And it definitely has a possible impact on this game since there's a 2+ year planned release arc for the products…

It seems the rat is acquiring LFL .

-WJL

“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."

Ep 7 slated for 2015.

I can only see this as a good thing (for the films). After Ep1-3, it's only up from here.

At first - I didn't know how to feel about this. It's DISNEY, for yoda's sake.

BUT… they did acquire both Pixar and Marvel in recent years. And they've held the IP torches of those companies very high - and been very successful with them.

Maybe this ain't such a bad thing. And… oh yeah - EPISODE 7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GM Chris said:

This. I was extremely worried when Marvel was acquired by Disney, but the big D has let Marvel do some REALLY phenomenal stuff! Here's hoping SW gets the same treatment.

Does this mean FFG can revise the contract to get PDF rights?

-EF

Now we're back to where Star Wars was in the 80s… no GL directing or writing scripts (alone)… this might actually be mediocre stuff, I LIKE IT!

Interesting.

I was actually just down in Disney last week…

.. if the Star Wars ride is any indication of how they'll do with the movies, I'm happy.

I hope Disney will release restored original version of the original trilogy. Let Han shoot first again!

Curious what impact this will have on FFG though. Probably none, other than giving them more material to tap into. Hopefully when the license is up, FFG can renew it and make even more cool games. I can't think of a game company that I'd rather see holding the Star Wars license.

Apologies for the double post

Venthrac said:

Umm Han was the only one who shot. Just saying.

EngageEight said:

Yep, very glad I got dvd copies of the theatrical releases - which they aren't but at least they're pre-1997 mess up. But its nice to see old school fxs and only models, no modern (even 90s) cgi.

Venthrac said:

As nice as it might seem, I wouldn't get your hopes up. Other than a lack of direct Lucas involvement, I get a feeling that Disney is going to take a similar approach to how they handled things when they purchased Pixar and Marvel. In short, let them keeping doing what they are doing, so long as it's successful. It's an approach that worked pretty darn well in regards to Pixar, and Avengers has pretty much become the measuring stick for successful superhero action movie (I'd contend that Dark Knight is less a superhero movie and more of a character-driven psuedo-noir piece).

Since the Blu-Rays are the "definitive vision" of the property's creator, I doubt Disney is going to release the theatrical versions. Heck, there may even be a clause in the purchase contract that prohibits going back and undoing the changes.

I also doubt there's going to be any short-term changes for FFG, as the details of their contract with Lucasfilm were set and signed off on for well over a year now. Maybe some things might change when it comes time to renew/renegotiate the contract, but that's likely to be several years off in the distance.

Initial thoughts:

What will an Episode 7 do to EU? I'm not an EU fan myself and so hope Ep 7's plot isn't restrained by the EU. But for those who do love the EU, this could throw things all into chaos.

I don't think Disney + Star Wars is necessarily a bad thing. I don't think Disney is so stupid to have a plot such as Young Princess Skywalker and the 7 Ewoks. I don't think it will be G Star Wars, hopefully PG-13.

What does this do for FFG? Good or bad? PDF's will become available? Did someone at FFG already have an inkling this was coming? The 2015 could fit nicely into FFG's schedule, for example. Three Core books released around the settings of Ep 4-6 in time for new releases for Ep. 7.

There is, I believe, an official Marvel branded superhero roleplaying game out there at the moment, so it would seem Disney owned companies are not impossible for RPG makers to work with.

Er, Marvel are a Disney owned company these days aren't they?

I see some remakes. IMO, they'll get all new casts and start at Epsiode IV. You can't make any movies with the old cast. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher very much look their ages, so you'd have to set Episode VII waaaaaay out past the Vong Invasion and I am not so sure that would work. Not to mention the fact that I am pretty sure at this stage in their lives stuffing Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker back into their costumes would be really hard on them physically. Also, new actors cost less. Episodes I, II and III have been rendered radioactive so I doubt they'll be touched.

You know what would be intriguing though? A brand new story, with brand new characters. Set anywhere, anytime, free of the baggage of expectations and entitled fans. Just take it and run with it. I bet they haven't the stones for it though. Sad really.

I'd actually be fairly happy if they got in J.J. Abrams to do to Star Wars what he did to Star Trek. That movie was a lot of fun. About the only things I didn't like were the links to the old continuity and the, er, plot.

