George Lucas selling Lucasfilm to Disney is probably the biggest Star Wars news (see story here) since the announcement of the Prequels. I knew I’d someday see Lucas giving up the reigns to Star Wars to either his heirs or another studio, but I never thought it would be so soon. And to announce a 2015 release date for the first movie of the next trilogy was just icing on the space cake. I might have been worried about Disney being the company entrusted with these properties 10-15 years ago, but after seeing their fairly hands-off approach to Pixar and Marvel (and the quality of the movies that have come out of both of those studios) I’m pretty confident we’ll get something worth getting excited about from Episodes VII, VIII and IX. That said, it doesn’t completely stop my brain from coming up with some Kingdom Hearts craziness (and for the record, I love KH) from a Disney/Lucasfilm mashup.
So what do you think? Is this Disney/Lucasfilm alliance a good thing or has Star Wars gone to the Dark Side?
Oh, and props to Lucas for saying he’s going to donate the 4 billion dollars he’s earned from the sale to his education charity.
Personally, my vote is for horrified.
the horror!
and, hey – congrats on achieving the Shades of Firsting, Peg! these are your second pair of Shades in less than a month, no? wear them well: these have an HUD which can target Force Powers, repulsor rays and/or magic spells:
😎
The photo op of Lucas with Jedi Mickey and Princess Minnie, for example. *twitch, shudder*
while some of those Disney/Star Wars hybrid characters are a little tacky, i must admit, i love the Stitch/Emperor and Stitch/Yoda figurines that came out a few years back. many thanks to the friend that got those for me.
If they get Joss Whedon to direct then all will be forgiven!
i’m so torn on whether someone awesome like Joss should direct or an up-and-coming director should take the reigns this time, Kaze!
I read, years ago, that someone suggested Kevin Smith. I don’t agree with it, but at least you know his direction will come from the heart since he loves the Star Wars franchise.
We need someone like that I think, someone who loves Star Wars and will do everything he can to give us the best Star Wars movie possible.
Peter Jackson maybe?
agreed, TPC. we definitely need someone who has the passion – and the ability to execute – on the new Star Wars movies. Disney probably already has someone in mind (Matthew Vaughn is the big rumor right now) but i hope Brad Bird and Neill Blomkamp are on the shortlist.
I think most people who want Joss Whedon to direct are really asking for more Firefly! (Especially those who also want Nathan Fillon in it). Joss Whedon might well be awesome at Star Wars, but I’m still not sure he’s the best choice.
agreed, Maia: i’d be more excited about JW doing more Firefly than Star Wars.
People said bad things about the Marvel/Disney buyout.
Look at Avengers.
I think we’re going to be okay.
agreed, mephron! the way Avengers turned out gives me (a Newer) hope!
Eh, I can see it going well… but I can also see it going horribly horribly wrong. 😉
As for 7, 8, and 9: I personally think that the EU has been so well developed in the last 20 years that it would be silly to make up something new following the original trilogy, rather than adapt, say, the Thrawn trilogy.
i’ll admit, the Thrawn stuff was pretty cool, Insectoid, but who knows which way they’re going to take it. looks like the script’s already been written and a bunch of pre-production’s underway, since they hope to have it out by 2015. whatever they do, it better be awesome.
I’m cautiously optimistic. Yes, we got Avengers out of Disney owning Marvel, but we also got John Carter. So Disney has quite a few misses, which they can absorb because they’re freaking *huge*, but they also have a lot of wins. Most of Pixar’s stuff has remained awesome, and Marvel…mmmmm.
So I’m hopeful this will work out well. That being said, I really want to know where they’re going with the story. As much as I love the actors of the Holy Trilogy, most of them are kinda getting up there. Will Mara Jade show up? Are we going after the events of the EU, with the Solo kids and Ben Skywalker already around? I have a lot of emotions tied to this franchise, so I might go supernova if they mess it up too badly.
true: John Carter wasn’t the hit Disney wanted, but i thought it was pretty good. kinda bummed we won’t get to see sequels made. oh, well.
i’m hopeful the Disney Star Wars stuff will turn out well, too. i kinda doubt they’ll go the EU route, but Lucas did mention the books and comic books could be inspiration to draw from, so who knows? i’m sure a script will leak soon and then we can feverishly dissect it. 🙂
*cough* i kinda like john carter *cough*
🙂
I really liked John Carter. It suffered from two things:
1) lousy ads that made it hard for anyone who didn’t know something about it to figure out what it was about
2) so many reviews of “oh and this cliche”, when the story it was based on was the SOURCE of so many of the SF cliches that we know now.
very true about the bad advertising and “didn’t get it” reviews, mephron. heck, them just taking the cool, original title, “John Carter of Mars” (or the original original title, “A Princess of Mars”) and retitling it to the generic “John Carter” showed they just didn’t get what they had.
