Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. • Hacker News Board

Re: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

#131

Post by dripton » Tue, Oct 30, 2012, 9:43 PM UTC

theootz wrote: post #120

2mur wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope they are doing the Thrawn trilogy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrawn_trilogy

My thoughts exactly when hearing of the news, but I doubt it'd actually happen :( They'd probably have to get rights from Zahns publisher or Dark Horse or whomever owns it, I'd think. I don't think this purchase counts as an umbrella IP grab for all offshoots too?

If they can afford Lucasfilm, they can surely afford to license Zahn's books. (Assuming Lucasfilm didn't already have the right to film them, which they might, if they thought to insert the right language into the book contracts.)

Whether they want to is another question.

Re: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

#132

Post by brc » Tue, Oct 30, 2012, 9:43 PM UTC

robbiet480 wrote: post #7

This means that Disney now controls Marvel, Pixar, LucasArts, ABC, ESPN, A+E, Disney Channel plus all their own original content and of course the parks and merchandising rights for everything stated above. Those businesses most likely control the top 10 film franchises of the last few years. This is a pretty insane acquisition.

I recently visited the Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida. There they have a Indiana Jones live action show as well as a Star Wars exhibit of some kind, I saw little kids dressed in Padawan outfits and getting to fight Darth Vader with a lightsaber (yes, looked pretty cool).

I was surprised at seeing Lucasfilm licensing these valuable properties to Disney for use in a theme park. I guess the two companies have been working together for years.

Re: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

#133

Post by code_duck » Tue, Oct 30, 2012, 9:45 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #90

colonel_panic wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google doesn't teach your kids the narrative structure against which they measure their own lives.

(a) Neither does Disney, (b) Google controls the Internet, which is scarier.

"Google controls the Internet"?

I use a lot of non-Google owned web sites and services. Can you support this assertion?

Re: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

#134

Post by tjpick » Tue, Oct 30, 2012, 9:45 PM UTC

evolve2k wrote: post #106

tptacek wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Marvel, Pixar, LucasArts, ABC, ESPN, A+E, Disney Channel, and associated merchandising. I'm not sure how much "control" over our "public dialog" this really implies. I'm the parent of two very normal middle aged children and, while they're certainly exposed to some of this IP, I'd contest that it has much "influence" over them. Google has much more control over our public dialog than Disney does.

I was personally deeply shocked recently, when I sat with my children as they were watching the animated Iron Man series at their grandpas house. This was on Sunday morning TV. The episode was about other 'bad' characters stealing Iron Mans suit. I was alarmed when the dialog turned explicitly to talk of Patents and how evil it was that they were infringing Iron Mans designs. As I continued to watch it dawned on me t…

and then he jumped in his flying suit and flew around the city beating people up under his own sense of vigilante justice, all powered by the rubics cube sized nuclear reactor he has instead of a heart...

But you're worried about the influence of the talk of patent has on your kids?

Re: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

#135

Post by NoPiece » Tue, Oct 30, 2012, 9:46 PM UTC

enraged_camel wrote: post #75

philwelch wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? I'm not being sarcastic at all. Please share. EDIT: Despite Fox News, the Fox network broadcasts left-leaning shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad, which regularly mock Fox News. 20th Century Fox distributes a lot of films without any discernable agenda[1], even backing films like Avatar, or the Wall Street sequel. I'm convinced that News Corporation is entirely mercenary in its agenda and on…

News Corp, owned by Rupert Murdoch. Koch Industries, owned by Koch brothers. I could go on...

What do you think Rupert Murdoch's agenda is with Glee? I don't know if you've worked at a huge company like News Corp, but the Fox News unit runs separately from Fox Broadcasting with its own separate agenda and personality, which is yet again removed from the newspapers.

Re: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

#136

Post by philwelch » Tue, Oct 30, 2012, 9:47 PM UTC

joshAg wrote: post #93

philwelch wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fortunately, corporations are pretty shitty at deliberately pushing a cultural agenda. I dare you to find a consistent agenda in any media conglomerate's output.

Well, Fox has a pretty consistent message, as does MSNBC. Newscorp as a whole also has a pretty well controlled message.

Really? The Fox network alone has animated sitcoms that make fun of Fox News. Can you find a "well controller message" in the list of 20th Century Fox films?[1] The fact is, Newscorp is the most mercenary of them all, and only gets flack because they were so aggressive about seizing the right-wing cable news niche.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_20th_Century_Fox_films

Re: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

#137

Post by macspoofing » Tue, Oct 30, 2012, 9:49 PM UTC

m_d wrote: post #66

demione wrote: post #31

Wonder if they'll get a seasoned director for Star Wars 7, or if they'll go with a controllable newcomer like Sony did with Amazing Spider Man.

As much as the idea of Ep. 7 pains me, I wouldn't mind seeing Brad Bird direct it. He took another classic franchise that I had grown to hate (Mission: Impossible), and made it fun again. He also has close ties to Disney/Pixar.

I thought M:I Ghost Protocol was pretty mediocre. To each his own.

Re: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

#138

Post by MartinCron » Tue, Oct 30, 2012, 9:49 PM UTC

brc wrote: post #132

robbiet480 wrote: post #7

This means that Disney now controls Marvel, Pixar, LucasArts, ABC, ESPN, A+E, Disney Channel plus all their own original content and of course the parks and merchandising rights for everything stated above. Those businesses most likely control the top 10 film franchises of the last few years. This is a pretty insane acquisition.

I recently visited the Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida. There they have a Indiana Jones live action show as well as a Star Wars exhibit of some kind, I saw little kids dressed in Padawan outfits and getting to fight Darth Vader with a lightsaber (yes, looked pretty cool). I was surprised at seeing Lucasfilm licensing these valuable properties to Disney for use in a theme park. I guess the two companies have been…

They also do the Jedi Training Academy show at Disneyland in California. It's a great production and just fits perfectly with the rest of the feel of Disneyland.

Re: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

#139

Post by bconway » Tue, Oct 30, 2012, 9:54 PM UTC

brc wrote: post #132

robbiet480 wrote: post #7

This means that Disney now controls Marvel, Pixar, LucasArts, ABC, ESPN, A+E, Disney Channel plus all their own original content and of course the parks and merchandising rights for everything stated above. Those businesses most likely control the top 10 film franchises of the last few years. This is a pretty insane acquisition.

I recently visited the Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida. There they have a Indiana Jones live action show as well as a Star Wars exhibit of some kind, I saw little kids dressed in Padawan outfits and getting to fight Darth Vader with a lightsaber (yes, looked pretty cool). I was surprised at seeing Lucasfilm licensing these valuable properties to Disney for use in a theme park. I guess the two companies have been…

The "Star Tours" ride has existed since the late 80s when the section of the Florida park was called MGM Studios (and also existed at Disneyland).

Interesting history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Tours

Re: Disney to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

#140

Post by butterfi » Tue, Oct 30, 2012, 9:55 PM UTC

esurc wrote: post #24

joshmlewis wrote: post #3

$4 Billion and it's 100% owned by George Lucas. Does anyone know if that 100% is literal? That he didn't give away ANYTHING, even for a pool for employees?

The 100% ownership is literal. From the press release: "The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm."

The whole shebang is owned by GWL. I once heard George say that he had no interest in going public. He wanted his companies to work on his projects before anything else, which cause a lot of grief at ILM some years ago.