main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Why Did George Sell Lucasfilm?

Discussion in 'Lucasfilm Ltd. In-Depth Discussion' started by guittarjedi, Feb 8, 2016.

  1. Lulu Mars

    Lulu Mars Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 10, 2005
    LFL just didn't have the necessary funds to do what they wanted to. That's why the live action TV series was put on ice.
    GL wanted to enable the company to realize its visions. Selling it to a wealthy corporation that he trusted was the solution.
     
  2. fastcooljosh

    fastcooljosh Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2017
    LFL was doing really really well businesswise before Disney "bought it".
     
  3. Oissan

    Oissan Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2001
    Wait, you are convinced he didn't actually sell the company?
    That makes no sense. This isn't something that cannot be checked, on the contrary, shares of Disney are available at the stock exchange, they are bound by law to inform their share-holders about anything they have acquired. If Disney had not actually bought the company, we would know about it.

    Why would the age argument be dumb?
    Just because he has kids doesn't mean that they want to take over, especially someone like Jett, who is basically just turning into an adult. Film-making isn't exactly hereditary, just because George Lucas was a great one doesn't mean his children are in the same mold. And even if they were, there's a lot of pressure in dealing with the future of Star Wars, even more so when you are Lucas' child. Not only could that lead to issues in the family, but it could also go against Lucas actually retiring. There is a huge difference between handing over something to people who have a lot of experience in the business and handing it over to a child of yours.

    Why would Lucasfilm not have the necessary funds?
    That seems like a rather absurd statement. Lucasfilm was doing just fine and perfectly capable of achieving whatever was needed. Lucas sold to Disney because Disney could guarantee the long-term future of Lucasfilm, and because they had shown that they would let their sub-companies handle the movies without interference (see Pixar and Marvel).
     
  4. fastcooljosh

    fastcooljosh Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2017
    Why would you sell a company with a franchise worth $30bn alone for only $4bn ?
    And I never said that Jett should start make movies or something like that.
     
  5. Lulu Mars

    Lulu Mars Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 10, 2005
  6. fastcooljosh

    fastcooljosh Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2017
  7. Ancient Whills

    Ancient Whills Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2011
    Well GL always the best, so that's nothing new. He did the same thing for animation.
     
  8. Darth__Lobot

    Darth__Lobot Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 29, 2015
    Lucas took much of the compensation in Stock... which may end up being worth significantly more at some point.

    Also - anyone who thinks creative talent might be hereditary should try reading one of the "Dune" Prequel/Sequels written by Brian Herbert. Talk about ****ting on your own father's legacy.... shudders.

    Brian Hebert is like the exact opposite of Christopher Tolkien
     
    Nibelung likes this.
  9. mJedi775

    mJedi775 Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 18, 2013
    I just always thought Lucas had enough with it. People kept getting critical of his decisions (SE, Prequels, Crystal Skull) and how many more movies did he want to make? I can't blame him for selling to Disney, it's not like his creations disappear now, they can just continue it in their own direction. Plus kudos to him for donating the money to charity.
     
  10. DarkEnforcer

    DarkEnforcer Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2017
    At least he didn't force his kids to take over. It just shows that aside from being a great filmmaker, he's also a great father. He has done everything for the company as a whole, he deserves that retirement.
     
  11. For me it was a mistake to have sold the franchise to Disney i think it was better to sell it to Warner Bros or even Fox
     
    Prisic Duskleap likes this.
  12. Ugh.. sorry but TFA is not sci-fi... is just more space fantasy
     
  13. Anakin.Skywalker

    Anakin.Skywalker Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 2016
    Perhaps. I guess imo I see "ray-guns" and call it sci-fi, lol.
     
  14. G-FETT

    G-FETT Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 10, 2001
    I'll maintain to my dying day that George's decision to sell LFL to Disney was a terrible one and he shouldn't have done it. Nearly five years on I still can't believe he actually did it to be honest...
     
  15. Outsourced

    Outsourced Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 10, 2017
    Why?
     
  16. Martoto77

    Martoto77 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2016
    Fixed that for ya.
     
  17. fastcooljosh

    fastcooljosh Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2017
    I always thought and hoped that Jett Lucas would take over when George wants to retire.


    edit: Okay the dude was like 20 when the deal happened, thats a bit too early.
     
  18. ezekiel22x

    ezekiel22x Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002

    Artistically I think the decision was a terrible one. Although in terms of his personal life and for business and charity reasons I can definitely understand why Lucas made the decision. In some ways I even applaud him for being brave enough to let go.

    Still, a part of me wishes that if a major deal had to be done that he just sold the Star Wars IP instead of Lucasfilm as a whole. Or at the very least Lucas should've demanded that he gets to keep the rights to the Willow setting. :p
     
  19. Strongbow

    Strongbow Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 6, 2014

    One of the main reasons Lucas sold LFL was to save the jobs of the people who worked there. There is a structure there and a corporate knowledge in the LFL IPs that it would been nuts to flush. Despite the beliefs of some Lucas partisans, there were many, many creative people involved in Sta Wars and other LFL IPs. George was smart enough to realize that maintaining the team he build was the smart way to go. We'll just disagree on the "artistically" part.
     
  20. ezekiel22x

    ezekiel22x Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002


    Yes, I was aware of that. Hence my citing "business" as a reason why I understood his decision even if I think it was a very bad move creatively speaking.
     
  21. Well Disney don't care about the lore of Star Wars they only care about the money this does not have to be a bad thing but they limit much the stories
     
  22. Strongbow

    Strongbow Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 6, 2014

    That's an opinion, of course, and one I'd disagree with. They are a corporation, of course, and thus making money is WHY they exist. But I'd argue that they have definitely made a clear effort to ensure quality of product. And audiences are responding. The fact that Disney is pretty much letting LFL operate autonomously is why George picked them. And it's paying off for LFL. The Story group is a GOOD idea. One main complain I had with LFL under George is that lore was all over the place. It was impossible to figure out what was canon and what wasn't. And a lot of the content was just ridiculously silly. George didn't consider it canon himself, but he was happy to take the licensing money. I guess if you liked the Vong, you might be disappointed with NuCanon, but I hated them, so I'm happy so far. :)
     
    Martoto77 likes this.
  23. DARTH_MU

    DARTH_MU Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2005
    What about the bantam books?

    If you hate the vong, does that mean you have to dislike the entire "Legend" EU?

    Mara Jade, Callista, Wyn and Cherith Fel, Gantoris, Kyp Durron. Daala, Gara Petothel, just suddenly gone.

    In a few years Disney may stop printing "Legend" books, and who will remember these characters?

    [​IMG]
     
  24. Darth Invictus

    Darth Invictus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 8, 2016


    I loved the Vong. I have also experienced nothing but disappointment with the new movies. I feel my enthusiasm for Star Wars declining. If something doesn't rejuvenate my interest by the end of the decade I will be regrettably forced to abandon the franchise.
     
    Prisic Duskleap likes this.
  25. Strongbow

    Strongbow Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 6, 2014


    Well, there ya go. I seriously doubt they will take Star Wars in a Vong-type direction. Why would they? The Star Wars they are offering is doing very well commercially, and most fans are happy. From my point of view, that's awesome. From yours, terrible. They likely can't make both of us happy.