So What's Everyone Think About Disney's Star Wars Business?

Disney bought LucasFilm for 4.05 billion dollars, meaning they now have creative control of the Star Wars franchise. Now, due out in 2015 is a new installation to the series, and the first part in a new trilogy. So I've gathered some friends to give their thoughts on the transaction and potential future for the franchise.

I'm excited for the news! Disney hasn't ruined Marvel at all, but instead pumped up the heat and have pushed the franchise further than most could have imagined. Has everyone forgotten how much George Lucas has shit all of his own series? It seemed like every couple of years the fat bastard would get restless and decide he needed to tweak something in The Empire Strikes Back, or a certain moment in A New Hope could have been “better.” Sure, he made them, so he can sort of reserve the right to do such nonsense. But it's my opinion that once an artist releases his work to the masses that it then belongs to the fans. An article at Collider.com states that Lucas will be acting as the creative consultant on the new set of movies, too. So he's not even completely handing over the franchise. He'll still have his dirty hands in the mix. I couldn't be happier with him being in this role. He's not going to be able to ruin the movies with being too involved, but he'll be able to maintain the overall Star Wars mythology.

Who do I think should make the new ones? There are some easy answers: Guillermo del Toro, being one. That dude would make an amazing Star Wars movie. Think about the sets and creatures he would imagine. Another would be James Cameron, proving he can handle a giant, sprawling sci-fi flick. But personally, I would love to see someone like Brad Bird to step up. Let's get any one of the directors from Pixar to take over the entire trilogy. Yeah, I'm sticking with that one. They'd be able to blend the fantastical setting while leaving a touching, human, and family friendly story at the center.

So when I first heard about Lucasfilm being sold to Disney my first reaction was, "Damn It!" Thinking more into it, I am actually now supportive of this because I did not enjoy the last thee movies (not films). The fact that Disney now owns the rights to the franchise doesn't leave me too concerned with the future of Star Wars movies because, in my opinion, they can't get any worse (yeah I'm that guy). I honestly don't have much of a problem with Disney movies. I enjoy the big crowd pleasing blockbusters, whether it be the Marvel superhero movies or Pirates of the Caribbean movies because they are fun adventure movies and just pure entertainment.

I haven't been impressed with anything George Lucas has done since the 1980's, and doubt that self-obsessed megalomaniac has anything good left in his think tank that is worth making. I am more concerned with the future of the Star Wars comics because they are currently licensed to Dark Horse Comics and I would hate to see my favorite comic publication take a financial hit and lose all the rights to Marvel.

Everyone is surprised at the fact that Lucas sold to Disney. Why? All the dude cares about is money and himself. He doesn't even care about Star Wars, if he did he wouldn't have signed the company over. Lets face it, the worst that could happen is that Disney actually makes a decent Star Wars or Indiana Jones movie, or they don't and nothing changes within those dying—or debatable—already dead franchises.

 

Lastly, if anyone has been to any of the Disney theme parks they would notice that there's many Star Wars themed attractions already. So wipe that "Oh my childhood is over and so is my life!" look off your dumb face and get the hell over it!
 

 

The nerd inside of me died a little bit this week. I didn’t know it, but it happened, George Lucas sold Star Wars (and Willow and Indiana Jones)…to Disney. What? Gasp! Blasphemy! Surprise!... Or is it? Over the years Disney has turned in to a hoarder of sorts, collecting every possible cash cow they’ve laid their greedy eyes on, starting with the successful acquisition of Pixar, then onto Marvel, and now Lucas Films. Go figure. I can hear Mickey maniacally laughing in the distance as he counts his stacks of cash. Lucas has left his legacy in what he considers capable hands, and no number of cries from geekdom can stop it. And so I turn my attention instead to Lucas himself.
 
4 Billion dollars is a lot of money, even for a person of the entertainment industry, so what does he plan to do with unfathomable amount? Apparently, Ol’ George looks for guidance from the only person to whom a couple million dollars would be considered chump change to and is going to go Bill Gates on the world, donating his dollars to furthering education and other philanthropic endeavors. Well damn, that certainly makes it difficult for me to be bitter over something that really has nothing to do with me to begin with, doesn’t it? In this day and age it is hard to imagine that a person could resist the Dark Side when they are handed such extreme power, money and options, but apparently Lucas is going to try. Although, according to Yoda, there is no try, only do or do not. That being said I am looking forward to Lucas’s contribution to this new world where Darth Vader goes to Disney Land, and Leia is not only a Princess, but a Disney Princess. May the force be with you George, the world is holding their breath in anticipation. No pressure.

