Lucasfilm

As an independent production entity, Lucasfilm was established by George Lucas in 1971. This was motivated by Lucas's desire to maintain complete artistic control over his film projects, a decision influenced by his challenging experiences with Hollywood studios during the production of THX 1138. American Graffiti, distributed by Universal Pictures, marked the company's inaugural production, generating US$55 million in rental income.

During the making of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Lucasfilm established a special effects workshop near Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, which would later become the Lucasfilm subsidiary known as Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). The first Star Wars movie was released on May 25, 1977, achieving significant box office success with a gross of US$307,263,857. Additionally, Lucasfilm entered into merchandising agreements with various companies, including Kenner Products, Image Factory, and Marvel Comics, for Star Wars-themed merchandise such as clothing, posters, toys, buttons, decals, and comics. Utilizing the revenue generated from Lucasfilm's merchandising activities, Lucas, with the assistance of the company's initial CEO, Charlie Weber, established an office at a property on Lankershim Boulevard known as "The Egg Company."

20th Century Fox originally held the copyright for A New Hope, with merchandising rights divided between them and Lucas at a 60/40 split. Lucasfilm acquired all Star Wars IP and licensing rights previously held by Fox, with the exception of the copyright for A New Hope, on September 1, 1981. The copyright for A New Hope was eventually transferred to Lucasfilm on January 18, 1997.

In late 1977, Lucas established "The Chapter II Company" as a subsidiary to oversee the production and financing of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Furthermore, Lucas relocated ILM from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Subsequently, Lucas acquired a ranch in Marin County, near San Francisco, which became known as Skywalker Ranch. While working on The Empire Strikes Back, Lucasfilm also produced a Star Wars spin-off film titled The Star Wars Holiday Special, which was distributed by CBS on November 17, 1978. The Empire Strikes Back premiered on May 21, 1980, achieving box office success and generating nearly US$210 million during its initial run.

Charlie Weber also served as Lucasfilm's first CEO but departed after the release of The Empire Strikes Back due to disagreements with Lucas. While Lucas aimed to concentrate on developing Skywalker Ranch, producing Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and fostering a community for filmmakers, Weber advocated for Lucasfilm to diversify into other business sectors. Lucas dismissed Weber and appointed Robert Greber as the new CEO of Lucasfilm. Following the release of The Empire Strikes Back, Lucasfilm closed The Egg Company and consolidated all its operations at Skywalker Ranch.

Lucasfilm produced the third Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi, which was released on May 25, 1983, and grossed US$250 million by the end of the year. In addition to Return of the Jedi, Lucasfilm also produced Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), which were distributed by Paramount Studios and also achieved significant box office success.

During the 1980s, Lucas also allowed ILM to produce special effects for projects outside of Lucasfilm. The first of these was the 1981 film Dragonslayer, a joint venture between Paramount and Disney. ILM also contributed to other notable films such as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Abyss (1989), Terminator, and Jurassic Park. ILM rose to prominence as the leading special effects company, earning the Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects thirteen times.

Lucas continued to expand Skywalker Ranch using revenue from Star Wars merchandising. He envisioned Lucasfilm as a comprehensive, "one-stop, full service" company for other filmmakers. These services encompassed providing writing retreats for screenwriters, editing equipment for film editors, and special effects services through ILM. In the 1980s, Lucas also invested in another Lucasfilm venture named THX, which focused on enhancing the sound quality of cinema theaters using Lucas' THX sound system.

Lucas also established a computer game division at Lucasfilm and recruited Peter Langston, with the help of Edwin Catmull, to lead the division. The Lucasfilm Games Group (later known as LucasArts) partnered with the video game company Atari to develop two non-Star Wars games, Ballblazer (1984) and Rescue on Fractalus!. Following Atari's financial difficulties, Lucasfilm entered into an agreement with video game publisher Epyx to produce two games in 1985. In February 1986, Lucas sold Lucasfilm's computer graphics group and their Pixar computer to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who transformed the division into a successful animated film studio named Pixar.

In 1987, Howard Roffman, the newly appointed Vice President of Lucas Licensing, was tasked with revitalizing Lucasfilm's toy line, which had declined to US$35 million by 1985. Under the guidance of Roffman and Lucas, Lucasfilm produced and collaborated on several non-Star Wars films, including Howard the Duck (1986), Labyrinth (1986), Willow (1988), Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), the third Indiana Jones film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Radioland Murders (1994), and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992-1993).

