Star Wars Episode 7 to come in 2015

[bluecoconuts]

The Walt Disney Company has acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in cash and stock and announced a new Star Wars movie to be released in 2015.

Kathleen Kennedy, current co-chair of Lucasfilm, will become Lucasfilm's president, reporting to Walt Disney Studios chair Alan Horn as part of the stock and cash transaction. Disney is paying approximately half the price in cash and will issue 40 million shares of stock on Tuesday, the company said in a statement.

Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with the franchise's creator and Lucasfilm founder George Lucas serving as creative consultant.

“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said Lucas, chairman and CEO of Lucasfilm, in a statement. “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.”

The deal comes on the heels of Disney's 2009 acquisition of Marvel Entertainment and its 2006 purchase of Pixar Animation Studios, two potent entertainment brands that appeal to families. The Disney board already has approved the Lucasfilm acquisition but it is subject to antitrust scrutiny by the U.S. government.

While Lucas and Disney have had a long relationship, it has been most visible at the company's theme parks, where Star Tours and other attractions have been popular for more than two decades.

However, the Stars Wars movies have been distributed through Twentieth Century Fox, which will now be cut out of future Star Wars and other related business. (Though Fox already has been set to release 3-D versions of the past Star Wars movies, it is unclear if that relationship will be impacted by the sale. The acquisition also raises questions about the future of Stars Wars: Clone Wars, a highly popular series on the Cartoon Network, which is owned by Disney’s competitor, Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner.)
Disney also is acquiring Lucasfilm’s hugely profitable consumer products and merchandising businesses, which should be a good fit for the buyer.

“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” said Bob Iger, Disney chairman and CEO, in a statement. “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.”

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/d ... ion-384448


Supposedly it's going to be at least another 3 movies. Possibly more, they're not leaving anything off the table. Could take past after Episode 6 takes place with Luke rebuilding the Jedi order, or back in the past when the Sith and Jedi were all over the place in an all out war, and anything in between.

Thoughts?

 

[libertadrocks]

Im excited for it. Basic premise of a post episode 6 movie sounds solid. Hopefully it doesn't degrade the original trilogy the way the prequels did tho.

They have a ton of Star Wars books they could go off of too. There must be hundreds of those. Take into another realm where Skywalker is little more than a whisper.

Also could eventually lead to a remake of the original 3. It would be almost impossible to replace the cast because they have become synonymous with the characters themselves, but I would pay to see it. The story was just so great. I would not mind seeing some improved special effects.

 

[brokeu91]

I have mixed feelings on this. I am a huge Star Wars fan. Any chance to see more Star Wars could be great. But the following is also true:

1. The Prequels already destroyed the original trilogy. I loved episodes IV-VI, and what George Lucas did with the prequels broke my Star Wars heart. The special effects were cool, but the story line and dialogue were just awful. Don't even get me started on Jar-Jar Binks

2. The only thing Disney does well is cartoon movies, and they don't even do that very well. After they bought out Pixar, did anyone notice the crappy degradation of their movies too? Do we really trust them to do an action-thriller?

3. This was all done just to make money. Disney thinks they'll make a ton of money, and they might, but it will probably just further ruin what was once a set of some of the greatest movies of all time. It's all just a freakin money grab. Disney won't care about the quality of the movie as long as people pay to see it. At least Lucas cared, even knowing that people like would lay down their hard earned money to watch that crap. At least Lucas did everything he could (short of hiring someone half-way decent to write dialogue) to make the movie better. Do you think soulless Disney would do that? Hell no, they don't give two shytes about it.

Overall, I hope I'm wrong. I just get the sinking suspicion that I'm not.

 

[-X-]

I'm with broke on this one. And I'll take it a step further.

Star Wars should have remained a one-hit MONSTER.

Now it's just a parody of itself.

Lego Star Wars? Really? Oh George..... what hath thy become?

Indiana Jones, on the other hand, is perfectly suited for sequels and prequels because it loses no luster.
Not until they try to extend it without Harrison Ford, that is.

 

[Selassie I]

I'm happy to hear about all of this. Being born in Orlando ,,, I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for Disney . I cannot think of any company that would be more capable of handling this huge project. I believe they will make all the Star Wars followers proud.


I'm most looking forward to seeing the new Star Wars Babe.

When the first Star Wars came out I was just a kid ,,, and Princess Leia seemed. pretty. "hot" . The second series stepped the game up in a HUGE way with Padme Amidala ,,, oh what I would like to do.........

Anyway , I'm anxiously anticipating the new space Babe.

 

[Angry Ram]

I have mixed feelings on this. I am a huge Star Wars fan. Any chance to see more Star Wars could be great. But the following is also true:

1. The Prequels already destroyed the original trilogy. I loved episodes IV-VI, and what George Lucas did with the prequels broke my Star Wars heart. The special effects were cool, but the story line and dialogue were just awful. Don't even get me started on Jar-Jar Binks

2. The only thing Disney does well is cartoon movies, and they don't even do that very well. After they bought out Pixar, did anyone notice the crappy degradation of their movies too? Do we really trust them to do an action-thriller?

