Disney Acquires Lucasfilm

[Daria.Morgendorffer]

Now, more seriously. Why? Why Episode 7? What is the point? As much as people tend to hate the prequels, the saga as it currently stands tells one consistent story: the rise, fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker.

SW was never about "the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker". The original trilogy was Luke's story through and through - it was never Anakin's. That was something Lucas wanted to push when he made the Prequel Trilogy, and he's spent enough time trying to convince people of this latter goal that most people still don't believe him.

He can shout that until he's blue in the face. There's authorial intent and then there's what comes out on the paper.

If he wrote the prequels and they change the meaning of Episodes IV-VI, that's his own fault.

I agree with crazyrabbits, I have no idea what the point of an Episode VII would be. It is extremely likely be tonally inconsistent with the first six movies.

I have no problem with that, really.

I'd rather, instead of Episode VII, making it a "Next Generation" type series. New Republic, New Jedi Order? Forget all that. Grab the Pixar guys, set it hundreds of years in the future as a piece set in motion by the six canon episodes, with nods to the originals. THAT would be better than an Episode VII, that is trying to squeeze more story out of the pre-existing characters and giving excuses to have to make references and ties to the original movies. An open sandbox is where Pixar SHINES.

And, Disney, word of advice. Please oh please oh PLEASE no "dream fanboy" casting (director or otherwise). Take your cues from Pixar. No Whedon, no Smith, no Robot Chicken guys, no ascended fanboys. It's bad enough Episodes I-III were pretty much weighted down by the fact that nobody would say boo to Lucas when he produced crap. Don't make yourselves slaves to people who feel they need to cater to fanboys.

(Yes, I'm aware Whedon had a hand in writing the Toy Story script. Given the way Pixar produces scripts, I wouldn't say he was overwhelmingly responsible for the final product.)

Find directors who respect the material but show enough objectivity to make a quality product without sacrificing the spirit of the originals (and, ahem, not turn EVERYONE into Han Solo).

 

[lacktheknack]

Well. I did not see that coming.

Ain't THAT the truth. O__O

Uhm... I'm... cautiously optimistic? I don't have any set feelings for this, because seriously, how did THIS happen?

 

[MrMixelPixel]

I don't know if anyone else has brought this up...

But could Kingdom Hearts 3 have Marvel and Star Wars stuff in it? Like is that a thing that could actually happen? Or am I just completely ignorant here...

That sounds fun...

I haven't played any Kingdom Hearts past the first one and a bit of the second... but that sounds like something that could get me real interested.

 

[Olrod]

Did they do this just so that they could acquire the Ewoks?

 

[Mariahsyn]

I'm going to maintain an open mind and be supportive of getting new creative blood into the Star Wars franchise. People were screaming when Marvel Entertainment was bought by Disney. The result: The Avengers. (Nuff said)

 

[Smiley Face]

Well, I think I'll echo that this might well be good, with a risk of being bad. On the plus side, Star Wars hasn't exactly been well managed recently, and turning it over to folks with more experience and reason might well save it from further problems. On the other hand, they might churn out tons of nostalgia-driven crap with no innovation or skill behind it, with the full publishing force of Disney behind it.

One way or another, we'll see what happens in 3 years. *Gulp*.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

2015 is shaping up to be one HELL of a year at the box office. We already know Avengers 2, Justice League and now Star Wars Episode 7 (prediction: Horrors from Beyond the Outer Rim) will be coming to theaters. Take your bets on the next 'big' 2015 movie (I'm crossing my fingers and hoping its Castlevania).

Either way, I'm really excited to see what Disney has in store for Star Wars if anything at all. Didn't Marvel more or less get to keep doing their movies exactly as they wanted? I'm also really excited to see what kind of games Lucasarts comes out with after the acquisition is finalized. Star Wars 1313 is the only game I'm aware of in the pipes but maybe Disney will green light a Grim Fandango or, Monkey Island revival! Or better yet...Zombies Ate My Neighbors?

 

[nasteypenguin]

I really hope creative Disney gets to Star Wars before business Disney does. I have a horrible feeling that they might decide Star Wars is more profitable as a love-to-hate franchise.

 

[Kekkonen1]

Is it some kind of obscure american joke-holiday in october that I dont know of?

Seriously though, Disney haven't produced anything good since the lion king and Lucas since Episode 6 so this is like the partnership made in crap-hell.

They haven't, but properties they own have.

For example Miramax was owned by disney when it made Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill films.

Disney has owned Pixar since 2006.

They own 80% of ESPN.

They also own Marvel Studios that made the Avengers series.

Disney is like Zenimax, they don't make stuff, they own companies who make stuff.

The important thing is not so much that Disney is running LucasFilm... the important thing is that George Lucas ISN'T!!

Well Reservoir Dogs came out before the Lion King and Pulp fiction the same year. I hated the Kill Bill-movies, I can't stand Pixar-movies, I have no idea what ESPN actually does (isn't that predominately a sports-channel?) and I'm not really a big fan of Marvel, so the statement still stands =)

Nitpicking and joking aside, I do get your point and I guess one could be carefully optimistic about the whole thing. But for me, the second they announce an Episode 7 (where I didn't even think Episodes 1-3 was needed or wanted), that is the second when careful optimism should turn into full-blown scepticism in my opinion.

 

[Arina Love]

Well i'm looking forward to new movie. For me star wars films are just popcorn fun, light entertainment so even if they fail it doesn't really matters.

And yes before you say anything: yes i think star trek is infinitely better as sci-fi.

 

[Bill Nye the Zombie]

All right Disney, if you got Lucasarts here's what you need to do. You know all the games that Lucasarts has in their closet, maybe next to the skeletons of anyone who disagreed with Lucas during the filming of episodes I-III? After you get rid of the skeletons, Bring all those games back into the light! Republic Commando, Battlefront 3, X-Wing, Tie Fighter, etc. Then just watch as millions of gamers cry out in delight. And soon, you will have more power then you ever imagined.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I'm all for it if it's movie versions of the X-Wing novels. I'd particularly like to see Wedge piloting a starfighter with an Ewok toy tied to him as 'Ketch'. And to actually see some of these Bothan cat-xenos, because I can't decide in my head if they look like FFXI's Mithra, or Wing Commander's Kilrathi.

There's actually an official appearance for the Bothans, both in the comics and in the Battlefront games. They look more like anthropomorphic dogs than cats, although some of the depictions of them with long hair are kind of Kilrathi-esque.

Makes Gavin seem /really/ open minded, doesn't it?

Edit: actually, that does kind of look like a male lion with a shaved head. I never got a good look at the jaw before; the game is a bit hectic for it.