An Opinion Of The Lucas/Disney Sale

To whom it may concern:

I was there. I was there the day Star Wars hit the movie theaters. I remember my uncle coming to the house and telling us he was taking us to a movie. How exciting! I had NEVER been to a movie theatre! I was ten in 1977 (not to date myself!). I remember the smell of the glossy booklet of screen shots he had purchased at his umpteenth viewing. I remember crashing into a wooden saw horse that knocked the wind out of me as I ran towards the theatre with a child's enthusiasm to see laser beams streak across the screen, to watch in awe as swords made of light sputtered and sparked as they clashed, and to be drawn into a world,of heroes, villains and...wookies?

Enough nostalgia. I write these words to accomplish a mission. Why did George Lucas sell his work? After all the fuss and muss about "Star Wars is mine and I can do with it what I want!". Well, George...I agree...to a certain extent. What would have happened had if Ben Franklin kept his discovery of electricity to himself merely for his own personal use? You have to take responsibility for the impact your creation; your imagination if you will; has on the culture at large.

It is my humble opinion that he...like all of us...got tired. At some point in all of our lives we reach a point when our greatest achievements pale in comparison to what really matters. Peace. Peace of mind. Peace of Spirit. Peace of heart. Peace of soul. "I just want to enjoy my loved ones" I can hear him say. "I just want to be left alone!". More power to you, George. But what about me? What
about MY needs? Your films, your stories, and your vision has been engrained as part of my upbringing! It MUST continue!
    
Well...he did not forget about me. He knows. He is aware. He has not forgotten any of the aforementioned concerns. "I can't do it anymore my friends, but I will see to it that if it is more Star Wars you need...more Star Wars you will get!" And he made sure of that. He has entrusted this sacred world to fresh young minds. He has ensured that Star Wars will never end. He has passed the torch so to speak to the new generation with a heartfelt, "it's yours now...take care of it."
    
Well thank you, George. Thank you. We will take care of it. We will build on the foundation that you have laid. We will make your creation better...or worse...that opinion we will leave to the people
to make up their own minds! But the fact remains that, because of your generosity and your compassion for those who have so graciously supported you throughout the years, Star Wars will continue. It will be propelled into the future for generations. Your legacy will live on. Rest. Relax! Enjoy the rest of your life! We will take it from here.

A Star Wars Fan
 

My first reaction to Disney buying LucasFilm with plans to produce a new Star Wars film every other year starting in 2015 was to go change my pants. I think George Lucas finally realized that new life had to be breathed into the franchise. Lucas, as everyone knows, controlled the franchise with an iron fist and the franchise suffered for it. I still find it weird to think of Star Wars as a Disney production but I am excited to see what direction they want to take. Episode VII is supposed to be an original story meaning it won’t be adapted from any licensed Star Wars material. I think that is the right move. After all, there can only be one Han Solo, and he is ancient. Seeing another actor step into a familiar role would destroy all credibility for most viewers. Bringing back all the same actors to reprise their roles is just not an option as far as I am concerned. Some may argue that Star Wars is not Star Wars without a Skywalker or a Solo in it. But I disagree. When you literally have an entire universe from which to draw characters it is rather parochial to stick with the old and familiar instead of treading new ground.

The lingering question is who will take the helm of this amazing brand. Who has the capability bring Star Wars back up to the level of the original trilogy? My money is on J.J Abrams or Joss Whedon. One thing is for certain. Geeks everywhere are changing their pants right now.

Have you heard? Disney bought Lucasfilm. If that's not bad enough, they plan on making three more Star Wars movies. The ground will split and animated brooms will spill forth to over-zealously clean your house. Volcanos will spew pixie dust while every radio eerily plays “It's a Small World.” Animatronic buccaneers will jolt and seize in staccato motion as they silence your childhood. There is no “new hope.”

