 2006 when my favorite of favorite bands at the time all performed on that tour together!' when word of episode 7 spreads, i can see all the directors, nolan, del toro, cuaron, whedon, abrams etc dreaming of the chance to work on this. I remember when the special editions came out around 1997 that i read somewhere star wars was always to be a 9 episode series of films. while it sounds like they want to go beyond that, i hope they keep the quality of these future films high. The prequels left a lot of people feeling jaded about the franchise, but it could be great. make quality films like the avengers, and this money will be made up in the not too distant future.

just did a quick search and Lucas's net worth was about $3.25 billion. he more than doubled that today and all he has to do is take his hands off. whatever it takes right?

 

[HM Spectre]

I'm not gonna lie, I thought Star Wars 7 was a joke about a straight to VHS, poorly done movie that everyone will pretend never happened.

It's actually real and going to to happen? Lucas Land??? Excuse my while I duct tape my head back together, it just exploded.

 

[TheMackMachine]

If Star Wars land isn't going into the back of the park, then they should still do Carsland. They should still do both!

 

[the.dreamfinder]

DC Is Owned by Time Warner/Warner Bros...So NO
Star Trek is Owned By Paramount..So No..
Dr. Who.......Maaaayyybe...

Owned by the BBC. That might start a war between the US and Britain.

 

[dreamscometrue]

Someone beat the OP by 3 min. Ongoing discussion here:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/disney-buying-lucasfilm-whoa.855043/

 

[disney fan 13]

…Still in shock …but wasn’t Lucas working on a prime time star wars TV show and put it off because the technology wasn’t ready yet to make it cost effective? Maybe that wasn’t his reason all along. Maybe he’s been looking to sell to Disney for a while now and didn’t want to start something he was just going to sell. Now, do you think Disney will approach this project?

I’m excited by the idea that I will be able to take my now 3 and 6 year old boys to a Star Wars movie but also afraid that the franchise will be slaughtered.

This is great for the Parks but I’m not sure about the movies. I’ll just have to wait and see but I’ll stay optimistic and hope that Disney can do this right.

I'm sure Underworld is now gone (sadly...)

As for the Movies I'd say let em watch the original trilogy .

 

[imagineer boy]

Wow, I was shocked about the aquisition news as it was, but the episode 7 news is even more shocking.

 

[twebber55]

I would think it would be good reason to reevaluate that spend. People will be looking for a return on that 4b... and dumping money into another 3rd party project when you just expanded yours sounds curious.. and spending to duplicate an experience in a movie park when you just bought the biggest movie/merch franchise out there..

One might speculate even this being considered is one reason Disney may play hardball with Avatar and move slowly...

totally agree...this probably increases the chances of adding star wars to DHS and other parks around the world but i dont see it affecting those other projects

 

[jam814]

I would not be too sure... Have to wait and see... CLONE WARS... Now does that get pulled from Cartoon Network and moved to the DISNEY Channel?

doubtful they have a contract with Cartoon Network, i bet we see reruns on Disney XD soon though. and a live action show on Abc

 

[Animaniac93-98]

You left out LOTR.

My bad.

 

[jam814]

totally agree...this probably increases the chances of adding star wars to DHS and other parks around the world but i dont see it affecting those other projects

me either especially with the dire need that DHS and the paris studios are in

 

[jdmdisney99]

I just thought of something. Some said Endor and AK in the same post. Can someone say SW Phase 2 (a la HP)!?! At DHS, in Lucasland, you board an X-wing simulator with screens in windows that make you think you're in space as you are transported between DHS's Lucasland and AK's Endor

 

[SirLink]

Actually is this the reason James Cameron backed down?

Cameron: No its going to be 3 attractions!
BOD: We have Star Wars, we don't need YOU!
Cameron: Ok well, 2 attractions is fine
BOD: Good!

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

You left out LOTR.

Owned by New Line Cinema which is a Sub company of Time Warner/Warner Bros....NO!

 

[melflip8]

Fromhttp://attractionsmagazine.com/blog/2012/10/30/disney-to-buy-lucasfilm-and-start-releasing-new-star-wars-movies-starting-with-episode-7-in-2015/

Disney CFO Jay Rasulo described some of the ways they hope to capitalize on the acquisition, “We plan to release the first new Star Wars film in 2015, and then plan to release one film every two to three years. These films will be released and distributed as part of our target slate of 8-10 live-action films per year, and will augment Disney’s already strong creative pipeline for many years to come. We also expect to utilize Star Wars in other businesses including Parks & Resorts, in games and in our television business. These initiatives were also considered in our valuation.”

So...Disney's Death Star Resort? Announce that and I'll book a room now!

This hotel is FULLY OPERATIONAL?!

 

[RSoxNo1]

Interesting that Kathleen Kennedy will head up the Lucas Film Studio. She used to be Speilberg's right hand man with her ex husband Frank Marshall. She is a sharp lady who knows how to produce films and get revenue i.e. ET, Back to the Future, Indian Jones, etc... The Star Wars and Indiana Jones are big but do not discount Ms. Kennedy. Just my humble opinion.

Wasn't she mentioned as a possibility for future CEO of Disney? Did Iger just buy his replacement?

 

[misterID]

I'm kind og getting the feeling people are jumping to conclusions here and going on what they want rather than what's really happening. I'd suspect a Carsland clone would be more economically favorable than building a brand spanking new land based on Star Wars. And seeing they've invested this much in Avland and pimped it the way they have and come this far with it that to turn back now is hard to swallow, especially seeing that neither franchise would fit in AK (no, Indy wouldn't). And this is TDO we're talking about. Plus, any big SW project would be years and years away.

Unless someone has something where this is a fact, I'm not buying that this auotmatically translates to WDW.

 

[Monkee Girl]

Most importantly, George Lucas is NOT directing Episode 7. It might be good.

I would love if Disney, or who ever will be doing these films, come up with a good story idea...If..IF they use Luke, Hand, Leia and the rest of the original gang, I really don't want to see them ruined. I know I will get hated for this but please PLEASE no Mara Jade....

I am nervous about the movies but I am more excited about park possibilities. Star Wars weekend was awesome and I can just imagine a park dedicated to it all the time...

 

[acishere]

Can Disney get rid of the Hayden Christensen hologram from the end of Return of the Jedi?

 

[WDW1974]

Don't have time to read the thread, but as a Disney fan I dislike this move (not that it isn't good business wise). Disney still has a toxic creative culture and this just shows that Iger has never been interesting in fixing Disney's heart. Pixar, Marvel, LucasFilm have all been acquired to fill ulcers within Disney without any real medicine. It's a great strategy so long as these entities remain free of the Disney poison, and its a poor long term strategy.

It is a GREAT deal for Disney at that price. Lee and I discussed the rumours recently (and as he says below) the figure we had (and was talked about) was well above the price Disney got.. Much like with Muppets and Pixar, they're buying properties that are already part of the fiber of their P&R business.

Versus a deal with say Marvel, the fit is a great one. BUT ... you are absolutely right, this seals the coffin that Disney itself will be creating any new compelling product that isn't from one these BRANDS and that's sad for a company that has been so trendsetting.

I wonder what this means for the Studios makeover (I'm certainly even more convinced it will be big and impressive) and what it means for Iger's timeline for leaving.

Wow.
I knew of talks, but I figured Lucas would price it too high.
$4billion...could be a steal. I figured he would ask for at least eight.

This explains those Disney delegations visiting Skywalker Ranch last month.

Yeah, as we talked about I thought he'd be pushing for $8-10 billion. ... I dunno, though, when it seems too good to be true ...