Disney, the house of the Mouse buys LucasFilm, the house of Star Wars, Indiana Jones and...Howard the Duck
In a surprise $4.05bn move that has sent the social media-sphere into a frenzy, Disney has announced the acquisition of George Lucas' film studio LucasFilm, buying with it the rights to the Star Wars saga, and announcing part seven in the process.
Lucas, chairman and CEO of LucasFilm said of the announcement: “For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next. 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.”
Lucas has recently been more willing to utilise the rights to the Star Wars franchise than he was after the completion of the original trilogy - when more tan a decade-and-a half later he made a prequel trilogy, a tie-in cartoon series and an in development TV series.
A number of his characters have recently appeared in TV commercials, most notably Jedi master Yoda in a series of Vodafone adverts.
The statement also revealed that Star Wars VII was scheduled for release in 2015 under its new owners.