Disney To Buy Lucasfilm for $4.05 Billion | New Star Wars Movie

Yes, the The Walt Disney Company has acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in cash and stock and announced a new 'Star Wars' movie to be released in 2015.
 
The Disney board already has approved the Lucasfilm acquisition but it is subject to antitrust scrutiny by the U.S. government.  Although Lucas and Disney have had a long relationship, with company's theme parks, where Star Tours and other attractions have been popular for more than two decades.

"Kathleen Kennedy, current co-chair of Lucasfilm, will become Lucasfilm's president, reporting to Walt Disney Studios chair Alan Horn as part of the stock and cash transaction. Disney is paying approximately half the price in cash and will issue 40 million shares of stock on Tuesday, the company said in a statement."

Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with the franchise's creator and Lucasfilm founder George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Read the statement below for the full press release regarding the deal, along with the official statement from Disney Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger and the creator of the Star Wars universe (and head of Lucasfilm) George Lucas.

Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.

Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments.

“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.”

“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.”

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.
Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve 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. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.

The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.

Driven by a tremendously talented creative team, Lucasfilm’s legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks. Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world’s top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney’s strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.

The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney’s very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company’s unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. Adding Lucasfilm to Disney’s portfolio of world class brands significantly enhances the company’s ability to serve consumers with a broad variety of the world’s highest-quality content and to create additional long-term value for our shareholders.

The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.

Note: Additional information and comments from Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company, and Jay Rasulo, senior executive vice president and CFO, The Walt Disney Company, regarding Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, are attached.

Source: THR

Star Wars: The Old Republic | Introduction to Gameplay

"For generations the Galactic Republic knew peace, until the ancient Sith Empire returned from unknown space to reclaim what was once theirs. Watch as hundreds of years of peace is shattered by the sudden and violent reemergence of the Sith in the new Game Intro Cinematic Trailer Return."

Star Wars: The Old Republic takes place more than 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader. The most powerful Sith Empire in history has emerged from deep space to attack the Republic and its legendary Jedi guardians. After decades of war, a tenuous truce has been established between the Sith Empire and the Republic, but events occurring in the game are leading the galaxy back to an all-out war.

With the recent release of Star Wars: The Old Republic, I wanted to find a good article to share for those that are new to the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game world.  Being the fastest growing MMO game ever, with above over 1 million users. Below I will list what I have found and also system requirements for good functional gameplay.

"10 ten things that you should probably familiarize yourself with when you first step into the galaxy far, far away.
 
1. Don't expect to see Luke Skywalker or Boba Fett anywhere. The Old Republic is set over 3,500 years before the events depicted in the films, which makes for a refreshing backdrop. However, you can certainly see familiar styles and technologies.

2. You need to pick sides. In this wide ranging conflict, you can opt to side with either the Galactic Republic, or the Sith Empire, in a classic goodies vs. baddies storyline.

3. Once you have chosen, you get to select your class and race. Race is certainly less important than it is in other MMOs, but your class is what will define your play-style and role in the game. If you want to be life-saving healer, go with a Jedi Consular for example. Or if you prefer to rain fiery explosive destruction on your enemies, pick a Bounty Hunter. Each side has four classes to choose from.

4. Each class then has two advanced classes that you get to choose from when you reach level 10. This is what determines the exact roles that your character will fulfill in the game. A Sith Warrior, for example, gets to choose between Marauder and Juggernaut advanced classes. The former is purely focused on damage, whereas the latter is more designed for a tanking role. Choose carefully, because this cannot be undone.

5. You can be a bad Jedi, or a cheery bounty hunter. Even once you have settled on a side, your choices in the game will affect your overall morality. When you interact with NPCs (non-player characters) in the TOR universe, you will usually be given a selection of responses to their questions. Sometimes, your response will result in an overall increase or decrease in your moral compass. Consistent bad behavior will eventually earn you a Dark Side ranking. These rankings can then be used to unlock specific pieces of equipment and armour. They can also have an impact on how future NPCs deal with you.

6. Make good use of your companion. At around level nine you will pick up a companion. Like a hunter's pet in WoW, your companion can tank for you, or do some damage, or even heal you. Unlike your lazy pet, however, your TOR companion can also sell off your junk items, gather materials, craft items, and be sent off on a variety of missions. No longer do you have to traipse around looking for nodes to mine or flowers to pick, instead what you have is a very simple people management mini-game. If you aren't used to MMOs then you probably won't appreciate this feature so much, but for those who have spent 100 hours fishing in a game, it will seem like a godsend.

7. Group up. Like every other MMO out there, TOR has areas that are intended for groups of players working together. These will range from two to four player sections, including companions, and could be just a single room in a building, or an entire section of story. These Flashpoints, as they are known, can be repeated as many times as you like, and will start to appear as early as level six or seven for some players.