In addition to cinematic films, Lucasfilm partnered with Disney to develop a Star Wars-themed simulated ride at their Disney parks called Star Tours and a 3-D movie featuring pop star Michael Jackson called Captain EO. Throughout the 1990s, Lucas collaborated with Apple Inc., National Geographic, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Audubon Society to produce various educational media, including GTV: A Geographic Perspective on American History, Life Story: The Race for the Double Helix, and Mystery of the Disappearing Ducks.

During the 1990s, Lucas expanded Skywalker Ranch to nearly 5,000 acres to accommodate additional office space at the adjacent Big Rock Ranch. However, Lucasfilm was unable to relocate ILM from San Rafael due to opposition from residents of Marin County. Hal Barwood also joined LucasArts in 1990. Under Barwood's leadership, the subsidiary produced several computer games, including Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Monkey Island, and Grim Fandango.

Following the release of The Return of the Jedi, Lucasfilm engaged in the production of several Star Wars television projects, including the 1984 television movie Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, the 1985 sequel film Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, and the animated series Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO and Ewoks, which were distributed by ABC Television. Produced by Nelvana animation studio, Droids and Ewoks were intended to support a toy merchandising line. However, both animated series underperformed commercially, leading to the cancellation of Ewoks after two seasons and Droids after one season.

In May 1987, Lucasfilm organized the inaugural Star Wars convention at a hotel near Los Angeles, drawing 10,000 attendees. Lucas himself was present at the event, accompanied by the Star Wars characters R2-D2 and C-3PO, as well as Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. In the same year, Lucasfilm launched a fan magazine called the Lucasfilm Fan Club magazine. Additionally, in October 1987, Lucasfilm licensed Star Wars role-playing games to the start-up West End Games, which contributed to the expansion of the Star Wars Expanded Universe by introducing new alien species, ships, weapons, and droids. Until 1990, West End Games' Star Wars role-playing games were the sole source of new Star Wars stories.

In 1988, Lou Aronica, then head of mass market publishing at Bantam Books, persuaded Lucas and Lucas Licensing Vice President Howard Roffman to license a series of Star Wars novels set after the events of Return of the Jedi. The first novel in this series was Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire (1991), which became a bestseller and led to two sequels. The successful Thrawn Trilogy spawned a line of Expanded Universe novels, which were produced under the Bantam Spectra imprint.

During the 1990s, Lucasfilm entered into a licensing agreement with Dark Horse Comics, commencing with the 1991 comic Star Wars: Dark Empire. Starting in 1993, the company also entered into licensing agreements with Nintendo to produce Star Wars computer games, trading cards, and bendable figures. In 1995, Hasbro Inc. introduced a new line of Star Wars toys under the "The Power of the Force" brand. In 1997, Lucasfilm released the commercially successful The Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition, which incorporated digitally added characters and creatures into existing scenes.

In 1998, Del Rey acquired the Lucasfilm publishing license from Bantam Spectra as part of a publishing deal linked to the upcoming Prequel trilogy. The following year, Del Rey launched a new line of Star Wars Expanded Universe novels known as the New Jedi Order series, which introduced the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong as antagonists.

By the early 21st century, the Expanded Universe had grown to include numerous licensed novels, comics, and computer games, including the Tales of the Jedi comics, BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic computer game, and the online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic. To ensure consistency across the various stories, Lucasfilm established an internal database called the Holocron continuity database, which catalogs the various Star Wars characters, planets, ships, and concepts. This database is still maintained by Lucasfilm employee Leland Chee.

Lucas commenced work on the script for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace on November 1, 1994. The film premiered on May 19, 1999, grossing a total of US$926 million by the end of the year. Its sequel, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, was released on May 16, 2002, grossing US$649 million by the end of the year. The third film, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, was released on May 16, 2005, grossing US$848 million worldwide. The prequel trilogy generated $2.4 billion at the box office, with a significant portion of the revenue returning to Lucasfilm.

Following the release of Attack of the Clones, Lucasfilm divested its theatre sound division, THX, as a separate private company in which Lucas retained a minority stake. Lucas also relocated the majority of the company's divisions to Red Rock Ranch due to the limited space at Skywalker Ranch. By that point, ILM had expanded to approximately 1,500 employees.