3. This was all done just to make money. Disney thinks they'll make a ton of money, and they might, but it will probably just further ruin what was once a set of some of the greatest movies of all time. It's all just a freakin money grab. Disney won't care about the quality of the movie as long as people pay to see it. At least Lucas cared, even knowing that people like would lay down their hard earned money to watch that crap. At least Lucas did everything he could (short of hiring someone half-way decent to write dialogue) to make the movie better. Do you think soulless Disney would do that? Hell no, they don't give two shytes about it.

Overall, I hope I'm wrong. I just get the sinking suspicion that I'm not.

Is this where Disney hires the director and produces it all together like John Carter? Or just the distributor? Disney bought out Marvel...and they are a success. You can say that Disney has propelled Marvel. While FOX has X-Men rights and Sony has Spidey rights, Disney w/ Avenger movies has made it a cultural icon again.

Pixar movies, Toy Story 3 was amazing. What's the latest one? Cars 2? Now that series was a money grabbing ploy.

Also, Disney's worst movies these days are the cartoons. Back in the 80s-90s, they regulary released classics. Movies with heart, violence, humor, everything. Lion King, Hercules, Tarzan, Mulan, Pocahontas, Aladdin (seriously go watch Aladdin again and listen to the dialogue...holy shit!). And obviously classics like Dumbo, Bambi, Peter Pan, Lady and Tramp, Snow White etc.

Now it's stupid shit like yelling and random wannabe autotuned pop "stars" and I use that term very loosely. I do like Disney parks tho, they still have some of the old-school stuff.

 

[libertadrocks]

Agree with AR that Disney is fully capable of producing good live action movies.

One of my worries is that Disney will try and "Famlize" the movie to much. They had never released a PG-13 movie till Pirates of the Caribbean if my memory serves me right. Im not say a Star Wars movie should be R or anything, just that disney may error on the side of extreme caution when it comes to anything that could be construed as non-family friendly. (Hopefully that made sense. lol)

 

[Ram Quixote]

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

Or maybe Disney will attract writers and directors with geek intentions and let them run.

 

[Selassie I]

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
:mrgreen:

 

[bluecoconuts]

Disney did a pretty good job with the Pirates series, I think they can do that with Star Wars. I don't think they're planning on changing too many things about it, it's probably going to be more similar to Marvel. Slap the Disney name on it, give them a much bigger budget and let them do their thing. The biggest question I have is if they're going to make a new story line with new(ish) characters, or if they're going to continue and have new actors that resemble the old ones, like what Star Trek did.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Also, Disney's worst movies these days are the cartoons. Back in the 80s-90s, they regulary released classics. Movies with heart, violence, humor, everything. Lion King, Hercules, Tarzan, Mulan, Pocahontas, Aladdin

My dad an an animator on all of those movies except Aladdin. He was there when they started making shitty movies too, before they eventually couldn't afford him anymore and replaced him. That's what they did with all their animators actually, he was one of the last ones to go because he was pretty high up on the food chain. He hated movies he was working on right before they let him go too. He did some Cow movie, Home on the Range or something. I saw the original script and concept art. It was called Sweating Bullets and was a Cowboy movie that involved a lot of shooting. They ended up taking it and twisting it so much it was about singing cows on a farm or something (never seen it). I remember the original script being very good though, more like the good classics that they had been putting out. Stupid changes.

 

[Angry Ram]

Yeah Blue, I think I remember posting a Lion King clip and you saying that. That is very cool. Those movies were a big part of mine and lots of other kids' childhood.

Home on the Range...hahah I remember that. I think that was the last non-CGI Disney movie that was in theaters before the Frog Prince movie.

 

[JdashSTL]

I honestly never really had a problem with SW episodes 1-3 when they came out until I started hearing everything people criticized about them lol. Only thing that still bugs me is not keeping Darth Maul around longer. I was always a big fan of the villians in movies.

 

[Angry Ram]

I honestly never really had a problem with SW episodes 1-3 when they came out until I started hearing everything people criticized about them lol. Only thing that still bugs me is not keeping Darth Maul around longer. I was always a big fan of the villians in movies.

I didn't either. I was 11 years old when Phantom Menace came out and thought Jar Jar was the funniest thing around. I remember going to my friends house and playing the N64 Star Wars Pod Racer game (yeah I was a beast at that). Oh and going on road trips, Taco Bell had these posters you could collect 4 of them and make a mural...they were either paid seperate or came in kids meals. I think I went through 6 different states to find all 4. I was relentless about that to, I'd demand a trade if I already had that poster and would make them show me it. Like a boss. I still have those posters hung up.

Ahh, childhood.

 

[Memento]

I disagree with the decision to make another movie, especially after the debacle of the "prequels" to the original Star Wars movies. About the only saving graces were Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan (the Ewan McGregor version), Mace Windu, and - to a certain extent - Padme. Everything else was just terrible. It portrayed Darth Vader - Darth-fucking-Vader, for fate's sake! - as a whiny teenager with severe mommy problems. It ruined the series...and they're going to make more?! In my mind, the Star Wars series ended with the originals.