Does this make Princess Leia a Disney Princess? 😀
I’m reserving judgement on this, because it’s possible (and not unlikely) that this is going to get screwed up, but on the other hand we could get something awesome out of it. The decision to sell to Disney was a bit baffling, but I can go with it if they manage not to mess everything up!
yes! Princess Leia will definitely be a Disney Princess now, Maia! just don’t expect her in the gold bikini. tie fighter hair buns for sure, tho. 🙂
while i’m excited about Disney, i’m a little baffled too about why George didn’t go with Fox, since they’re so intertwined with the original movies. Disney’s in a better position to execute on theme park, videogame and toys, though, so there you go.
Never thought of it that way… Mickey looks adorable!
expect the action figure from Disney soon, DAS! 😉
I think Disney will be careful with Star Wars–tick off the fans, and they’ll leave to watch the original versions of Episodes 4-6 on their home theater systems.
But frankly, I don’t think even Disney could come up with anything worse than the Gungans. Stitch is Sir Derek Jacobi in comparison.
ugh. gungans. yeah, that we didn’t bail on Star Wars after that shows just how deep our love for Star Wars goes, Sarah W.
and: Stitch! yay! (huge fan.)
I still don’t know what to make of it. Hopefully Disney doesn’t ruin the franchise. On the other hand, they are releasing the unedited versions of the original Trilogy I believe. That in and of itself makes it worth it.
Its hard for them to ruin a franchise that Lucas has already alienated all of his fans from…
yes, the rumor that Disney will finally be releasing the unedited OT on blu-ray is one of the things i got excited about most during this whole announcement, TCG!
I love bada$$ Mickey! Awesomeness. I would love Mickey with a light saber facing off against… (hmmm, Darth Vader, the Emperor, another Sith?) lets go with Darth Vader. I could see this as an awesome shirt (as long as you wouldn’t get sued by Disney): Jefbot’s head down in the corner with a thought bubble featuring this face off. I’d definitely buy one of those!
Re: Disney Wars, I am not quite sure what to think. I think I’ll go with cautious optimism. 😀 I must say I’m excited about the next 3 movies. I was always very sad that they didn’t get made.
Derp. Somehow I overlooked Mickey’s light saber above. I was overwhelmed by his bada$$ery and missed it altogether. Hooray for Mickey with a light saber!
easy to miss, Shanna – it’s kind of a Sorcerer’s Apprentice wand-saber! 😀
thanks! i’m happy you liked Mickey’s bada$$ness, Shanna! and, yeah: love the shirt idea but i fear the Dark Side of Disney’s legal department. heheh.
and after what we got with the Prequels, i think “cautious optimism” is the smartest way for all us Star Wars geeks to go. but, heck – i can’t help but be excited, too!
People have been saying to years he needs to give it up and give it to someone else to handle, I actually thought it was going to happen after his death but I’m happy to see him hand it off and new movies is always good. I wonder how much this choice was made from all the bitching (pardon my french) he heard from all the fanboys over the years, it had to wear him down even if he was still making tons of money from them.
Oh, and I totally think that first panel would make an awesome t-shirt or poster. Yeah, I know, you can’t cause of copyright stuff. Maybe Disney will buy you out soon and you can make that happen.
i thought that same thing, TPC – that George just wouldn’t be able to let go of it while he was still alive, even though it was obvious his passion for it died out long ago. and, yeah: he made no attempt to hide his contempt for the fanboys. in some ways, he’s probably glad to shed the responsibility to please those people. (myself among them. heheh.)
hmmm… Disney buying me out couldn’t come at a better time! they’d have to give me four billion dollars to sell, tho. okay, 2 billion. 😉
It’s a Dark Side after all!
It’s a Dark Side after all!
It’s a dark side after all!
It’s a Dark DARK SIDE!!!!!!