Sturn said:

Sturn said:

Well, considering that the 360 odd star wars book titles that do exist have sold about 160 million copies, bad math and all things considered, means that that there's not many people who have read (all) these books (some people buy a book, don't read it, some people buy many copies and so on), compared to people that have watched the films… someone somewhere said 30%, I think its much less of the fan base that have read or kept up to date on the Expanded Universe's various molestations of the universe - I am one of those people though. Most people have a relationship to the films - this is what they're going to take into account, I think…? fear…? hope..?

So I don't think (hope?) we're getting the Thrawn Trilogy - not even in a Shamalalamalalamaman messed up way like that dreadful film Avatar: the last airbender, which was a complete cockup of the animated series - random scenes where included, but there was no continuity and all that… I seriously hope they stay away from such a collage of the various (70 odd) authors' visions of somesuch Star Warsy thing and story.

Corradus said:

Well, the six films that do exist are the Skywalker saga (see starwars.com "trailer") - anything beyond that could be about someone else, its what GL wanted to do with that tv-series that has disappeared (for now).

I trembled when I read the news.

Whether out of excitement or fear (or some combination of the two), I don't know…

I'll be hoping for the best and expecting the wor… who am I kidding - I'll be expecting the best as well, but prepared for disappointment.

A Star Wars remake could do a lot to help Star Wars gaming.

More Jedi in the Rebellion period for a start. Limit hyperspace jumps to set routes and jump points possibly.

Much like movies based on comics borrow and stray from their source, so too can movies based on the Star Wars universe. We could see a trilogy based on the Thrawn books or the Yuuzhon Vong series or something new. They could skip to the Legacy Era (comic) where the "hero" is Cade Skywalker and there is both Jedi and Sith and a Galactic Empire and a Rebellion so they can hit all the notes. Or it could go back in time to the time of the Old Republic and tell the story of Revan. There is plenty of inspiration to draw on and plenty of room to add something new. I look forward to seeing what they do.

I don't see the need to bemoan anything. Disney has done all right with Marvel so far. They'd be foolish to mess too much with Star Wars as it is a cash cow.

mouthymerc said:

Heck, not just Marvel, but look at Pixar. I think as long as Lucasfilm continues to generate income for Disney while producing quality material, they're probably not going to be making any drastically sweeping changes. They've pretty much told Pixar "here's the keys to the company lot, now go do what you do best," and it's worked, as Pixar has yet to make a movie that's flopped at the box office.

As for the new trilogy… I say place it well after the events of RotJ, past the New Jedi Order series and even the Fate of the Jedi stuff.

Have Mark Hamill appear as Grand Master Luke Skywalker, taking up the role of Yoda to a restored Jedi Order. Maybe have brief cameo appearances by other Star Wars icons.

But ultimately, have a new set of heroes. Perhaps one of them is Luke's grandson, giving this new generation of heroes a tie to the ones from the Original Trilogy.

As much as I liked JJ Adams' Trek reboot, the Star Wars franchise doesn't really need it. The Trek franchise did because Enterprise and Nemesis had pretty much killed it off in terms of fan interest.

But Star Wars is still going strong, thanks to the Clone Wars and games like Star Wars: The Old Republic, Force Unleashed, and the upcoming 1313. It's not a dead/dying property by any stretch.

So instead of retreading old ground or doing remakes, I really do hope Disney does something truly new with the franchise.

On a side note, I wonder how long it'll be before Leia (possibly even Padme) gets adopted into the ranks of the Disney Princesses?

I'll put myself in the camp that hopes the new material is in no way constrained of influenced by anything in the EU. Let the new creators tell their own stories, or interpret whatever good idea GL wants to pass on.

When I heard this I heard Ackbar telling me that this was a trap. Sure it could turn out to be something awesome or it could be utter rubbish. My main concern is that these new movies will break the back of post RotJ EU, some of which is rather good. I would love to see the Thrawn trilogy turned into movies, but for some reason I think we are going to see some rubbish that brings final death to the EU. Guess we will have to wait and see.

I had high hopes…. Then I read this….

"The trilogy will continue the story of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia beyond "Return of the Jedi," and that hope left.

They are already messing it up. No way is Ford going to sign on for this, and that means a new actor playing the same character, and they are going to try and play it off like it didn't happen. I can't stand that! Hated it in the old Batman's, vacations, etc… still don't like it now.