Star Wars, George Lucas | featured news

Walt Disney Co. plans to shut the 30-year-old LucasArts studio it inherited with the acquisition of George Lucas’ film company last year, and focus on licensing its Star Wars brand externally, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

"It was originally a 12-part saga," Pollock added, hinting that "The three most exciting stories were 7, 8 and 9. They had propulsive action, really interesting new worlds, new characters. I remember thinking, ‘I want to see these 3 movies.’" And as for whether or not Disney would even be interested in Lucas' plans for the franchise, Pollock insisted, "Writers will absolutely take his outline. That’s in part what Disney bought."

Well, this is unexpected: In a deal worth a reported $4 billion in stocks and cash, George Lucas has handed the keys to his Star Wars kingdom over to Disney. Saying that "Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas," the understandably enthused Disney CEO, Bob Iger, heralded an acquisition that "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."

Filmmaker George Lucas on Friday named veteran producer Kathleen Kennedy as his co-chair and successor at the iconic film studio he founded four decades ago. Kennedy and Lucas will serve as board co-chairs at Lucasfilm Ltd. as the "Star Wars" creator moves forward with his retirement plans.

Britain's Supreme Court on Wednesday defeated a bid by George Lucas' company to stop a prop designer making and selling replicas of the iconic stormtrooper helmets from the "Star Wars" films. The court did, however, prevent him from selling them in the United States.

George Lucas is set to re-release the six "Star Wars" films in 3-D, beginning in 2012 with one film annually led by "The Phantom Menace."