Some Thoughts on Disney Buying Star Wars

Posted 8 years ago by Movies

Disney Star Wars

I don’t think any of us were prepared for the biggest entertainment news of the decade yesterday, but when it broke the Internet almost exploded. I know I probably lost a few followers on Twitter because I couldn’t stop spouting off thoughts. First off, as a former obsessive Star Wars fan who’s grown incredibly jaded the past few years, I’m insanely excited about Disney buying LucasFilm.

Star Wars and Me

To understand why, here’s a brief rundown of my history with Star Wars. I was introduced to it at around age ten by my brother-in-law, and was instantly hooked. I watched the classic trilogy on VHS and remember the Special Editions coming out in the 90s. I only saw A New Hope in theaters because my parents weren’t exactly huge Star Wars fans.

Just a few short years later the prequel trilogy is announced and I fall in to a huge Star Wars phase that lasts through Middle School and the first couple years of High School. Episode 1 is released when I’m fourteen years old, and I freaking loved it. By the time Episode 2 comes out, I’m an awkward sophomore in High School and I convince some friends to see the movie after school in costume. We get in the local paper.

Fast forward a couple more years and I’m a senior, I have a girlfriend (now my wife), and I’m at least trying to pretend I don’t care about Star Wars as much. I still see Episode III on opening night and think it’s pretty cool.

Then real life happens, I go in spurts of Star Wars obsession and start to realize that the prequels suck, the Special Editions suck, and George Lucas’ unwillingness to let go and stop making bad decisions makes me almost give up on Star Wars completely. I don’t even buy the Blu-rays.

In A Magical Kingdom Far, Far Away…

Then yesterday happened, and my faith in the Star Wars franchise was renewed. I’m a huge Disney fan, and I don’t see how anyone could think them owning Star Wars could possibly be a bad thing. They bought Marvel and some kick-ass movies came out. Disney obviously knows what they’re doing, and I think they knew what state Star Wars was in when they picked it up.

Disney had to know that them swooping in and saving Star Wars from Lucas’s greedy little paws was an opportunity to please diehard fans and pick up new ones at the same time. Think about it. Episodes 7-9 are what fans have been waiting for since the 80s. No one asked for the prequels.

The problem has been George Lucas for a long time, and Disney just took care of that problem. Kathleen Kennedy is going to run LucasFilm, and she has an amazing track-record. Even though Disney apparently bought ‘treatments’ for the next three movies from Lucas, he’s not going to be writing the scripts or directing the films. The list of talent that could get on board these movies is a mile long, and I’ve got some ideas I’m going to be posting separately.

The blogosphere is exploding with discussion about this, and rigthly so. Whether you’re excited about it like me or you’re a Disney hater, there’s a lot to talk about.

Will we finally get un-fucked-with Blu-rays of the original trilogy? If Disney feels like they can make some money and please a small-but-dedicated group of fans they just might do it. Will Luke, Leia, and Han return in the new movies? I wouldn’t count on Disney banking $4 Billion dollars on those aging stars, but at the same time look at how they used Jeff Bridges in Tron Legacy. They know how to please older fans and bring in new ones at the same time.

Who will direct the new Star Wars movies? Right now my money is on Joe Johnston, but I’ve got a few other ideas. Right now though, I want to hear your thoughts. What do you make of all this?

  • Its almost scary how alike our Star Wars history has been. I learned about star wars when i was 10 and i came home from baseball practice one night, they were playing A new Hope on TV. Some special 3 night event with the 3 movies. I was glued to the tv every night. I was instantly hooked. Toys, video games, costumes all of it. Didn’t see the releases in theater because my hispanic parents weren’t ever really into star wars either. Then episode 1 happened when i was 13 and it blew me away. Episode 2 saw me in costume as well for the premier, sadly no local paper coverage since Miami is a big city. Episode 3 i loved as well but as you said real life happened after that. The realization of what Lucas had done and what he was currently doing kept my worries high. Still a huge fan, still have all my toys, but jaded. So since hearing this news about DIsney i have been a giant ball of excitement! I believe they are going to take the franchise and give it new wings, new space worthy wings that can do the Kessel run in less than 11 parsecs! As for what should they put in the new trilogies, all I really really want is some more Han Solo. Im sure the rest of it will be amazing, but please just give me some Solo badassery and i will be content.

  • You’re one of the first people I’ve met who loves Episode 1. I don’t know how I feel about that…

    • Nooooooo I meant I loved it when I was 14 😛 I hate the prequels now.

  • I’m a little late to this party, but I totally agree with what you said. I’m not a huge Disney guy, but I’m well versed with it thanks to my wife. They have a really strong film history, even recently. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Disney movie and thought it was awful. Forgettable, maybe, not awful.

    Plus they have a proven track record of taking franchises that were already good and making them better like the Avenger movies and the Muppets, though some would argue that the Muppets have been under utilized.

    I just don’t see how this ever turns into a worse thing than letting Star Wars stagnate under Lucas. He had a vision at one time, but now he’s jaded, or too full of himself, or been made too comfortable in his empire, or something. At best this is exactly what this franchise needs and exactly what its fans deserve; at worst it’s a new home for bad sci fi.

  • You guys have seen The People vs. George Lucas, right? (http://shezcrafti.com/new-documentary-for-disgruntled-star-wars-fanboys-and-fangirls/) I’d love to see that documentary revisited or updated somehow in light of this Disney news.