Ok Now that I’ve annoyed….everyone! GOOD MORNING BOTIVERSE!
First things first.
Hey Exhaulted One, I am totes bummed about the J-O-B situation. It sucks. And of course your first reactions are always OMGWHATAMIGONNADO! But things work out, they always do, Not sure how the whole unemployment thing works out in California but I would say to jump on there ASAP at least to help supplement your severance package . (HA I Said Package!!!!!)
Second on the agenda, I am super excited about you doing the comic full time. I can’t wait to see what happens when you are able to truly flex your imagination and set it free. We will be here to support you in any ways we can. Also, you can get on the Fan FB page and flesh that out some. (I don’t have enough information about what you are doing day to day to make it happen. Been a crazy year here at Casa de Pixie).
And Lastly, I’m not sure how I feel about the whole Disney Wars. I mean yes, Mickey as a Jedi = Kick A**!!!! But I;m concerned we’ll have more characters like *gasp* Jarjar Binks!!!!! *faints*
And i miss you all so many bunches but Off to get back to work and then more moving. This has got to be the longest move EVER!
heheh. i was just at Disneyland the other day, and if i heard that song coming out of the Small World ride, i would’ve had to see what was up, Pixie! of course, just as with the traditional song, i can’t get “it’s a Dark Side after all” out of my head now…
thanks for the unemployment tips – i’ve heard the same thing: file for unemployment ASAP. still working on my, um… package (heh) so as soon as that’s worked out i can start breathing a bit easier.
definitely going to try and do more Social stuff – including FB, Twitter and maybe Google+ – if i have time! so far, i’ve been busier not having a job than i was with one! crazy.
and don’t even mention jar jar. you might give Disney ideas. *shudder*
wishing you luck on your continuing move and hope 2013 will be less crazy at Casa de Pixie!
Horrified doesn’t come close. Phantom Menace was the first movie I saw in theaters, I was 3 and.
yikes! being a huge fan of the Original Trilogy, Phantom Menace was a BIG disappointment, Anime fan! it gets worse with each viewing, too, sadly.
Those three are fine, but what if they decide to include them in a Kingdom Hearts Game? Iron Man Vs. Sith Lord Vs. Mickey Vs. Sephiroth?
Still, I’m cautiously optimistic about this.
as crazy as that mash-up sounds, i’d probably still buy it, Viredae!
I’m not sure how to feel. Maybe being a disney property we’ll have a proper romance in a Star Wars movie
you didn’t like the brother-sister romance in Episodes IV and V, dj? or the queen-little boy romance of Episode I? or the creepy-weird-violent romance of Episodes II and III???
I’m not holding my breath in anticipation of anything they’re making that’s Star Wars related unless the words “Star Wars Battlefront 3” are involved. However, someone on a forum I frequent brought up this point; we can now have Wolverine go up against Darth Vader. Who wouldn’t want to see that fight?
Also, has anyone else picked up halo 4? I have and I can’t wait to start playing it.
hmmm… i’d love to see Wolverine fight Boba Fett, Fijiman! maybe Magneto vs. Vader. or King Mickey vs. Yoda… the possibilities are endless! but yeah, if that happened in a true Star Wars movie, i might barf. 😉
ooh, i hear good things about Halo 4! trying to save money now with my job status, tho, so will probably have to ask for that one for Christmas. i have so many games to catch up on (including Mass Effect 3) that i’m sure i’ll have stuff to play until then. let us know what you think when you start H4!
Halo 4 is AWESOME! I beat the campaign yesterday and loved every minute of it. I’ve not yet delved into the multiplayer, mostly because a friend I hadn’t spoken to in a long time was on not long after I beat the campaign and we played on Minecraft for a while.
awesome to hear! i seriously need to fight off the urge to get this one. maybe i’ll find it for supercheap during Black Friday.
I feel the same as Jefbot in the strip. I heard they asked Timothy Zahn to participate and I had an episode of screaming my happines to the world. Then I found this thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0Yq9idnT1OM
So I have NO idea what to think of it all,
yeah, i’m not 100% sure what to think either, Maryz. one thing i do know, is that when i saw this, i knew Star Wars had to be taken from Lucas.
Had no idea you are in England dude, what are you doing there, when did you go? And what’s it like?
I’m here for months now, what you would know if you answered your phone to at least one of your friends during summer.
