Lucasfilm Sold to Disney; Are You Happy About a Star Wars Episode 7?

Fans of the Star Wars movie series got some unexpected news Tuesday afternoon when The Walt Disney Company announced it was buying Lucasfilm, LTd., for $4.05 billion. 

Included in the deal is a new Star Wars film—Star Wars Episode 7, which is slated to be released in 2015. That means O'Fallon residents could be watching a new Star Wars movie at Great Escape Theaters in less than three years.

That's either really great news or really bad news, depending on how you view the series as a whole. Some fans lament the series' most recent flicks. However, new films extends the longevity of the series.

From the Disney release:

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 O'Fallon area has thousands of Star Wars fans. Just this month, St. Peters' Barnes and Noble held a Star Wars Reads Day, where kids could dress up as their favorite Star Wars character and listen to Jedi stories. And last year, around 20 O’Fallon Plungers took an icy dip in Lake Sainte Louise as their favorite Star Wars characters.

What do you think about the acquisition? Are you happy or sad to hear about a new Star Wars film coming to the big screen?