Disney Buys LucasFilm

[HappyGilmore]

Meh.

[dean]

     So far, Disney has not tried to "Disneyfy" Pixar or Marvel, and I believe they'll allow LucasFilm to keep its own unique flavor.

Yeah well those brands had been doing ok on their own without Disney, unlike Lucasfilm...

In any case I'm in the 'it can't hurt anymore than it does already' and to be perfectly honest, I really want more high budget sci-fi in my life so if they keep cranking them out every few years like Bond films I'll be happy enough regardless

[BoyScoutKevin]

Films.
I think alot of people think of "Star Wars" only in terms of films, but it is much more than that. It is . . .

dolls (excuse me. action figures)
books
comics
costumes
TV programs (including the sequel to "Clone Wars," "Star Wars: Underground," which Lucas has been trying to get off the ground for a number of years.
videogames
and much more merchandise.

I think alot of people have forgotten that it was always planned to be at least 9 films. 3 series of 3 films each.

I think alot of people also forget the 1st film was 35 years ago, and there are alot of people now living, who were not even born yet. And as these people are most likely to be the audience for the first film, scheduled for 2015, with the next 2 films in 2017 and 2019. The latest films will probably cater to them.

Boys
Girls have the princess hour. Now boys have something besides Marvel.

Cash
As I thought, it was not a strict cash transaction, as most companies don't like that much cash to go out. It was a cash/stock transaction. And Lucas did quite well for himself. Depending upon how many shares he gets, if he's not the largest shareholder in the company, he'll be one of the largest, which should give him some influence in the largest entertainment company in the world. And depending upon how the company does, and how long he holds his shares, he'll probably come out with more than $4B at the end. And if he is not already a billionaire before this, he is now.

Dark Horse
As the official publisher of "Star War" comics, Dark Horse has a problem. I presume they have a contract to publish, but the contract is not in perpituity, so when it expires the contract will probably revert to Moarvel. Of course, as someone pointed out, Marvel was the original publisher of "Star War" comics.

The Hobbit
I am actually more concerned with what they are doing to "The Hobbit." "Star Wars" is only an idea, while "The Hobbit" is based upon what I feel is a classic fantasy novel. And while they may not be good films, there is enough unfilmed material to make 3 films without stretching the materiqal too much. I have read "The Hobbit" many times, and there is not enough material to make 3 films. Even 2 films without stretching the material almost beyond recognition.

Opinions
I have been surprised at how positive the opinions have been so far. After some early negative opinions on the basis of "It's a bad idea. They'll ruin it." Most of the rest have been positive. Mostly on the basis of . . .

1. We don't know how long it'll last, but so far they have had a good string of producing films.
2. Marvel and Pixar as to what can be done, if it is done correctly.
3. And most importantly, they're not George Lucas.

Stride Rite
The benefits are already accruing. Stride Rite and its "Star War" shoes (Glows Jedi blue in the day/Red Sith at night) has signed on as a sponsor of RadioDisney.

Subject
I'd lke to see the next films cover the next generation: Luke's son, Lando's son, Han and Leia's daughter. Of course, someone, who apparently knows something, has said you can forget what you have read in the books or seen in the comics, as it's going to be something completely new. Thus, probably the only thing we know is the the films will cover that era after Episode 6.

But, for pete's sake, don't let George Lucas write the screenplay. Someone has suggested Timothy Zahn. I have read him, and he is a good writer, but I don't think he's ever written a screenplay before.

Anyway, those are my opinions, and I'm stickin' to 'em.

[HappyGilmore]

Not sure what involvement Lucas will have with the films, but, he's apparently just written an 'overarching story' for a trilogy. Whomever is hired here on out is gonna write the films from that.

Disney also now owns the Indiana Jones rights.

Lucas is donating a majority of this cash to charity.

[ChaosTheory]

Maybe we'll finally get the unaltered versions of the original films on Blu ray.

That's the best possible good that could come of this. 

I'm no fan of what Lucas turned into but this is still Mickey's House of Merchandising (TM)  we're talking about here.

Disney also now owns the Indiana Jones rights.

So we have still more LaBeouf to look forward to?   

[ulthar]

I think alot of people have forgotten that it was always planned to be at least 9 films. 3 series of 3 films each.

I have stated many times that I think the first STAR WARS was produced as a stand alone movie, and no sequel was planned from the beginning.  They, including Lucas, had no idea it was to be as popular as it was at the or have as much longevity as it has had.

The STAR WARS storyline went through multiple iterations with a lot of different 'backstories' before STAR WARS was actually shot and released.  I suspect that it has claimed that the existence of these 'drafts' are "plans for future films."  I personally think that's crap.

I've never seen one bit of evidence that before STAR WARS was released that Lucas or anyone else said there was a long enough storyline to produce 3, much less 6 (or 9) films or that any sequels were planned.

As much as I hate wikipedia, let's go there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars#Production_history

A pretty interesting read concerning how the DRAFTS of the story developed numerous elements that later appeared in the sequels/prequels, but,

"At that point, Lucas was not expecting the film to become part of a series. The fourth draft of the script underwent subtle changes that made it more satisfying as a self-contained film, ending with the destruction of the Empire itself by way of destroying the Death Star. "

Yes, he went on to say, in 1994, that he realized early on that he had enough for multiple movies, but couldn't anyone who went through 4-8 drafts say the same thing?

If we watch STAR WARS as a first timer with no knowledge of the sequels (as many of us did in 1977, and we remember the experience, thank you very much Lucas!), I am convinced this was produced as a stand-alone and there is NOTHING present to indicate this grandiose plan.

It is in part this notion that Lucas mapped out 30 years of film making that has started his steady credibility decline in my mind at least.

What Disney does with the franchise is going to be interesting to observe.  Bringing Vader back from the dead is, however, not a promising start to the rumor mill.  YMMV.

[Chainsawmidget]

Lucas has changed his story so many times there's no telling what exactly he had planned anymore.