 No, wait. Actually, none of that will happen. I'm not sure what the concern is all about. Have we forgotten that Disney also bought Marvel back in 2009 to the same outrage? That lead to some of the best Marvel films we've ever had the pleasure of seeing (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers). Why are we so partial to George Lucas? He has been disappointing us since the 1997 Star Wars special edition, and was The Phantom Menace really what you wanted from a Star Wars sequel? Disney might be the perfect thing to save Star Wars from itself. They have the talent, money, and know-how to finally make the Star Wars sequels we have been waiting for.
 

For me it marks the first time in 13 years I've been excited to see what's next for Star Wars. Growing up I loved everything from LucasArts, Lucas Film, and would even get weirdly hyped over the THX logo on non Star Wars projects. Star Wars, for me, was bigger than its expanded universe. Star Wars and the Indiana Jones movies are my earliest memories of being interested in film making, and even writing. I loved Star Wars so much I once transcribed the first 45 minutes of action and dialogue for The Return of the Jedi. And lastly the soundtrack to A New Hope was the first record I ever cared about. However, when the remastered versions were bought to replace our previous molding VHS copies, I became disillusioned with all of it.

Disney is famous for restoring and preserving their original works. Snow White, for example, is total shit. But they never added or changed a god damned thing. That's called integrity. George swore up and down years back that the theatrical release would never be remastered and that he would take it to his grave. No one has made any statements on whether this will change, but grumpy old Lucas doesn't control that decision anymore. I, and many people like me, would be willing to pay an obscene amount for some box set that would include a digitally remastered version that didn't have all the heinous changes Lucas made with CGI dinosaurs and droopy mcool.

With Disney also owning Marvel, there are signs that Marvel may adopt Star Wars from Dark Horse. It could go either way but Star Wars comics have never been great, so no worries there.

Same going with LucasArts being a pretty sad company since the 90's when they decided they would only make Star Wars games exclusively. Again I don't know if this is a good thing but it can't hurt.

As for the new movies, I know people are worried but they can't get any worse. People think of Disney as a company that used to make great kids movies and now makes extremely mediocre or forgetful kids movies. The truth is Disney is a huge corporation. The Lucas legacy is just one of many companies under the Disney umbrella. People forget Disney owned Miramax which brought us Pulp Fiction. People also forget that George Lucas was an idea man, briefly a director, barely a writer, but mostly a businessman. He birthed Star Wars into the world and we love him for it, but it's middle aged now and I'm glad he's finally letting go. Movies will always suffer from the business side of professional entertainment, but now new Star Wars films can be made with a fresh pair of eyes and without daddy Lucas looking over their shoulder. It's all coming up roses my friends I promise you. If it's not, well, don't blame me, blame that stranger he left in charge. I'm just a fan.

The Star Wars That I Used to Know?

"Star Wars! New Star Wars movies! In my lifetime (probably)."

That was my immediate and visceral reaction to the news that George Lucas had decided to sell LucasFilms, and thus the rights to Star Wars, to Disney. It's not my proudest moment as a nerd, but I've been a Star Wars fan since my age was still a single digit, so I'm okay with being a bit excited about the news. I love the idea of new material that's canonical, and the potential that some of the original cast could come back to the roles that define their careers.

But I have a Master's degree in English, which means I'm not allowed to love anything without the analytical part of my brain spinning up and saying, "Now hold on a minute, let's think this through." And thus began my fretting. What if these movies are more like the prequels than the original trilogy? What if they're worse and the Star Wars that I love ends up bookended by mediocrity?

Then I calmed myself down. No need to get upset about a movie franchise that had more to do with my development as a human than the religion I was raised in. Disney has produced some great, fully entertaining movies, and not just in antiquity. They were responsible for The Avengers. For Wall-E and Up. For the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Of course there are misfires, but not all of their films are Prince of Persia and Herbie: Fully Loaded. And it's good that it's out of Lucas's hands, since in his hands there weren't likely to be any more Star Wars movies at all.

I do have some concerns about Disney getting even bigger than it already is. They've got control of some of the biggest brands in the world, and they're just growing larger. I worry about what will happen with LucasArts, the Star Wars gaming division. I worry about the way copyright legislative battles are going to go with the Mouse House being even more gigantic than before.

But enough of worries. There's going to be new Star Wars movies, and I'm going to be alive to see them (probably). They may be good, they may be bad, they may be boring, and they may be epic. Some are likely to be disappointing, but having just rewatched Episode One to keep my expectations under control, I can safely say I am eager to find out and will accept whatever comes my way.

