We haven’t hada new STAR WARS movie in theatres since 2008’s STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, and that was really just a tie-in to the animated show of the same name (which you should totally watch, by the way). It’s also been a long time since we last saw Anakin’s full transformation into the powerful Darth Vader, and, if last week was any indication, Jedi aren’t the Halloween costume of choice anymore.
Enter Disney, who swooped in last week to buy Lucasfilm Ltd. for a cool $4.05 billion. Not wasting any time, they also announced that we would all be getting a STAR WARS EPISODE VII in 2015! We don’t have any specifics about it yet, but we can almost guarantee that we’re sure to get a good dose of lightsaber action, and a large helping of starfighter combat too.
All of this has, of course, created a lot of debate about the future of stories that take place a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Will Luke Skywalker and Han Solo be returning? Will the next trilogy have anything to do with the books that make up the expanded universe? Could Boba Fett and Iron Man one day cross paths, since Disney now owns both Lucasfilm and Marvel?
What we do know is that George Lucas, the creator of the franchise from the beginning, will act as a creative consultant for the films. He’s also written outlines for episodes seven, eight, and nine. It’s been a long, CGI-filled journey with the 68-year-old director, and with him finally handing over the reins to someone else, it’s good to remember the history Lucas and Star Wars have shared.
Did You Know?
- Before STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE, Lucas’ most famous work was AMERICAN GRAFFITI, a movie about teens and their journey to find themselves in the 1960s.
- George Lucas has helped write every single INDIANA JONES movie, and acted as executive producer, too!
- Chewbacca was based on Lucas’ dog, an Alaskan Malamute named Indiana. Guess what other famous character’s name was inspired by the pet?
- Industrial Light & Magic was a visual effects company created by Lucas specifically for the first STAR WARS movie. Since then, the company has gone on to work on movies like AVATAR, RANGO, THE HUNGER GAMES, and many more!
- Yes, we suppose that Disney owning STAR WARS doesmake Leia a Disney Princess.
- All $4.05 billion of the money he received for selling Lucasfilm Ltd. will be donated to a foundation focused on education. If that’s not worth admiring, we don’t know what is.