When Disney purchased Lucasfilm a couple of years ago, two legendary properties went into the Mouse House’s possession. These projects were George Lucas’ two biggest money printers of all time – ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones.’ Were Disney to ever use both of these valuable money makers to their full potential, they would become even more powerful than they already are, what with their Marvel Studios acquisition still paying off like gangbusters. While ‘Star Wars’ found its way into the light easily, it looks like ‘Indiana Jones’ might not be terribly far off itself, a report in Business Insider said on December 16.
Marc Graser, senior editor at Variety, tweeted some inside knowledge that he’d scooped about reviving the in-limbo franchise. The tweet quoted Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, as saying that basically Indy is still a going concern for the studio. However, the focus of the studio is mainly on getting the ‘Star Wars’ franchise into fully armed and operational status before anything else happens, according to the report.
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at office@jewishbusinessnews.com.
Thank you.
It makes perfect sense to start with ‘Star Wars’ first, as it’s been the bigger money maker and has the bigger cultural impact through its films and other properties. ‘Indiana Jones’ has tried to branch off into television, novels, and video games in the past itself, but while they’ve been successful to a limited degree, the Jones franchise doesn’t have the same instant clout that ‘Star Wars’ has always had, the report said.
Once ‘Star Wars’ returns to theaters, the studio can then turn its attention to the other huge renovation project, the report said, expressing hope that Disney knows what it’s doing and brings the magic back to both properties.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ will try to raise some money for an ‘Indiana Jones 5′ production on December 18, 2015, Business Insider said.
Disney CEO Iger, a native of Long Island, New York, is one of the high profile Jewish executives in Hollywood.
Harrison Ford, who played towering film characters Indiana Jones and Han Solo, was born to a Jewish mother and a German-Irish Catholic father. He once told reporters he felt “Irish as a person and Jewish as an actor, ” according to a Jewish Chronicle Online report in May 2008.
