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Is This $4 Billlion Disney Deal Here to Stay?

Credit: Disney/Pixabay/istock

It seemed like the deal of a century! Disney and Star Wars? What an unstoppable force! LucasFilm already had a close relationship with Disney, Star Wars weekends were a regular feature at Hollywood Studios. If anyone was going to buy it, it would surely be Disney.

Disney selling star wars

Credit: LucasFilm

When the sale was announced, no one was shocked. The prequel trilogy had just been a massive flop with fans (despite bringing box office success). It seemed like the time was right for George Lucas to sell. Disney, people said, would breathe new life into the franchise. Did they? It depends on who you ask.

Disney selling star wars

Credit: LucasFilm

Disney immediately set to work to capitalize on their new acquisition. After all, they didn’t pay $4.05 billion for LucasFilm not to make money on it. Plans for new Star Wars movies ignited the fan base. New additions to Disney Parks brought the films to life in all new ways. It seemed, indeed, like this was Disney’s most brilliant acquisition to date. Until it didn’t.

Disney selling star wars

Credit: Disney

After Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released, fans were…disappointed, to put it mildly. In truth, they were irate. It felt like a watered-down version of the original trilogy. Say what you wanted about the prequels, at least they were original.

Related: WILD Things Overheard at LucasFilm 

The fans wanted George back. But did George Lucas want to be back? As it turns out, no. In a 2020 interview, he revealed his reason for selling: his daughter. He missed much with her while making the prequels, and he wanted to prioritize his family. He said he couldn’t be hands-off unless he sold. “I’m one of those micro-manger guys, and I can’t help it. So I figured I would forgo that, enjoy what I had, and I was looking forward to raising my daughter,” Lucas said.

Starcruiser

Credit: Disney

With the failure of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the rumor mill has been running at hyperspeed with reports of Disney selling the franchise. Even more interesting are the rumors that George Lucas is the intended buyer. At the time of this writing, there is absolutely no credibility to these rumors. No one has a friend of a friend of a friend of a cousin’s brother-in-law who knows something official because there is nothing official to know.

Related: Starcruiser is Closing, What Comes Next?

Disney has invested too much to sell at this point. If this should change, we will be the first to let you know. Until then, we choose to deal in the realm of fact, and facts are…this simply isn’t true. These rumors do make for some pretty entertaining fiction, but that’s all they are.

About Jill Bivins

Jill Bivins has been visiting Disney Parks since she was 2 years old and loves sharing her Disney adventures with the world. She likes to say Disney is in her blood and writing is in her bones — so any time she has the opportunity to combine these loves she is one happy camper! She has a deep abiding love for Epcot and as a die hard Star Wars fan has a serious love for Hollywood Studios as well. When she isn't exploring or writing about Disney Parks, Jill is homeschooling her 8 year old son, playing with her brand new baby son, or pretending to be a farmer on her family homestead (despite being unable to keep even a cactus alive). Find Jill on Instagram @minnieonmain.