In June 1999, Lucas secured a bid to construct a new digital complex on the site of the former Letterman Army Medical Center at the Presidio in San Francisco. Lucas intended for this new complex to house ILM, THX, LucasArts, and Lucasfilm's headquarters. The agreement with the Presidio Trust was finalized in August 2001, with construction commencing on February 8, 2003. In June 2005, Lucasfilm's marketing, online, and licensing units moved into the newly constructed Letterman Digital Arts Center. The Letterman complex also housed Lucasfilm's subsidiaries ILM, THX, LucasArts, and the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

After the completion of the Prequel Trilogy, Lucas envisioned Lucasfilm as a "widget-driven" enterprise. While the company would continue to produce books, video games, music, and special effects, film production would be reduced, with the exception of the next Indiana Jones film. ILM, THX, and Skywalker Ranch were the most productive components of the company, generating the majority of their revenue from non-Star Wars projects. ILM provided special effects for several successful film franchises, including Iron Man, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Avatar. Meanwhile, Skywalker Sound worked on the sound design for nearly 40 films and television series.

Inspired by the success of former Lucasfilm subsidiary Pixar, Lucas established a computer animation division called Lucasfilm Animation, based at Big Rock Ranch. In 2005, Lucasfilm Animation established a branch in Singapore at the "Sandcrawler Building," providing the company with an international presence.

However, LucasArts struggled with profitability due to its focus on the PC game market and its inability to develop original game concepts. The division also prioritized building software engines over the games themselves. Following an internal audit in 2004, half of LucasArt's staff were laid off. In 2010, another third of the division's staff were laid off following the dismissal of LucasArt's chief, Jim Ward. Some of LucasArts' notable projects included the canceled computer game Star Wars: 1313, the canceled live-action TV show Star Wars: Underworld, the Star Wars Battlefront computer game series, and several LEGO Star Wars computer games.

After the release of Revenge of the Sith, Lucas and director, writer, and animator Dave Filoni produced a 3D computer-animated series titled Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The series was distributed by Cartoon Network, with the initial episodes combined into an animated movie called The Clone Wars. The first season of Clone Wars aired on Cartoon Network on October 3, 2008. Due to its success, the series was renewed for an additional five seasons.

Besides Star Wars, Lucasfilm also produced several non-Star Wars films, including Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls (2008), the World War II film Red Tails (2012), and the animated fantasy Strange Magic (2015). These films received mixed reviews and did not perform well commercially. The critical reception of Red Tails disappointed Lucas and led him to retire from filmmaking.

In May 2011, George Lucas met with Disney CEO Bob Iger at Walt Disney World to discuss the potential sale of Lucasfilm. Following the visit, Lucas recruited Kathleen Kennedy, former President of the Producers Guild of America, to succeed him. Lucas and Kennedy began developing the Sequel trilogy and hired Michael Arndt as the screenwriter for what would become Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. In June 2012, Kennedy was appointed co-chair of Lucasfilm.

Following Kennedy's promotion, lawyers and accountants meticulously examined Lucasfilm's intellectual property in July and August 2012 to confirm Lucas's ownership of the Star Wars universe characters. After negotiations between Lucas and Iger, Lucas agreed to sell Lucasfilm in exchange for Disney's commitment to use his story treatments for the Sequel Trilogy in future narratives. According to Iger, this agreement was made with the understanding that Disney would not be contractually bound to adhere to Lucas's plotlines. Furthermore, Iger agreed to grant Lucasfilm the same level of limited autonomy enjoyed by Disney's other subsidiaries, Pixar and Marvel. On October 30, 2012, Lucas and Iger signed an agreement to sell Lucasfilm to Disney for $4.05 billion in stock and cash. On December 21, 2012, The Walt Disney Company officially completed its acquisition of Lucasfilm.

Following the acquisition by Disney, Lucasfilm underwent restructuring and reorientation. Under Kathleen Kennedy's leadership, the Lucasfilm Story Group was established in 2012, led by Kiri Hart, to oversee the production of new Star Wars films and stories in Lucas's absence. In 2013, Lucasfilm canceled The Clone Wars television series. However, Kennedy retained the show's animation supervisor, Filoni, and his team, who went on to produce a new animated television series called Star Wars Rebels. The series aired for four seasons between 2014 and 2018 and received four Emmy Awards nominations.

In March 2014, Lucasfilm confirmed that Episode VII would be set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. In addition to introducing three new lead actors, Lucasfilm also confirmed that several stars from the Original Trilogy, including Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew, would reprise their roles. J.J. Abrams was selected as the director, while Lawrence Kasdan replaced Arndt as the screenwriter.

