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.
Very similar to what Jim Henson said when he entered into negotiations to sell the Muppets to Disney. Unfortunately, he died before the deal was finalized and it took almost 20 years before Disney finally took over the Muppets.
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Turn up the good, turn down the suck!
I wonder if it's possible that this move was pre-emptive on Disney's part. Remember a year or two ago there were all these rumours about Apple being able to buy up every entertainment company in existence save Disney using that pile of money they were sitting on? Maybe something like that was going on and Lucasfilms was up for sale.
So Lucas will now be the 2nd largest Disney shareholder behind Steve Jobs' trust. Interestingly, Jobs' stake came entirely from Disney buying Pixar, which itself was an offshoot of Lucasfilms' computer graphics division that Jobs bought in the '80s. It's kind of kind of crazy that Pixar ended up being worth almost double what Lucasfilms in its entirety was.
So Lucas will now be the 2nd largest Disney shareholder behind Steve Jobs' trust. Interestingly, Jobs' stake came entirely from Disney buying Pixar, which itself was an offshoot of Lucasfilms' computer graphics division that Jobs bought in the '80s. It's kind of kind of crazy that Pixar ended up being worth almost double what Lucasfilms in its entirety was.
Invest in the innovation rather than the singular idea.
double good news, I didn't realize this before but the money should be going to great causes as well
Quote:
In 2010, Lucas signed The Giving Pledge, the effort by Gates and Warren Buffet to get America's wealthiest individuals and families "to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to the philanthropic causes and charitable organizations of their choice either during their lifetime or after their death."
At the time, Lucas said in a public letter, "I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education. It is the key to the survival of the human race. We have to plan for our collective future - and the first step begins with the social, emotional, and intellectual tools we provide to our children."
Lucas serves at chairman of the George Lucas Educational Foundation and in 2006 gave $175 million to his alma mater, USC. In September, before the sale to Disney, Forbes estimated Lucas's net worth at $3.3 billion.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens with Dark Horse Comics. They've been doing Star Wars comics for 20+ years and have to be their best selling books.
After their contract expires I'm sure it will move back to Marvel like it was in the 80s. Which is unfortunate, because Dark Horse has been very consistent in putting out quality Star Wars comics.
