News Breaking:Disney Acquire Lucasfilm Star Wars 7 in 2015

[Rodders]

The BBC article said that they have acquired both THX and ILM as part of the deal.

 

[Parson]

Not being much of an author or writer. My first thought and my continuing thought is Yea!!!!! I get another Star Wars movie, and maybe it will return to the days of yore when the plot wasn't constrained by the need to come out to where "New Hope" (I hate that title!) started. I saw the first one in the late 70's (78? right?) I would never have thought that I would be 65 when the episode 7 hopefully comes out. I mean, I might well be dead of old age by the time Episode 9 comes out!!!

 

[clovis-man]

Up until very recently, I believe, George Lucas has always adamantly stated that he only ever had six episodes written and never planned any more.

Did he or didn't he? If you put all the theories end to end, they all point in different directions:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/star-wars-sequels_n_2048830.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment

 

[Venusian Broon]

Did he or didn't he? If you put all the theories end to end, they all point in different directions:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/star-wars-sequels_n_2048830.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment

I don't know the guy, but I sense that if George Lucas had indeed planned, written or even half-sketched on a beer mat Star Wars VII-IX, then he'd want complete control and do them himself.

 

[J-Sun]

John Carter of Mars was Disney.

But there's an interesting kind of conspiracy theory about that.

Disney's entire involvement was financial, you can thank the choice of Director and his choice of actors & story for the rest.

Exactly - especially director (and writer).

Yup, they have everything Lucasfilm ever did.

Yes, they have bought everything. The same question is asked here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20151499

That page isn't coming up right for me. Is there another source for that? I would think Spielberg has at least partial rights and so I wouldn't think Disney would get Indy outright.

I saw the first one in the late 70's (78? right?)

It came out in '77, but close enough, especially as it was still running/re-released in places in '78.

 

[Dave]

That page isn't coming up right for me. Is there another source for that? I would think Spielberg has at least partial rights and so I wouldn't think Disney would get Indy outright.

I think some BBC content is blocked outside the UK. You'll have to use a cloak. It isn't that much of revelation anyway, just a reporter talking to some fan/industry insider. They quickly skip from Indy back to how Harrison Ford said he would never play Han Solo again without answering the question.

Did he or didn't he? If you put all the theories end to end, they all point in different directions:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/star-wars-sequels_n_2048830.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment

As I have said, I first heard the rumour that he had nine scripts for 3 sequels and 3 prequels back in the early 1980's. Since then it has been denied, revived, denied again, revived again...

His story now goes that he originally created the story of Anakin Skywalker but found that the later part of the story was much better and so he told that part first. He says that he has now told all the story and so there is no more to tell - Anakin from child to death - it is complete.

Only, I know I heard this rumour long before he had even released Empire Strikes Back, and long before any prequels, and so it must have some substance to it. I don't believe him or his denials. Maybe he did have some notes but the stories were so awful that he shredded them.

Anyway, it hardly matters now as he will only be a consultant on whatever is made. I expect he will have less hands on than an author has when their book is filmed.

 

[Huttman]

I get the feeling he will have more say in it than that. I could be wrong, but Kathleen Kennedy is taking over Lucasfilm and Disney bought the company. I've been checking on it and it seems Disney is letting these companies run almost autonomously as they were successful before the merging. They have shown this with Marvel and with Pixar.
That being said, with Lucas being a 'creative consultant' and writing a 'template' for them to use in the new films, I think his involvement behind the scenes will still be strong, even if he does not think so at this time. Look at his involvement with the Clone Wars show, he says yea or nay on practically every decision, or so it seems from the behind-the-scenes. I think he will still direct from his creative consultant chair. Personally, I've enjoyed everything to this point, so bring on the next trilogy!

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

I get the feeling he will have more say in it than that. I could be wrong, but Kathleen Kennedy is taking over Lucasfilm and Disney bought the company. I've been checking on it and it seems Disney is letting these companies run almost autonomously as they were successful before the merging. They have shown this with Marvel and with Pixar.
That being said, with Lucas being a 'creative consultant' and writing a 'template' for them to use in the new films, I think his involvement behind the scenes will still be strong, even if he does not think so at this time. Look at his involvement with the Clone Wars show, he says yea or nay on practically every decision, or so it seems from the behind-the-scenes. I think he will still direct from his creative consultant chair. Personally, I've enjoyed everything to this point, so bring on the next trilogy!

Yeah they do tend to do that, at least in the short to medium term, so I imagine the first new Star Wars movie will at least have a heavy Lucas presence, but I hope they at least give whoever writes the story/screenplay a bit of protection & leeway.

Kathleen Kennedy is an interesting choice. More of a Spielbergite than a Lucasonian (hehe) so I wonder if that was Spielberg's condition for signing off on the thing. It might be Lucas' company but they've been pretty close for decades and he probably has overlapping rights which needed to be bought out and perhaps that was the price.

Although perhaps it was Disney's precondition/choice once the merger was confirmed - though Spielberg's relationship with Mickey Mouse House hasn't been great over the years.

All very interesting though and at least Star Wars is out of the rut Lucas drove it into. It wasn't so long ago he swore to go to the grave with the rights and prevent anyone else from using the licence. So new films await, be they good bad or indifferent. Lightsabers at the ready!

