Lucasfilm Limited, LLC is an American film and television production company based in
the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco, California.
The studio is best known for its films, such as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises,
as well as its leadership in developing special effects, sound and computer animation for
film.
The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 at a valuation of $4.06 billion.
Lucasfilm was founded by filmmaker George Lucas in 1971 in San Rafael, CA.
Most of Lucasfilm's operations were moved to San Francisco in 2005.
History Independent era
Lucasfilm was founded by filmmaker George Lucas in 1971.
On July 8, 2005, Lucasfilm's marketing, online, and licensing units moved into the new Letterman
Digital Arts Center located in the Presidio in San Francisco.
It shares the complex with Industrial Light & Magic and LucasArts.
Lucasfilm had planned an expansion at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California, but shelved
the plan due to opposition from neighbors.
However, it still plans to expand elsewhere.
In January 2012, Lucas announced his retirement from producing large-scale blockbuster films
and instead re-focusing his career on smaller, independently budgeted features.
In June 2012, it was announced that producer Kathleen Kennedy, a long-term collaborator
with Steven Spielberg and a producer of the Indiana Jones films, had been appointed as
co-chair of Lucasfilm Ltd.
It was reported that Kennedy would work alongside Lucas, who would remain chief executive and
serve as co-chairman for at least one year, after which she would succeed him as the company's
sole leader.
On September 5, 2012, Micheline Chau, who served as president and COO of Lucasfilm for
two-decades, announced that she was retiring.
With her departure, senior executives for each of the Lucasfilm divisions will report
directly to Kathleen Kennedy.
Chau was credited with keeping the Lucasfilm and Star Wars brands strong, especially through
animation spin-offs and licensing initiatives.
Disney subsidiary Discussions relating to the possibility of
The Walt Disney Company purchasing Lucasfilm officially began in May 2011, after a meeting
that George Lucas had with Disney CEO Bob Iger during the inauguration of the Star Tours:
The Adventures Continue attraction.
Lucas told Iger he was considering retirement and planned to sell the company, as well as
the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.
On October 30, 2012, Disney announced a deal to acquire Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, with
approximately half in cash and half in shares of Disney stock.
Lucasfilm had previously collaborated with the company's Walt Disney Imagineering division
to create theme park attractions centered on Star Wars and Indiana Jones for various
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide.
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.
Kennedy serves as producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as
creative consultant.
The company also announced the future release of new Star Wars films, starting with Episode
VII in 2015.
Under the deal, Disney acquired ownership of Lucasfilm and its operating businesses
in live action film production, consumer products, video games, animation, visual effects, and
audio post-production.
Disney also acquired Lucasfilm's portfolio of entertainment technologies.
The intent was for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.
Star Wars merchandising would begin under Disney in the fiscal year 2014.
Starting with Star Wars Rebels, future productions will be co-branded by both the Disney and
Lucasfilm names, akin to what Disney has done with Pixar.
On December 4, 2012, the Disney-Lucasfilm merger was approved by the Federal Trade Commission,
allowing the acquisition to be finalized without dealing with antitrust problems.
On December 21, 2012, the deal was completed, and Lucasfilm became a wholly owned subsidiary
of Disney.
Disney's CEO Bob Iger confirmed that Lucasfilm had plans to have stand-alone Star Wars movies
with Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg lined up to develop the movies that would be released
sometime during the six-year period the sequel trilogy will be released.
In April 2013, the development arm of the LucasArts division was closed down and most
of its staff was laid off.
However, LucasArts remained open with a skeleton staff of fewer than ten employees so it could
retain its function as a video game licensor.
On May 6, 2013, Disney announced an exclusive deal with Electronic Arts to produce Star
Wars games for the core gaming market.
LucasArts retained the ability to license, and Disney Interactive Studios retained the
ability to develop, Star Wars games for the casual gaming market.
20th Century Fox, the original distributors of the first six Star Wars films, still retain
the distribution rights to the original two Star Wars trilogies, currently owning permanent
distribution rights for the 1977 Star Wars film, while holding the distribution rights
to Episodes I-III, V, and VI until May 2020.
In December 2013, The Walt Disney Studios purchased the distribution and marketing rights
to future Indiana Jones films from Paramount Pictures, although the latter studio will
continue to distribute the first four films and will receive "financial participation"
from any additional films.
On January 3, 2014, Lucasfilm announced that Dark Horse Comics' license for Star Wars comics
would end in 2015, and return to fellow Disney subsidiary Marvel Comics.
On April 24, 2014, Lucasfilm announced that the Expanded Universe will become non-canon
and that The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series would be considered canon and future
Star Wars projects would be overseen by a new story group to keep to that canon.
Additionally, the Star Wars Legends banner would be used for those Expanded Universe
materials that are in print.
Disney Publishing Worldwide also announced that Del Rey would publish a new line of canon
Star Wars books under the Lucasfilm Story Group being released starting in September
on a bi-monthly schedule.
Company structure Divisions
Industrial Light & Magic — visual effects Skywalker Sound — Post-production sound
design LucasArts — Video games.
All internal video game development was halted in April 2013, but it retained its function
as a video game publisher and licensor, retaining fewer than 10 employees.
Lucasfilm Animation — animation Lucasfilm Animation Singapore — animation
Lucas Licensing — Licensing and merchandising Lucas Books — Book publishing imprint of
Del Rey Books, licensed from Lucasfilm.
Lucas Online — Websites Former divisions
Kerner Optical — Practical effects division and 3D development team and went bankrupt
In 2011 Pixar Animation Studios — Computer animation
film production company that was sold to Steve Jobs in 1986.
It became a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, six years prior to the Disney
acquisition of Lucasfilm.
THX Ltd.
— Theater sound system Creative Technology now owns 60% of THX.
Filmography In development
Untitled Star Wars standalone film directed by Gareth Edwards, written by Gary Whitta
— co-production with Walt Disney Pictures Untitled Star Wars standalone film directed
by Josh Trank — co-production with Walt Disney Pictures
Star Wars Episode VIII — co-production with Walt Disney Pictures
Star Wars Episode IX — co-production with Walt Disney Pictures
Untitled Star Wars spinoff film written by Simon Kinberg — co-production with Walt
Disney Pictures Untitled Star Wars spinoff film written by
Lawrence Kasdan — co-production with Walt Disney Pictures
Television series Star Wars: Droids
Star Wars: Ewoks The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
Star Wars: Clone Wars Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars Rebels Star Wars Detours
Television films and specials Star Wars Holiday Special
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure2 Ewoks: The Battle for Endor2
The Great Heep Other productions
The Making of Star Wars 2 SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back
Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
Return of the Ewok Captain EO
Star Tours R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
Lego Star Wars shorts: Lego Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick
Lego Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2 Lego Star Wars: Bombad Bounty
Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed Lego Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the
Lost Brick Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
All 6 episodes of Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles
See also
EditDroid Footnotes
References
External links Official website
Lucasfilm on Facebook Lucasfilm Ltd. at the Internet Movie Database
Lucasfilm Wiki