The Force Awakens was released in December 2015, grossing US$2 billion worldwide. Following the release of The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm produced four Star Wars cinematic films: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi (2017), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker (2019). While The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and The Last Jedi achieved commercial and critical success, Solo received mixed reviews and underperformed at the box office. Although commercially successful, Rise of Skywalker garnered mixed reactions from both critics and fans.

In addition to Star Wars Rebels, Lucasfilm Animation also produced the animated shows Star Wars Forces of Destiny (2017–2018) and Star Wars Resistance (2018–2020). Furthermore, Lucasfilm collaborated with Disney, the LEGO Group, and Wil Film to produce several LEGO-themed Star Wars animated shows, including LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles, LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales (2015), LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises, LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures (2017-2018), and LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars.

In September 2018, Kennedy's contract as Lucasfilm President was extended until 2021. In June 2019, Michelle Rejwan was appointed as the company's senior vice president of live-action development and production.

The Mandalorian, a live-action Star Wars television show, began its production journey under Lucasfilm in October of 2018. The series was spearheaded by Jon Favreau as showrunner, with directorial contributions from Filoni, Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Taika Waititi. Upon its debut on Disney+ on November 12, 2019, the show garnered positive reception from both critics and the Star Wars fanbase. A second season was produced and released on Disney+ on October 30, 2020.

In December of 2020, Kennedy publicly stated that Lucasfilm had at least ten Star Wars projects in active development, encompassing both films and television series. Among these were Rogue Squadron, directed by Patty Jenkins, and an as-yet-untitled film by Taika Waititi. Additionally, several webseries and films were planned for Disney+, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, Rangers of the New Republic, a series based on Lando Calrissian, Andor, The Acolyte, the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the anime Star Wars: Visions, and A Droid Story. Kennedy also mentioned that Lucasfilm had initiated work on at least two projects unrelated to Star Wars, including a sequel to the 1988 fantasy film Willow and an adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi's young adult novel Children of Blood and Bone.

Lucasfilm verified in September 2022 that several new productions were underway. These included the animated series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, and the live-action series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. The company also announced release dates for its Willow TV series and a fifth Indiana Jones film.

At Celebration Europe in April of 2023, Kennedy announced that the studio was actively developing three live-action films, with James Mangold, Dave Filoni, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy each directing one. Mangold's film will delve into the origins of the Jedi Order, while Filoni's will be set in the New Republic era, weaving together storylines from several Disney+ shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. Obaid-Chinoy's film will take place after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, with Daisy Ridley returning as Rey Skywalker. Furthermore, Lucasfilm confirmed that Ahsoka would be released in August 2023 and The Acolyte in 2024.

LucasArts was dissolved in February of 2013, resulting in the termination of 200 employees. A team of ten was kept to manage the production of licensed Star Wars video games.

In May of 2013, Lucasfilm and Disney Interactive entered into a multi-year agreement with Electronic Arts, granting EA exclusive rights to develop Star Wars video games. While EA was tasked with creating high-quality titles, Disney Interactive maintained the right to produce games for "casual audiences." Notable Star Wars games released under the EA license include Star Wars Battlefront (2015), Star Wars Battlefront II (2017), Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Star Wars: Squadrons (2020).

In January of 2014, Marvel Comics was granted the exclusive rights by Lucasfilm to produce new Star Wars comics beginning in 2015. On April 25, 2014, the Lucasfilm Story Group clarified that only Lucas' six Star Wars films and The Clone Wars television series were considered part of the official Canon. The Expanded Universe was rebranded as Star Wars Legends and would be used as inspiration for future narratives. All Star Wars literature and media released after this point would be part of a unified, consistent continuity. Shortly after Lucasfilm's Canon reboot, Disney Publishing Worldwide announced that Del Rey would be publishing a new line of Canon Star Wars novels every other month, starting with John Jackson Miller's novel A New Dawn in 2014.

IDW Publishing obtained a license from Lucasfilm in April of 2017 to produce Star Wars comics aimed at all age groups, beginning with Star Wars Adventures.

Lucasfilm introduced Star Wars: The High Republic, a new multimedia publishing project, in February of 2020. The project is set 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. Key authors involved in the project include Claudia Gray, Daniel José Older, Charles Soule, Cavan Scott, and Justina Ireland. Several publishers were involved in The High Republic, including Del Rey, Disney–Lucasfilm Press, IDW Publishing, and Marvel Comics.