 

[cyrusDCmonster]

Disney's entire involvement was financial, you can thank the choice of Director and his choice of actors & story for the rest.

you can thank the people who made Iron Man 1&2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America: the first avenger for quality movies and a great build up before the underwhelming effort of The Avengers (see it 3 times, overrated as all hell...different rant for a different day).


while down on the idea of more Star Wars movies, i can live with it, but lets see some new characters, a new story arc. I would even prefer if NO characters from the previous movies appeared. give us something fresh, the TNG of the star wars universe.

 

[Harpo]

while down on the idea of more Star Wars movies, i can live with it, but lets see some new characters, a new story arc. I would even prefer if NO characters from the previous movies appeared. give us something fresh, the TNG of the star wars universe.

I disagree, this new trilogy will be a chance for Ford, Hammill, Fisher et all to update their iconic roles and get closure - Some might get an heroic death scene, for example.

 

[clovis-man]

I disagree, this new trilogy will be a chance for Ford, Hammill, Fisher et all to update their iconic roles and get closure - Some might get an heroic death scene, for example.

If there is any justice in the world, none of them will get so much as a walk-on role (he said petulantly).

 

[Parson]

It came out in '77, but close enough, especially as it was still running/re-released in places in '78.

I saw it both years!

Clovis-man --- Parson puts on his pastoral counseling hat --- "Do I detect some pent up anger in your voice?"

 

[Clansman]

I think that Disney is a good home for Lucasfilm. Why? Look what they've done with the Marvel movies, and how they built a new film Marvel Universe that fits together (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers), and how each movie does a decent job of standing alone. Like the comics, the X-Men were left out of the general narrative.

Lucas is a hack as a writer, and I'm sorry to you prequel fans, but the writing inconsistencies and a poor narrative, not to mention some of the worst casting in the history of film (face it, Annakin was a whining, petulant teenager, not the deeply troubled young Jedi that the story required), and then there's Jar-Jar Binks (as Stan Lee would say, " 'nuff said").

I would not be surprised to see some top writers get Star Wars, and make something that is much better than the crap that Lucas put out with his last three SW movies.

 

[Venusian Broon]

I disagree, this new trilogy will be a chance for Ford, Hammill, Fisher et all to update their iconic roles and get closure - Some might get an heroic death scene, for example.

Would you get Ford and Hammill in the same building today? Is there not a bit of nastiness between them? (Although I'm sure if Disney bankroll a massive payday, they could bury the hatchet.)

I'm looking forward to Sean Connery coming back as Han Solo's father...no wait...getting franchises mixed up.

 

[Perpetual Man]

I agree with Clansman much to my surprise (not that I ever disagree with him I hasten to add) just everything he says here is spot on. There is a strong chance that we could see something rather positive. (Of course if we are wrong we can blame it all on George for selling Lucasfilm).

It occurred to me that in 2015 when the new film is meant to be released Perp Jr, will be seven years old, which is the same age I was when I saw Star Wars in '77. Even if, to me, it is a terrible film, it blows him away in the way the original did for me, it will be worth it.

As to the Marvel movies, The X-Men film rights are owned by Fox (as are the Fantastic 4) and as long as they don't let them revert to Marvel we're not going to see any crossovers; the same is true for Spidey (Sony own the rights).

 

[Rodders]

I'm going to go out on a limb here.

Why does the story need to continue where Return of the Jedi left off, why can't it take it's own path? What if they took this opportunity to kill off the original cast somehow in order to hand over to some new heroes and start a new series of movies altogether?

 

[clovis-man]

Clovis-man --- Parson puts on his pastoral counseling hat --- "Do I detect some pent up anger in your voice?"

I'm just tired of recycling the same old scenarios. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo have had their time in the sun. Time for something else.

Why does the story need to continue where Return of the Jedi left off, why can't it take it's own path? What if they took this opportunity to kill off the original cast somehow in order to hand over to some new heroes and start a new series of movies altogether?

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!! Parson, can I get an Amen?

 

[Gordian Knot]

Being youthfully challenged as I am, I was there when Star Wars came out in '77. The word out from the beginning was that Lucas had three sets of three films to cover his entire story arc.

At the time Lucas made it sound like he had a solid idea for the entire 9 films. Though as it turned out, he had only the vaguest idea what each individual film would be about. (Anyone seeing the second trilogy could see that was obvious).

It is really hard to say what the final trilogy will be about. Originally it was supposed to be about Luke and the "other" with Luke becoming the Obi-Wan character. But then Han was supposed to die at the end of the first trilogy (and Ford really wanted his character to die in the second movie).

So the answer can only be "who knows?" All I can say with complete candidness is that the less Lucas has to do with the third trilogy, the better!!!!!

 

[Parson]

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!! Parson, can I get an Amen?

Amen, brother, Amen!

 

[Foxbat]

I'm going to go out on a limb here.

Why does the story need to continue where Return of the Jedi left off, why can't it take it's own path? What if they took this opportunity to kill off the original cast somehow in order to hand over to some new heroes and start a new series of movies altogether?

That's probably not a bad idea. After all, the original cast is getting older and may not want to partake. Would they get away with recasting some of the originals?

A younger cast of new characters may help grab a younger audience (which I presume is a major target for the new franchise).