I work here and its fantastic! So many different people… There are Czech, Slovak, English, Muslim, Hindu, French, Estonian… And that’s just my street.
Iron Man just took Han Solo’s statement from “A New Hope” and multiplied it by 1,000. Back to the topic at hand, I’m reserving judgment for now, although I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as some have made it out to be. You just wonder who’s next on Disney’s path to world domination. Some of my friends are predicting Nintendo.
he did indeed, Striker! and, wow: a Disney and Nintendo mash-up would be amazing. i’d love to see pikachu and bulbasaur in a Disney parade!
I love a good crossover. The possibility of a bunch of senators from a world of talking mice making an appearance in the Imperial Senate (like the ETs did)? Or Indiana Jones meeting a young Benjamin Franklin Gates (from the National Treasure movies)? An animated Princess Leia making an appearance in those Princess DVD movies Disney puts out? That will be fantastic!
However, your strip now has me most excited about a crossover fighting game (a la Street Fighter vs. Marvel). Can you imagine Yoda tangling with Mickey? The Hulk taking on an AT AT? Aladdin vs. Boba Fett? Snow White vs. Amidala? Goofy giving Jar Jar a beatdown…well any Disney character giving Jar Jar a beatdown. Woo hoo!
yes! well see just how deep these crossovers will go now that Disney gets to play with all these properties, Coolhand! let’s hope they choose… wisely.
i’d love to see a videogame brawler a la Super Smash Bros. with Disney/Marvel/Star Wars characters! and, agreed: any opportunity to give jar jar a beatdown must be taken. heheh.
That actually reminded me of a point me and my broth came to the other day. Leia is now technically one of the Disney Princesses. Think about it.
Oh and I think you mean any character giving Jar Jar a beatdown. As much as I actually kind of like Jar Jar, just the mental image of that is hilarious.
oh, i’ve thought about it, Fijiman! (see my response to Maia, above.) 😀
and, yes: any beatdown, anytime, by anybody. heheh.
HAHA This is soooo true. You have to admit though…If Mickey shows up and kills Jar Jar it will be the most epic SW movie EVER!
that would be pretty epic indeed, Nathan! one can only hope… 😉
After seeing the improvement in the Marvel movies after Disney bought their franchise (ie, Spiderman 3 and The Incredible Hulk vs. Captain America and Thor), I’m excited to see the improvements they make for the sequel trilogy.
well, i think Disney deserves credit for The Avengers for not messing with Marvel or Whedon, but they didn’t own Marvel before Hulk and Cap and don’t own the movie rights to Spider-Man. i wish they did, though! can you imagine Spider-Man in the next Avengers or Iron Man movie!? that’d be AMAZING! (pun intended.)
Are we going to see more of this Darth Bawt in the future? (or past technically, seeing as how he’s a Star Wars character….)
heheh. no, probably no more Darth Bawt in the future, Soul Man. he’s just kind of a made up Sith i did for the strip.
I can’t say I mind when the end result is four billion dollars being donated to charity. That’s a lot of money… and a lot of good being done with it! That’d be more than enough to appease me, even if I were upset about the sell-out to begin with (I honestly don’t care).
I don’t think Disney is as bad as some people claim, anyway. It’s got its problems, but I still love them. I’ve got a strong preference for family-friendly animated flicks over anything aimed at adults; when Toy Story 3 came out, I was bouncing up and down screaming “We have to go see it! We have to!” (It was fantastic.)
yep, Lucas donating that money to education is way cool, Myth, and dismisses the idea that he only sold off Lucasfilm for money, which is nice.
i also like family-friendly flicks (although non-family flicks are okay by me, too. heheh.) obviously, i’m trying to keep JEFbot “family friendly” so more than just adults can enjoy it!
Be scared. We’re fling to see A Whole New World of Star Wars!
ha! i’m scared, but optimistic, Funnyshaffer!
What makes me wonder if what will they tell. I mean, if they’ll go the game route/book, and tell different stories, and not just center Luke. I mean, that way you can make something out of it.
part of me hopes they tell different stories too, Kanashe, so the Star Wars Universe can expand, but the other part hopes we’ll see the progeny of luke or leia (with cameos by Mark and Carrie) in order to complete a sort of “Skywalker Saga” started by the first two trilogies.
Star Wars…AND The Avengers?
