Mega Franchise "Would've Been Ruined" by Disney, Report Says

A highly-anticipated Star Wars style series will soon be available for fans to view, but it’s not coming in its typical package.

Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and delighted fans around the world. The deal, which was valued at approximately $4.05 billion, marked a significant milestone in the history of both companies and paved the way for a new era of Star Wars storytelling.

The announcement of the acquisition came as a surprise to many, as George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars and the sole owner of Lucasfilm, had previously been very protective of his company and its intellectual property. However, after careful consideration, Lucas decided that it was time for him to pass the torch and entrust the future of his beloved franchise to a new generation of storytellers. For Disney, the acquisition of Lucasfilm represented a strategic move to strengthen its position as a leading entertainment conglomerate. With iconic properties like Mickey Mouse, Marvel, and Pixar already under its umbrella, Disney saw in Lucasfilm an opportunity to expand its reach even further and tap into the immense global popularity of the Star Wars brand.

Since Disney’s acquisition of the studio, fans have given mixed reviews. Many Star Wars fans have shared that they believed Disney ruined the saga with its new films. Though The Mandalorian, a Disney+ original, has been a major success for the company, the movies have left many fans with more complaints than anything else.

As a matter of fact, the last Disney-led Star Wars film to hit theaters, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), received just a 52% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score was much higher at 86%, but the audience score for the previous film — Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)— was an abysmal 42%. The spinoffs created for the franchise, which include Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), have also been met with mixed reviews.

While one report recently indicated that Disney, in retrospect, had hurt its bottomline by purchasing Lucasfilm, another said that the company had generated a nice amount of revenue from the intellectual property, which can now be experienced in the immersive Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.

But, there’s one property that Disney and George Lucas elected to turn down. Director Zach Snyder shared in recent thoughts that he was glad that Disney had turned it down because he wouldn’t have been given the freedom to make the project as he had envisioned had it gone to Lucasfilm.

The project we’re talking about, of course, is Rebel Moon.

Rebel Moon is set to debut on Netflix on December 31, 2023, which Inside the Magic previously covered. The highly-anticipated series was originally made for the Star Wars universe, but after Disney turned it down, Snyder– who is best known for his work in the DC Universe and recreating his own version of Justice League— was able to go and make it, selling the property to Netflix, and give it an R-rated story. The series stars Sofia Boutella (Kora) and whole host of talented actors and actresses.

The storyline for Rebel Moon can be read below from IMDb:

“A peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy is threatened by the armies of a tyrannical regent named Balisarius. Desperate, the colonists dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them make a stand.”

Will you be watching this Star Wars series when it is released? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!