Monday 5 November 2012

George Lucas Sells LucasFilm to Disney

 
On October 30th 2012, Lucasfilm founder and Star Wars creator George Lucas announced, with Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger, that he had sold his production company to Disney for $4.05 billion dollars. Furthermore, in a joint video media release, Iger also reveals Disney’s plans to continue the Star Wars saga, with a new trilogy, of which the first film is expected to be released sometime in 2015. It is tent titled Star Wars: Episode VII, based after the events of Return of the Jedi, which was released in 1983, and it’s expected that every two to three years after that the two sequels will hit cinemas. Watch the video below:

 
It’s easy for many to say that Lucas’ decision to sell his beloved creation is an attempt to ensure a very nice retirement pay check, and that the Star Wars legacy, the one in which is name will always be synonymously tied to despite his lack of future involvement, will forever live on in cinematic and pop-culture history. However, after watching his interview, I can’t help but feel that his decision to sell LucasFilm is a genuine one. It does not solely come from a place of wanting monetary gain, as he has stated majority of the money he received from the deal will go towards his educational foundation and other philanthropic endeavours. Neither does it come from an egotist wanting to maintain his notoriety. As an aspiring writer myself I understand that a writers' creations can simultaneously be a product that they never want to see end, but are also the bane of their entire existence. Lucas has received much criticism for Star Wars since the release of The Phantom Menace in 1999, which must have been a perplexing experience for Lucas considering the overwhelming positive feedback the original trilogy garnered. What makes this even sadder is the knowledge of Lucas’s meticulous work ethic; that he worked so hard on all of his films, yet currently they recieve mixed to negative reactions since the conclusion of the last Star Wars film he made, Revenge of the Sith in 2005. As Lucas himself has stated: ‘Why would I make any more... when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?’ It’s no wonder Lucas initially abandoned plans to make further films, but this way, Lucas’ creation is able to live on, and he is able to pursue his wish to undertake more experimental films, without feeling that he owes Star Wars, or it’s fans anything, without discrediting the image of the company he created. Not only that, but fans that were unimpressed by the Star Wars prequel trilogy can be optimistic that Disney has the opportunity to take the franchise in creative and exciting new directions.
But just how excited should we get? And what directions could we be expected to be heading in? Details from Lucas’ previously abandoned sequel plans suggest the next trilogy will be based twenty to thirty years after the end of Return of the Jedi, with the characters of Luke, Leia and Han playing pivotal roles. Popular theories online since the announcement of the new trilogy suggest the plot might borrow heavily from many novels based after Return of the Jedi in the expanded Star Wars universe. The most discussed being the original cast playing more of a supportive role to new, younger, central characters, most possibly Leia and Han’s children, Jiana and Jacen Solo, who have played a large role in the expanded universe, as well as featuring a new Jedi Order and Jedi Academy shown to be built by Luke in the novels. Obviously this is all speculation, but one assumes Star Wars won’t return without the presence of Luke, Leia and Han in some capacity, but will the actors be willing to return to the roles that made them famous, and even more importantly, are they in good enough health to do so? Mark Hamill would seem to be the most likely to return to his role, but he as aged considerably and would need to do a lot of work to get into shape for the film. Similarly, Carrie Fisher hasn’t aged all that well either, and her many personal problems  may keep her from returning. Harrison Ford has been the most successful of the three since the end of Star Wars, so he would have no need to return, and it has been stated that he wanted his character Han Solo killed off in the Return of the Jedi, so his return seems unlikely, unfortunately. But then again, he reprised his other most iconic character Indiana Jones In The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull in 2008 so you never know.
Then again, Luke, Leia and Han could still easily appear in the next trilogy – played by completely new actors. This is where Disney’s acquisition of the Star Wars franchise starts to come under closer scrutiny. Technically they have the ability to do as they please with the continuation of the story, and as Disney CEO Bob Iger stated the Star Wars universe ‘offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases' and refers to "[i]ts universe of more than 17,000 characters inhabiting several thousand planets spanning 20,000 years offer[ing] infinite inspiration and opportunities’.  The only thing promising about this is Disney is obviously in the money making business, and the best way to do that with the next trilogy will be to promise fans a continuation of the characters they know and love after Return of The Jedi, which is possibly why at this early stage so much decision had been around the expanded Star Wars universe and the return of key characters.
Regardless of what the outcome is, Star Wars is a pop-culture phenomenon and Disney's acquisition of one of the most influential science-fiction saga of all time is no doubt an exhilarating and slightly terrifying occurrence, and for me personally, 2015 can't get here fast enough.