…That is potentially the best thing ever. Just add Doctor Who and/or Firefly, have it written by both Joss Whedon and Steven Moffat, and…I’m sorry, my brain just was overloaded with the potential AMAZING-NESS of it.
ha! that would be the ultimate crossover/mash-up EVER, GG11! geek heads would pop the world over with that announcement.
Just remember that this is now one step closer to becoming a reality. Think about that.
wow. thinking.
First of all, I didn’t get to say this earlier but sorry about the job situation. You now have no steady employment but lots of time on your hands where as I have the exact opposite problem. I’m working two jobs and have hardly any time on my hands. Hopefully, I’ll be able to save enough money soon to quit my part time job. If I was in your situation I guarantee my webcomic would already be 100% completed.
Secondly, your crossover reminded me of a crossover I did in one of my short stories about Obie Wan Kenobi taking on Freddy Kruger. Freddy had light saber blades on all of his fingers.
thanks for the support, Rainey – it’s strange to actually have time on my hands, so i’m keeping busy with JEFbot! hope your job plans work out and you get more free time, too.
lightsaber finger blades??? *drool*
I would totally see that movie.. If it were real..
I kind of decided that Disney did a fine job with marvel, and I really didn’t think they were going to so much with it in terms of ruining our childhoods. So they actually made me happy with their films.
Now with Lucas? The first two star war films (episode 4, and 5…) were amazing films.. But the rest weren’t, up to that level. I am very happy that he donated the money of course, but I think it was a good idea to let someone else take over.
I think we will get a great series from Disney, though I must say I’m not entirely excited that they are expanding it.. I think, that Star Wars story was told, but maybe that’s just me.
yeah, i think Disney’s fairly trustworthy, too, Satoshieyes. they’ve had some missteps, but for the most part, they turn out a quality product when they set their mind to it.
and i’d agree that Star Wars wouldn’t need expanding if Lucas hadn’t made the Prequels. now that he’s kind of ruined the whole thing, i feel like another trilogy can only be better.
The only thing I’m scared now, it’s Disney will make a Star Wars episode 34 and Idiana Jone episode 28 for sure ! Easier to make money on existing character than creating new one >.>
No to forget all the Star Wars’ game we will have now since the game factory of Lucas has also been bought !
Mickey can be such a hungry mouse >.>
Indiana Jones is another movie series that can only get better now that Lucas isn’t involved, ChampionNeko! i can’t watch Crystal Skull, even when i see it playing on cable now. embarrassingly bad, and they had so long to get that one right!
I am beyond excited about this! I mean… its 3 of my favorite things: Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars all in one!
I have to admit I wouldnt complain about a KH/Star Wars mash up.
I wish they would go into the Thrawn Trilogy with the next episodes but I dont see that happening 🙁
i just read an interview with Timothy Zahn, the writer of the Thrawn trilogy, Miss B, and he said it’s possible they might take elements from his books, but he hasn’t been consulted at all, so it’s doubtful they’d use his story outright. still, you never know!
Thats awesome! Where did you read it at? Id love to take a peek :O
Even pieces of the storyline would be nice to see.
i think this isnt a clear darkside lightside,i think this is a grey side or neutralside to much bad and good with this to clearly define any side
your future clouded it is.
uh-oh. as master Yoda said, “the dark side clouds everything.” so if the future’s clouded, that might not bode well for the new sequels, drakeye! 😉
I’m not as exited about starwars as I was years ago, the prequels did that to me. I doubt disney can do any worse to what Lucas already did to starwars.
nuff said
true that, Jiro. the Prequels muted my love for Star Wars, too. but, i know all it will take is an awesome trailer with lightsabers and a John Williams score to rekindle my love for it!
Personally, my vote is for… destroy the dart thing already!!!!!!! I can’t understand what the fuss is all about. I did TRY to watch the “original” 3 (that ended up being 4,5 and 6). I just couldn’t watch it. BORING as hell to me. I went to see the PREQUELS with a friend because he had no one else to go with. I fell asleep in the three of them. And don’t get me started with Star Trek. So not my thing! Bleh! So I guess that I’m one of those that just can live fine and dandy without the whole space thing. At least it got me a hot fiancé the fact that I’m not a fan of any of the Stars-whatevers.
I’m hoping Disney comes out with nothing worse character-wise than Jar-Jar Binks, and no worse actor than whoever it was that played adult Anakin.