Archive for October, 2012

Disney Acquires Lucasfilm for $4.05 Billion

Oct 30, 2012 movies and tv, scifi and fantasy

Disney’s Bob Iger and Lucasfilm’s George Lucas

Today it was announced that The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd in a stock and cash transaction worth an estimated $4.05 billion.

Disney and Lucasfilm have worked together in the past, most notably on the Star Tours attractions at its Disney theme parks. But with this agreement, Disney will wholly own Lucasfilm and everything to do with the Star Wars universe.

“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. “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.”

Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. She will also serve as the brand manager for everything Star Wars, and executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with Lucas serving as creative consultant.

Lucas at Walt Disney World

The first major project lined up with Lucasfilm now under Disney will be Star Wars Episode 7, set for a 2015 release. This is the first film in the last of Lucas’ Star Wars trilogy.

Worth noting is that Marvel, which was also acquired by Disney, has scheduled the film Avengers 2 for release in 2015, as well.

“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “This transaction 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.”

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Marvel Releases First Trailer for Iron Man 3 Movie

Oct 23, 2012 movies and tv

As you may know, I’m a huge fan of Robert Downey, Jr, and this week, Marvel released the first trailer for the upcoming film, Iron Man 3. Here it is, if you haven’t seen it (or are like me and just want to see it again):

It looks to be a more intense Iron Man movie. Tony Stark (Downey) has been changed by his experiences, including the events in The Avengers. He has more worries now, and more enemies.

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The trailer explains that he’s haunted by nightmares and worries about protecting “the one thing I can’t live without” – which would be Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow).

On board as the villain is Ben Kingsley as Mandarin. I love what he does with his voice, by lowering the timbre and accenting certain letters like “r” – very menacing sounding.

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