8. Join up. To make it easier to find other players for Flashpoints, it is advisable to join a guild on your server. These groups of players have their own dedicated chat channels and other benefits. You can also group up with others to do regular quests, and having some regular partners for this certainly helps your social experience of the game.

9. Master the controls. This couldn't be simpler for an experienced player of WoW or other MMOs, since almost all of the default controls are identical. You still use B to open your inventory, you still use tab to change target, and you still use spacebar to jump. If you aren't familiar with the controls, you can go into options and look at the key bindings. These can be easily changed to suit your style. 

10. Have fun! This is undoubtedly the most important thing I could say about this or any other game. TOR is meant to be fun, and if you aren't having enough of it, you aren't playing the right game. Yes, at times it will be frustrating. Yes, you will encounter other players who are total jerks. But as long as every time you log off you were pleased you logged on, then it is all worth it."

Sam Shepard- Huffpost Tech (Huffington Post UK). 

Now for the system requirements located in Star Wars: The Old Republic | FAQ :


Processor:

• AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz or better
Operating System:
• Windows XP or later

RAM:

• Windows XP: 1.5GB RAM
• Windows Vista and Windows 7: 2GB RAM

Note: PCs using a built-in graphical chipset are recommended to have 2GB of RAM.
Star Wars: The Old Republic requires a video card that has a minimum of 256MB of on-board RAM as well as support for Shader 3.0 or better. Examples include:

• ATI X1800 or better
• nVidia 7800 or better
• Intel 4100 Integrated Graphics or better

DVD-ROM drive – 8x speed or better (required for installation from physical editions only) Internet connection required to play.
I hope this helped some of the questions some of you may have, enjoy the trailers, regardless how long ago they have been released, I can never get tired of watching them!

"May the Force be with you!"

STAR WARS: The Old Republic | Times Square Freeze Mob

"Plainclothes warriors join the battle among Jedi and Sith in the first ever lightsaber freeze mob duel in the heart of New York's Times Square. Watch as over 100 fans joined the battle to celebrate the launch of STAR WARS™: The Old Republic on 12.20.11"

This is Amazingly put together, I love this! In any way shape or form I would like to participate in any of these events!!! Call me up anytime! 

Source: Star Wars: The Old Republic Channel

Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace 3D Coming to Theaters!

Yes! you read that right, Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace coming to the big screen in 3D on February 10, 2011.  Now there is nothing but positive words coming from myself about Star Wars, despite the many blend of fans who are still upset that Lucas is again tampering with the series format for the Star Wars Saga re-release.  There is also the many fans who are excited to see their favorite sci-fi franchise back on the big screen.  Aside from all that noise, fans over time still turn out for every theatrical re-release regardless if they disagree how George Lucas is tampering with the films.  Now there are some of us or most of us, yes including me that always ask this question, "Why don't they just make another Star Wars movie and begin a new adventure?" I mean, there is so much missing from the films, and so many story's to chose from.  But for now, all we have is our comic books.  Although the question will still remain.  It's part of us and we'll always be there either to see what's changed or different, or to enjoy the experience on the big screen once again! Feel the Force surround you.



Release Date: February 10, 2012 (3D theaters)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: George Lucas
Screenwriter: George Lucas
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Pernilla August, Ahmed Best, Anthony Daniels, Ray Park, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: PG (for sci-fi action/violence)
Official Website: StarWars.com

Star Wars The Old Republic - Cinematic Trailer E3 2010

This trailer was last years trailer and the amazing slow motion scenes are unbelievable! So more Star Wars Love from me! Because I have a Huge heart!

Star Wars: The Old Republic - "Choose" Cinematic Trailer

Alright kiddies, I have been trying my hardest to hold off of talking about this game because I wanted my blog to be as EPIC as the trailer. But that's just it, This game looks so intense and amazing no words can compare to what they have done to us! If you ever played KOTOR (Knights Of The Old Republic) I know you cannot wait for SWTOR (Star Wars The Old Republic) So be prepared to Choose your side! From a Jedi to a Sith or other various characters. No set release date as of yet, and by the looks of this trailer they used some scenes from last years trailer. So we know the game is probably still being worked on. This has always been a PC game but if it will be released for XBOX 360 Kinect or PS3 is up in the air. The President of EA (Electronic Arts) stated "We're definitely looking at the opportunity to bring the MMO experience to console, without question."- Frank Gibeau, President of the Electronic Arts Games label, on Star Wars: The Old Republic. He continued with: "So we're trying to look at the primary research required to understand how would you deploy it, what the client size looks like, how big is the back-end, what the play experience looks like... Once we've got some of those questions answered, we'll be able to decide which is the right play to go after." So I am hoping they decide to release it for game consoles. There is pros and cons to this, but in the end the community may be huge! Yes, my unhealthy love for Star Wars... but I will always love my Star Wars and you know what?! Love never dies...