Disney Buys Lucasfilm

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The_Iceflash
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Disney Buys Lucasfilm

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Disney to buy George Lucas' film studio, including Star Wars franchise, for $4B in cash, stock.

Disney to buy George Lucas' film studio, including Star Wars franchise, for $4B in cash, stock.
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Sotiris
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Disney Buys Lucasfilm

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Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.

Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments.

"Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas," said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney's unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value."

"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. "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."

Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and "evergreen" Star Wars franchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production. Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.

Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.

The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.

Driven by a tremendously talented creative team, Lucasfilm's legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks. Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world's top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney's strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.

The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney's very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company's unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. Adding Lucasfilm to Disney's portfolio of world class brands significantly enhances the company's ability to serve consumers with a broad variety of the world's highest-quality content and to create additional long-term value for our shareholders.

The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.
Source: http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney- ... asfilm-ltd
Last edited by Sotiris on Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Sotiris »

I think this is appropriate. :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWaLxFIVX1s
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Post by tweeb² »

They'll also buy Industrial Light and Magic?? If so...wow, they will become really huge, the film industry first special effects company, the film industry first computer animation company, a big and respected comic brand, plus all the things they had already Disney brand, ESPN, ABC ...
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Post by DisneyAnimation88 »

I'm excited at the possibilities this deal offers, particularly for the theme parks. I don't know what to make of the news of future Star Wars films but I won't pass judgement this early in the hope that I might be pleasantly surprised. But I'm happier with this deal than I was the Marvel one, there's a pre-existing relationship between Disney and George Lucas and hopefully the future of the franchise will be bright...and bring an expanded Lucas Land to WDW :P .
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Post by Sotiris »

tweeb² wrote:They'll also buy Industrial Light and Magic?
Yes. They also acquired the Indiana Jones franchise.
Jay Rasulo wrote:In this transaction we will acquire rights to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, a highly talented and expert team, Lucasfilm's best-in-class post production businesses, Industrial Light and Magic and Skywalker Sound, and a suite of cutting edge entertainment technologies. Our valuation focused almost entirely on the financial potential of the Star Wars franchise, which we expect to provide us with a stream of storytelling opportunities for years to come delivered via all relevant platforms on a global basis.
Last edited by Sotiris on Tue Oct 30, 2012 2:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by disneyprincess11 »

Really, Disney?! I love you, but can you stop buying everything?! I mean, first you bought The Muppets, then Marvel, and now LucasFilms (Makes sense with the Star Wars stuff in the Parks)?!

It’s like Disney is running out of ideas, so they’re buying companies to make movies out of them. Come on, put your head back in the game.

And they wonder why they can’t afford anything….

BTW: It has to be posted: Does this mean that Leia is now a Disney Princess? :P :P :P :P
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Post by Mr arrow »

Star Wars 7 announced for 2015!!!

:) :) :) :) And with Kathleen Kennedy at the helm...Im exciting that this time around a true reboot could be born!!
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Post by Sotiris »

Expect another Star Wars trilogy and even more Star Wars movies every 2 to 3 years.
Bob Iger wrote:The last Star Wars movie release was 2005's Revenge of the Sith – and we believe there's substantial pent up demand. In 2015, we're planning to release Star Wars Episode 7 – the first feature film under the "Disney-Lucasfilm" brand. That will be followed by Episodes 8 and 9 – and our long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years. We're very happy that George Lucas will be creative consultant on our new Star Wars films and that Kathleen Kennedy, the current Co-Chair of Lucasfilm, will executive produce. George handpicked Kathy earlier this year to lead Lucasfilm into the future. She'll join Disney as President of Lucasfilm, reporting into Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn and integrating and building the Star Wars franchise across our company.
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Post by estefan »

lol, I was thinking the same thing, disneyprincess. Bob Iger is like a little boy at Toys R Us, wanting to buy everything in the old store. Just you wait. They will buy Nintendo next and then Wal-Mart and I believe Iger is thinking of buying Sweden shortly thereafter.

Anyway, we'll see how these new Star Wars films go. Maybe they will turn alright, if somebody other than Lucas writes them. I just wonder what they'll be about.
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Post by Maerj »

I was so happy I cried... best news ever!
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Post by tweeb² »

Sooo...Star Wars VII with...Josh Whedon as director? one can dream...and he seems to handle well known characters an develop them further, maybe it will feature an older Luke and Leia as Jedi Masters??

disneyprincess11 hahahaha!

I think a lot of guys would do the same Stefan, I don't blame him, as long as he knows how to handle everything well.

Also Thanks you for the reply Sotiris!
Last edited by tweeb² on Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by estefan »

I think Joss Whedon is busily working on The Avengers 2 right now.

Anyway, I just realised that Disney now owns ILM, which made Rango. So, will they be making animated feature features for Disney now?
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Post by tweeb² »

estefan wrote:I think Joss Whedon is busily working on The Avengers 2 right now.

Anyway, I just realised that Disney now owns ILM, which made Rango. So, will they be making animated feature features for Disney now?
They made a great film with great graphics, animation and characters, maybe they can teach all the Disney guys a few new things...
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Post by DisneyAnimation88 »

Sotiris wrote:Expect another Star Wars trilogy and even more Star Wars movies every 2 to 3 years.
If it's a clean slate with new directors, writers, storylines and characters this has the potential to be really exciting. As a fan I'd love to see Chris Nolan try his hand at a Star Wars film but I'm sure there are a lot of talented people out there who would love to be a part of the franchise, especially if Lucas is willing to cede the creative control he has previously had.
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Post by Kraken Guard »

Wait, what what, wait, what what, wait, wait, what what, huh? :?
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Sotiris
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Post by Sotiris »

estefan wrote:Anyway, I just realised that Disney now owns ILM, which made Rango. So, will they be making animated feature features for Disney now?
Who knows? This is getting very complicated. There's also Lucasfilm Animation.
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Post by DisneyDude2010 »

Sotiris wrote: Who knows? This is getting very complicated. There's also Lucasfilm Animation.
Do you think they will close the animation part as it's only produced a few small things?

I'm glad that the Star Wars franchise is getting a revival! The film will do well just for being a NEW episode. The Mouse House has a LOAD of characters now.... They're taking over the world!
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Post by Semaj »

This is fucking sick.

Disney already owns too much stuff.
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Post by Sotiris »

DisneyDude2010 wrote:Do you think they will close the animation part as it's only produced a few small things?
I don't think so. Lucasfilm Animation has only been working so far on the Clone Wars property but they are currently working on a new project unrelated to Star Wars. Brenda Chapman is working as a consultant on that project.
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