Franchise FAQ

who owns star wars franchise

by Rhianna Powlowski Published 1 year ago Updated 1 year ago
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Disney

Who was the enemy of Star Wars?

The Most Hated Star Wars Villains

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Is Star Wars a trademark?

Unsurprisingly, Lucasfilm has trademarked the term “Star Wars” (U.S. Registration No. 1127229), which was issued December 4, 1979. Additionally, many Star Wars characters have been trademarked, including R2-D2, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, and Chewbacca. Lucasfilm uses the “Star Wars” and related Star Wars trademarks on a variety of goods, such as clothing, costumes, toys, and entire theme parks.

Who is the producer of Star Wars?

The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, became president and served as executive producer of new Star Wars feature films. Lucas provided Kennedy his story treatments for the sequels during the 2012 sale, but in 2015 it was revealed Lucas's sequel outline had been discarded.

Who owns Star Wars licensing?

The answer is simple: intellectual property law. Disney’s ownership of Lucasfilm allows it to license the Star Wars brand and all related intellectual property rights, especially its copyrights and trademarks.

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Is Star Wars still owned by Disney?

Ever since Disney bought out Star Wars, the franchise has changed in several major ways. On October 30, 2012, history was forever changed when Disney acquired Lucasfilm which meant they acquired Star Wars.

Is Star Wars franchise part of Disney?

Total (10 films): After creator George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney in 2012, a sequel trilogy consisting of Episodes VII through IX was released, consisting of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Does George Lucas still own Star Wars?

George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, and Industrial Light & Magic. He served as chairman of Lucasfilm before selling it to The Walt Disney Company in 2012.

Does George Lucas own rights to Star Wars?

Secondly, he retained the rights to all sequels. Star Wars, of course, when on to become an international sensation. The revenue Lucas earned from those two things alone made him a billionaire. His net worth grew exponentially when he sold Lucasfilm to Disney.

Who has the rights for Star Wars?

In 2012, The Walt Disney Company bought the rights to the franchise from George Lucas for 4.05 billion dollars. Since then, Disney has split off Star Wars into two main categories, those being Star Wars Legends and Star Wars Canon, with Canon being the "official" story of the franchise.

Is Star Wars owned by Marvel?

Does Marvel own star Wars? No, Star Wars isn't owned by Marvel because they are both wholly-owned subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company. However, both companies still owned some shares in the company as part of the deal, and they still have character franchises in entertainment, licensing, and publishing.

Does Lucas regret selling Star Wars?

In the years since the sale, Lucas has heavily implied that he regrets selling Star Wars off. It is well known that he had ideas for multiple other movies, but that he never made them.

Did Alec Guinness get paid for Star Wars?

By the time Alec Guinness was offered $150,000 in January 1976 ($762,000 today) to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars — a character revived by Ewan McGregor in subsequent films and now in the miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, debuting May 27 on Disney+ — the 61-year-old actor already was a screen legend, having appeared in more ...

How much is George Lucas worth?

5.1 billion USD (2022)George Lucas / Net worth

What percentage of Disney does George Lucas own?

His 37 million shares represented a roughly 2.1% stake in the company. He was immediately the second-largest individual shareholder behind Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs' widow.

Why did Lucas sell Star Wars?

Lucas said in the new book “The Star Wars Archives: Episodes I-III 1999-2005” that he found the “Star Wars” franchise to be taxing on his family life. So he decided to sell it to Disney in order to gain time back.

How is George Lucas so rich?

Due mainly to the global box-office success of American Graffiti, Lucas was a multimillionaire (net worth about $4 million, or around $20 million adjusted for inflation today) before cameras rolled on his blockbuster sci-fi landmark.

Why was Star Wars sold to Disney?

To put it simply, George didn't want to miss out on experiencing a normal life while he still had the chance. George acknowledged that the decision was extremely painful in an interview for the book, The Star Wars Archives 1999-2005 (via SlashFilm).

What is Disney doing with Star Wars?

Young Jedi Adventures (2023) Set in the High Republic era, the show will follow Younglings as they train to become great Jedi Knights, learning lessons like patience and friendship throughout their journeys. Little else is known about the series, which was revealed during Star Wars Celebration 2022.

When did Disney acquire the rights to Star Wars?

Acquisition process Disney announced a deal to buy Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012, with half of the money paid in cash and the other half in Disney stock.

How much did Disney pay for Star Wars?

$2.21 billion in cash and 37,076,679 shares of Disney.

Who owns Star Wars?

Disney owns Lucasfilm and all the new Star Wars films, but that doesn't mean they have the whole franchise under their umbrella. Star Wars has been a part of Disney 's ever-expanding media empire for the past several years, but that's not the only company with their hands in the lucrative pie.