Now, here's a dream listing of actors and directors.

Directors:

Ridley Scott – I know I'm revealing my fanboyishness again, but Scott has proven capable of creating compelling, fantastic worlds that feel real and lived in. This is what Star Wars needs to get back to.

Joss Whedon – Not for a story set in the New Republic, but a story set in the Star Wars Universe's past. Think The Old Republic games, but done with the clever wit of Firefly.

Quentin Tarantino – Because I like awesome things, and he and Lucas have a lot in common as directors. Plus he could get some decently done fight scenes in there.

Actors:

Natalie Portman – She could play Leia and Han's daughter and redeem herself for the performance that Lucas wrung out of her. I've seen her work; she owes Star Wars another pass, this time with feeling.

Sam Rockwell – Rockwell has fantastic range and brings great humor and drama to scenes. He'd be perfect for the campy melodrama of Star Wars.

Dame Judi Dench – Playing an old Sith master, set in the Old Republic of the Whedon film. I would pay untold sums of money to see Dench wielding a lightsaber.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Because I like pretty things and JUST LET ME HAVE THIS.

If you know me, you know there are two things in life that make me happy beyond anything else in life… those are GU Basketball and Star Wars (still waiting for a Star Wars themed Gonzaga Basketball game… yes, that’s the sound of my mind being blown). So when Tuesday’s news came out, my mind spun with possibilities, and I still have yet to completely digest it. Let me preface this with an important fact: I know more about the Star Wars expanded universe (books, comics, games) than most anyone you’ve ever met.

Let’s start with my initial thought: AWESOME. They are continuing an incredible franchise of movies. I mean, what could go wrong?! The first three were so good! Why not want them to make a 4th movie? Maybe even a 5th or a… wait… what’s that? They already made three more? Those CGI specials with the silly walking fish? I thought those were jokes… like the Star Wars Christmas Special of 1978. Oh dear George, you really screwed up. But he’s no longer the guy, now it’s Walt, as in Disney. I do have faith in Disney. Look at what they have done with Marvel. Whether you like the movies or not, Marvel has exploded since Disney took over. Disney knows what fans want and they cater to it. Is it always going to make super-fans like me happy? No. But it will be entertaining, and it will be relevant. And what more can I ask for? Disney also has the benefit of Lucas’s mistakes. They know that what is important to the fans is not the special effects or the big name actors. It’s the story, the writing, and the “I shoot first” mentality of the character every guy wishes he could be… Han Solo. Now where do they go from here? All signs are pointing to a continuation of the story post Jedi. Here’s the issue, I don’t know if you’ve seen Carrie Fisher lately, but I’m fairly confident she won’t look as good in a gold bikini as before. So they jump 25 years, throw in some cameos of Ford, Fisher and Hamill as they pass the torch to the next generation of Jedi (Han and Leia have three kids, Luke has one). But now we have a new problem. If they are going to follow the expanded universe timeline, the galaxy is in the middle of a war, with a new species with an incredibly intricate back story. So they don’t follow the expanded universe story line. They make new shit up. New problem, we like that story, a lot. Short of a particular character’s death, the 30 years following the movie are awesome. So at the risk of causing an uproar, I have a thought, a hope, a dream. High risk, high reward. Re-cast. The new movies will require new actors regardless, and will I miss Ford’s awesomeness? Absolutely. But I truly believe it is possible for them to successfully recast (see the new Star Trek). Recasting allows them to continue the story that we love, and utilize a story developed from one of the greatest Sci Fi writers in history; Timothy Zahn (author of the first and most successful trilogy of books following the movies). Will it happen? Probably not. A new story will develop and Star Wars fans will have to choose which timeline to believe in, or somehow insert these new events into the timeline they already know and love.

Ultimately, I truly believe Science fiction is a metaphor that allows us to tell stories about the human condition. Isaac Asimov once said, "Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinded critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all." I’m not quite that over the top… but I do believe in what Sci-Fi has to offer. When Star Wars began, it brought a new type of Sci-Fi. It was a whole new universe, with the only connection being the human condition. Anything was possible… and it is this reason that I am excited for what the future has to offer. May the force be with Disney, and its newest princess, Leia.