In January 2021, Lucasfilm announced a new video game division called Lucasfilm Games to support the company's licensed publishers and developers. In the same month, Lucasfilm Games partnered with Ubisoft and Bethesda Softworks to create new Star Wars and Indian Jones video games. In February 2021, Lucasfilm Games confirmed its collaboration with game developer Zynga to develop a competitive arena combat game titled Star Wars: Hunters.

Dark Horse Comics announced in November 2021 that they would be working with Lucasfilm and Disney Publishing Worldwide to produce a new line of comics and graphic novels for all ages, covering the timeline from the High Republic to the First Order era.

Lucasfilm underwent a reorganization to bring all its companies under a single umbrella. Presently, Lucasfilm consists of six divisions:

• Lucasfilm – responsible for film and television production and promotion
• Lucas Digital – comprised of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound. This company's existence might be in question due to the Walt Disney Company's reorganization.
  • Industrial Light & Magic – provides digital and visual effects for the entertainment industry
  • Skywalker Sound – handles post-production sound editing for the entertainment industry
  • ILM Immersive – focuses on virtual reality, mixed reality, real-time cinema, theme-park entertainment, and narrative-based entertainment for future platforms
• Lucasfilm Animation and Lucasfilm Animation Singapore – a digital animation studio for film, television, and games
• Lucasfilm Games – a division of Lucasfilm that supports partner video game publishers and developers.
• Lucas Licensing – manages licensing and merchandising for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and other Lucasfilm projects
  • Lucas Learning – produces technology-based educational materials for K–12. Its official site now redirects to the nonprofit George Lucas Educational Foundation's Edutopia.
  • LucasBooks – the publishing arm of Lucasfilm and a part of Lucas Licensing
• Lucas Online – an online platform for entertainment, reference, education, and e-commerce related to Lucasfilm projects

Several other companies were initially part of the Lucasfilm organization:

• LucasArts – a developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Following the Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Lucasfilm, the company was restructured into a licensing model.
• Black Falcon – briefly managed merchandising for Lucasfilm before being fully integrated into Lucasfilm in December 1979
• Pixar – a computer animation film-production company (sold to Steve Jobs in 1986)
• THX – a theater sound system (spun off from Lucasfilm in 2002)
• Star Wars Corporation – established independently in 1973 and absorbed into Lucasfilm by 1980

• Kathleen Kennedy: President [62]
• Lynwen Brennan: Executive Vice President and General Manager [62]
• Momita SenGupta: Executive Vice President, Physical Production [62]
• Rob Bedrow: Senior Vice President, Chief Creative Officer, Industry Light & Magic (ILM) [62]
• Rhonda Hjort: Senior Vice President, business affairs & legal counsel [62]
• Janet Lewin: Senior Vice President, ILM [62]
• Michelle Rejwan: Senior Vice President, Life Action Development & Production [62]
• Paul Southern: Senior Vice President, licensing [62]
• Pippa Anderson: Vice President, post-production [62]
• Lori Aultman: Vice President, finance & planning [62]
• Carrie Beck: Vice President, animation & life action series development [62]
• Vicki Dobbs Beck: Executive in charge, ILMxLAB [62]
• Candice Campos: Vice President, physical production [62]
• Michael Capoferri: Senior director, online content & programming [62]
• Blaire Chaput: Vice President, human resources [62]
• Francois Chardavoine: Vice President, technology [62]
• Doug Chiang: Vice President & Executive Creative Director, Star Wars [62]
• Joseph Cho: Vice President, production finance [62]
• Megan Crumpacker: Vice President, franchise marketing & integrated planning [62]
• Michael A. Garcia: Vice President, live action series development [62]
• Lynne Hale: Vice President, publicity & communications [62]
• John Hampian: Vice President, physical production [62]
• Kensie Kim: Vice President, business affairs & legal counsel [62]
• John Knoll: Executive creative director, senior visual effects supervisor, ILM [62]
• Jacqui Lopez: Vice President, franchise production [62]
• Josh Lowden: Vice President & General Manager, Skywalker Sound [62]
• Athena Yvette Portillo: Vice President, animation production [62]
• Douglas Reilly: Lucasfilm Games [62]
• Rayne Roberts: Vice President, film development [62]
• Max Taylor: Vice President, film development [62]
• James Waugh: Vice President, franchise content & strategy [62]
• Raymond Wu: Vice President, business affairs & legal counsel [62]
• Anna Yeager: Vice President, marketing and franchise creative [62]

• Main page on Lucasfilm.com (backup link)
• Lucasfilm on Wikipedia