It seems that the night brings advice. And I remained perplexed last night facing the impromptu announcement of this takeover of Lucasfilm by Disney, even if it is confirmed that the negotiations had started more than a year ago between the various stakeholders. Georges Lucas therefore becomes one of the largest shareholders of the Disney group. Kathleen Kennedy, hitherto co-president dubbed by Lucas, therefore takes the direction of Lucasfilm which remains a full entity within the Disney group.
An important point needs to be clarified: Disney and Lucasfilm have already been working together for many years. This operation, above all financial, is only the logical evolution of things: Lucas wanted to pass the hand and entrust the future of the Star Wars universe to a new generation of businessmen and directors.
With this acquisition, Disney also acquires ILM ( Industrial Light & Magic ) and Robert Iger (Chief Executive Officer at Disney) confirms his intention to take advantage of the know-how of this pioneering entity in the field of special effects.
Disney obviously intends to take advantage of the Star Wars brand in all possible and imaginable areas: Films, TV series, cartoons, video games, derivative products, etc. As is the case with other franchises, Disney will re -populate in the broadest sense of the term a saga that has become over the decades the preserve of nostalgic geeks. Everyone is going to love Star Wars, young and old, geek or not. All those who proclaimed their difference by relying on their passion for this universe will have to make it clear, Star Wars will become a mainstream brand.
As for the upcoming episodes of the film saga, they will reduce those we already know to a simple family affair within an Adventure with a capital A. Star Wars transcends Anakin, Padmé, Luke, Leia, Han Solo, and the others. And that's all for the better. I want lightsabers and space battles, but I also expect novelty, freshness, new stories, and new characters. The Original Trilogy is ultimately just one piece of an epic, of which we already know a few slices with the Prequel Trilogy and The Clone Wars.
We can legitimately wonder what the Disney group will do with the Star Wars universe. But we must not mix everything up. Confusing Disney and Mickey is a mistake. The example of The Avengers is the best proof of this. In a 2-hour movie, Disney did more for mainstream popularity of Marvel superheroes than decades of print comics and a few movies no one remembers. Comic book fans have been dispossessed of their world and that's what annoys them. We can always talk about the ultra-simplistic scenario of The Avengers, but after all, and judging by the success of the film, the general public wants simple stories of superheroes who fight against the evil embodied by super bad guys, period. The same is going to happen with Star Wars.
Will the next episodes of the saga be based on theExtended Universe ? Nothing is less sure. The continuation of the saga could make obsolete a whole derivative universe which has so far served as a reference for the most assiduous fans.
Cinematographically speaking, Disney can't be wrong: It'll be hard to get more cheesy than the dialogues of thePart III or more simplistic than the scenario of the Original Trilogy.
Geeks of all stripes, make yourself a reason: Whether you are fans of superheroes, Tolkien or Star Wars, you are no longer the only ones and even if it annoys you a little, you will no longer have to hide your passion for lightsabers or to share it only with your fellows at obscure conventions.
And to add another layer, it is obvious that a day will come when a whole generation of kids will know Star Wars without even having heard of the adventures of Anakin or Luke, fifty or sixty years ago in old films with outdated special effects and sluggish dialogues. Such is life.
