Mickey, come to the Dark Side.
In a conference call today, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. No Jedi mind tricks were involved; instead, the two companies agreed on a stock and cash transaction that would total around $4.05 billion.
That's probably going to move George Lucas up a few slots on next year's Forbes Richest Billionaires list. Lucasfilm is 100-percent owned by Lucas, who is also chairman and founder of the company.
The deal will give Disney ownership of Lucasfilm, as well as the Star Wars franchise, including its live-action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post-production. That means that Disney will also get all of the technologies developed under Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound.
It also means that Disney will be responsible for Star Wars Episode 7, which was also announced. Although there are no details about a plot or a cast, the film is expected to have a 2015 release date. Disney is planning to keep the Star Wars saga going, too, with Disney Chairman and CEO Robert Iger saying that Episodes 8 and 9 will follow.
"The last Star Wars movie release was 2005's Revenge of the Sith -- and we believe there's substantial pent-up demand," said Iger in a statement. "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."
Kathleen Kennedy, who is the current co-chairman of Lucasfilm, will become president of Lucasfilm, under Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. She will also serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, in order to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. That role will also snag her an executive producer credit on any future Star Wars feature films. Also, despite what Lucas said back in June, he isn't going to completely kick back and count his new money. Instead, he will serve as a creative consultant on the film franchise.
Finally, it looks like Yoda ears may soon be readily available. Today's announcement also means that Star Wars content will be integrated into all of the Disney theme parks, which includes Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.
"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. "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."
To date, Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion worldwide. That success has made Star Wars one of the world's top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011.
Lucasfilm is just the latest Disney acquisition. The company recently added Pixar and Marvel to its portfolio.
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