A special "fuck you!" goes to Jar-Jar Binks. "You-sa" can go straight to hell, do not pass Go, do not collect a fucking cent.

 

[bluecoconuts]

I'm not a Star Wars geek, but wasn't there some super badass Sith thousands of years before Darth Vader? If they make a movie about that, it could be interesting.

 

[Ram Quixote]

I disagree with the decision to make another movie, especially after the debacle of the "prequels" to the original Star Wars movies. About the only saving graces were Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan (the Ewan McGregor version), Mace Windu, and - to a certain extent - Padme. Everything else was just terrible. It portrayed Darth Vader - Darth-fucking-Vader, for fate's sake! - as a whiny teenager with severe mommy problems. It ruined the series...and they're going to make more?! In my mind, the Star Wars series ended with the originals.

A special "freak you!" goes to Jar-Jar Binks. "You-sa" can go straight to hell, do not pass Go, do not collect a freaking cent.

Let's lay the debacle where it belongs. George Lucas is responsible for every mistake made in the prequels. When CGI entered the picture, Lucas thought he could make anything work. Since he's only going to be a creative consultant for any future movies, that means his input will be minimal. Or at least a lot less.

Btw, Lucas did one more heinous thing to Darth Vader -- he made him a victim. :nono:

Again, if Disney can attach a writer and director with geek intentions, they couldn't do worse than Jar-Jar.

 

[brokeu91]

Here's some more information about episode 7. From NBC news:

If Disney is buying LucasFilm, how will that affect Star Wars: Episode 7 and other Star Wars projects? Any word on what the movie will be about?--Flannel, via Twitter

"Star Wars" fans are already wondering what the seventh film will bring, and it's not due out till 2015.

Well, we know that, whatever the plot of Episode 7, George Lucas won't have a heavy hand in the day-to-day creation of it. He's apparently written the treatments for the films, but he won't produce or direct--an excellent opportunity for another visionary to jettison Jar Jar Binks out of an airlock permanently.

As for the plot, Star Wars superfans have a theory on what they'll be seeing next. But I have a surprise for them: They're wrong. If you're a fan, you're definitely gonna want to read on.

Read more details about Star Wars episodes 8, 9 and beyond

First of all, you should know that there is an official canon concerning the Star Wars universe. Those stories cover the years after rebel victory (i.e., after Return of the Jedi). It's written in a series of books called the Thrawn Trilogy, by author Timothy Zahn. Die-hard Star Wars fans know the trilogy well, and they say that a big-screen adaptation of the first book, "Heir to the Empire," would make the most logical Episode 7.

"Of all the speculation out there about the content of this new trilogy, that's the single most concrete idea," says Eric Geller of the fan site TheForce.net. "It's almost inevitable that the story will take place in the same time frame as those books."

So what happens in "those books?"

Well, Luke Skywalker meets a real would-be assassin lady named Mara Jade, who was trained to avenge the Emperor by crushing Luke's pretty blond head. Instead, Jade falls for Luke and, a subsequent graphic novel, the two marry. Skywalker also has to deal with the fact that he's the only Jedi left, at least, for now, and he goes about trying to fix that.

Princess Leia and Han Solo also play heavily into the Thrawn Trilogy, popping out a pair of twins (of course) among other things. As for the name Thrawn, well, that refers to a grand admiral with imperial sympathies who takes over as the leader of the vanquished enemy faction.
So is that the basis for Episode 7 or not? I've heard directly from LucasFilm and other sources close to the picture, and they say: Definitely not.

"It's an original story," a LucasFilm source tells me.

In other words, forget the Star Wars novels. Forget the graphic novels. Forget everything you think you know about what happens to Luke Skywalker. According to my sources, Episode 7 will literally be nothing you've ever seen or read before from the Star Wars universe.

I also hear from several sources that, no matter what you may hear to the contrary, no director has been officially attached to the project.

Meanwhile, there isn't much news regarding the other big Star Wars projects currently in development.

A spoofy cartoon TV series, Detours, was announced in August, spearheaded by Seth Green and the other creators of Robot Chicken. No release dates or networks were revealed, but Disney has said that it envisions some sort of Star Wars presence on its Disney XD channel. I wouldn't be surprised if Detours landed there.

Lastly, there's the live action series, which has been bubbling around since 2008 and which is supposed to take place between Episodes 3 and 4, when Luke Skywalker is growing up.

As I reported earlier, Lucasfilm was still talking in enthusiastic terms about Star Wars: Underworld less than a year ago. At that time, the show had a lot of scripts in the can but no financing. But if there's one thing that Disney has, it's money. Still, insiders tell me it's too soon to expect any announcements on either series.

 

[libertadrocks]

Lastly, there's the live action series, which has been bubbling around since 2008 and which is supposed to take place between Episodes 3 and 4, when Luke Skywalker is growing up.

Live action series = bad idea

 

[bluecoconuts]

Lastly, there's the live action series, which has been bubbling around since 2008 and which is supposed to take place between Episodes 3 and 4, when Luke Skywalker is growing up.

Live action series = bad idea

Agreed, it will be hard to make it not suck.