Who made Star Wars movies?

George Lucas was a maverick filmmaker who longed to work outside the studio system, so he independently produced his movies and looked for a distributor. Fox was the only studio willing to take a chance on Star Wars, a decision that handsomely paid off for several years. The first six installments of the live-action film series were released under their umbrella, raking copious amounts of cash via box office runs and home media releases, including multiple special edition releases on various platforms. Many people celebrated Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, but Fox was surely sad to see Star Wars go elsewhere.

Did Disney buy Fox?

Disney, of course, is in the process of acquiring Fox's entertainment properties, after shareholders agreed to the groundbreaking merger. In the wake of this news, most of the discussion has been in regards to the integration of the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the deal has ramifications for Star Wars as well. With Disney buying Fox, it means they'll secure those precious New Hope rights and own all of the Star Wars movies. This may not exactly be what people had in mind when they said Disney and Fox needed to come to an agreement to settle the New Hope rights, but it'll get the job done.

Did Disney buy Lucasfilm?

Many people celebrated Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, but Fox was surely sad to see Star Wars go elsewhere. However, the transaction didn't immediately move over all Star Wars rights to Disney. While the Mouse House obviously owns everything post-merger (beginning with The Force Awakens ), they still have to wait to get their hands on most ...

Will Disney own A New Hope?

Because they were partners with Lucas on the seminal 1977 original, they will own A New Hope in perpetuity, which would make it somewhat difficult for Disney to release the inevitable "complete Skywalker saga" Blu-ray collection after Episode IX comes out.

Who Owns Star Wars?

Legally George Lucas owns all the rights to the Star Wars franchise. This is an undisputed fact. And under current copyright laws, he and his estate will own the rights for a very long time. But in this case the law runs counter to basic human nature. As part of our modern mythology, Star Wars belongs to us all. That’s why people get so upset when Lucas tries to change his stories. Millions of people grew up knowing that Han Solo shot Greedo first, and no one can convince then otherwise, not even the guy who made the story up in the first place.

Who created Star Wars?

George Lucas is renowned as the guy who created "Star Wars", and reviled as the guy who messed with it. Here's how Lucas lost control of his own creation.

What is the monomyth of Star Wars?

The monomyth is not just something that Joseph Campbell made up. Rather, it is a deep-seated force of Jungian psychology. George Lucas set out to create modern mythology, and succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. The problem is, once Star Wars entered our collective unconscious, George Lucas lost control of his own creation.

Who is Steve Lovelace?

Steve Lovelace. Steve Lovelace is a writer, photographer and graphic artist. After graduating Michigan State University in 2004, he taught Spanish in Samoa before moving to Dallas, Texas. He blogs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at http://steve-lovelace.com.

What is Lucasfilm's global business?

In addition to its motion-picture and television production operations, the company’s global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual-effects and audio post-production; LucasArts, a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide; Lucas Licensing, which manages the global merchandising activities for Lucasfilm’s entertainment properties; Lucasfilm Animation; and Lucas Online creates Internet-based content for Lucasfilm’s entertainment properties and businesses. - Waltdisney.com

Does Disney own Lucasfilm?

Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and "evergreen" Star Wars franchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production. Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.

Is Clone Wars copyrighted?

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (and indeed all Star Wars properties) are copyrighted to LucasFilm. As of October 30, 2012, Disney acquired LucasFilm and all ancillary rights to the various Star Wars films and spin-off TV series including The Clone Wars film and TV series.

When was Star Wars Battlefront made?

The series was launched in 2004 by LucasArts with Star Wars: Battlefront, developed by Pandemic Studios for LucasArts. The game received positive reviews and sold well. In 2005 Pandemic developed a sequel, Star Wars: Battlefront II, which was also critically and commercially successful. The games were followed by Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (2007) and Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (2009) for handheld consoles and Star Wars Battlefront: Mobile Squadrons for mobile devices. LucasArts made several attempts to develop a third major Battlefront game but no projects were released before The Walt Disney Company 's acquisition of LucasArts. Subsequently, EA DICE acquired a license to develop a new game, titled Star Wars Battlefront which was released on November 17, 2015. A sequel, Star Wars Battlefront II, was released on November 17, 2017, and was developed by EA DICE, Criterion Games, and Motive Studios .

Who made the Battlefront games?

The first console games of the series were developed by Pandemic Studios, and since 2015, a second series of console Battlefront games has been developed by EA DICE. Battlefront II (2017) is the first in the series to accurately follow the canon of the films, while the games developed by Pandemic Studios were relegated to Star Wars Legends non-canonical status, along with all of the games in the series released before November 2015.

Why was Galaxy in Turmoil canceled?

On July 31, 2016, Frontwire Studios announced the cancellation of the game was due to the "possibility of Galaxy in Turmoil taking away attention from Electronic Arts 's Battlefront franchise". Proposals of Galaxy in Turmoil falling under the paywall of Electronic Arts, and ideas of Lucasfilm giving Frontwire Studios a Star Wars license were both rejected due to an agreement between Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm. Although Frontwire Studios may have fallen within Fair Use laws, legal conflict was avoided and the project was canceled. There is a playable alpha that contains assets from Free Radical Design that was released to the public then removed early within Galaxy in Turmoil ' s lifetime. Galaxy in Turmoil is now planned to be redeveloped as a brand new cyberpunk -themed IP without any Star Wars references, but still with Battlefront III -inspired mechanics including space-to-ground battles.

When was Viking canceled?

Canceled spin-off. In 2019, EA was in the process of developing a game code-named Viking, designed as a spin-off of the Battlefront series with open-world elements. The game was originally planned for release in fall 2020, coinciding with the next generation of video game consoles, but was canceled in late 2019.

When did Elite Squadron come out?

Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron was released on November 3, 2009, for the PlayStation Portable and the Nintendo DS. This marks the third Battlefront game on the PlayStation Portable and the first on a Nintendo console. The game was originally discovered through its ESRB rating on the official ESRB website which has since been taken down. It follows in the same vein as its predecessors with space, land and new air battles. Elite Squadron is most notable for featuring simultaneous space and ground battles in Instant Action, and is the only game in the series with this feature. Players usually play in a third person perspective, but in the PSP version, they can also switch to a strategy based mode where they may build troops and upgrade armies.

When was Renegade Squadron released?

Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron is a handheld game released in North America on October 9, 2007, and in Europe three days later. The game was released only for the PlayStation Portable. Renegade Squadron is also available in a bundle pack with the then-new white PSP redesign featuring Darth Vader on the back.

Is Battlefront 4 cancelled?

In 2018, concept art surfaced of a canceled Battlefront IV, rather than attempting to fit within the previous games and films' continuity, concept art showed the game was meant to focus on an alternate reality where Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker fell to the dark side, instead of Anakin Skywalker.

Who owns the rights to the Star Wars movies?

20th Century Fox , the original distributor of the first six Star Wars films, retained the physical and theatrical distribution rights to the original two Star Wars trilogies and permanent full distribution rights for the original 1977 film, until May 2020 according to the 2012 Lucasfilm acquisition deal.

Who is the brand manager for Star Wars?

Kathleen Kennedy , co-chairman of Lucasfilm, became president of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally, she serves as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise.

When was Lucasfilm founded?

Lucasfilm was founded by filmmaker George Lucas in 1971, and incorporated as Lucasfilm Ltd. on September 12, 1977. In the mid-1970s, the company's offices were located on the Universal Studios Lot. Lucas founded The Star Wars Corporation, Inc. as a subsidiary to control various legal and financial aspects of Star Wars (1977), including copyright, and sequel and merchandising rights. It also produced the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special for 20th Century Fox Television. That year, Lucas hired Los Angeles-based real-estate specialist Charles Weber to manage the company, telling him that he could keep the job as long as he made money. Lucas wanted the focus of the company to be making independent films, but the company gradually became enlarged from five employees to almost 100, increasing in middle management and running up costs. In 1980, after Weber asked Lucas for fifty million dollars to invest in other companies and suggested that they sell Skywalker Ranch to do so, Lucas fired Weber and had to let half of the Los Angeles staff go. By the same year, the corporate subsidiary had been discontinued and its business was absorbed into the various divisions of Lucasfilm.

When was Return of the Jedi made?

While Return of the Jedi (1983) was in production, Lucas decided not to pursue further Star Wars films. Lucasfilm produced the John Korty -directed animated film Twice Upon a Time (1983). 1985 saw the release of Paul Schrader 's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.

When did Lucasfilm release the Star Wars series?

In addition to the prequels, Lucas released the Special Editions for the Star Wars Original Trilogy in 1997, 2004 and 2011, for VHS, DVD and BlueRay . In 2005, Lucasfilm opened a new studio in Singapore.

How many Indiana Jones movies were made?

By the same year, the corporate subsidiary had been discontinued and its business was absorbed into the various divisions of Lucasfilm. Between 1981 and 1989, three Indiana Jones films, written by Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg, were released.

Is Lucasfilm a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney?

LLC in the process,. On December 21, 2012, Disney completed the acquisition and Lucasfilm became a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney.

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