ONTD

8:58 pm - 11/01/2012

George Lucas Will Use Disney $4 Billion to Fund Education

Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Spokesperson for Lucasfilm tells THR the majority of the sale price will go toward educational philanthropy.


By the end of the year, the $4.05 billion sale of Lucasfilm to Disney should be finalized. And sinceGeorge Lucas owns 100 percent of his company - which has little to no debt - all that money goes to him.

After that, Lucas plans to quickly put the bulk of the money into a foundation which will primarily focus on educational issues, a spokesperson for Lucasfilm tells THR

“George Lucas has expressed his intention, in the event the deal closes, to donate the majority of the proceeds to his philanthropic endeavors.”

It's not yet clear which foundation will get the proceeds. Lucas is currently the chairman of Edutopia, which is part of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. He could put money into that or create a new foundation which would be funded from the sale.

The Foundation was the vehicle Lucas used to make a $175 million donation to his alma mater USC in 2006. He has also given to many other causes over the years including the Film Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“For 41 years, the majority of my time and money has been put into the company,” Lucas said in a statement Wednesday. “As I start a new chapter in my life, it is gratifying that I have the opportunity to devote more time and resources to philanthropy.”

The spokesperson noted that this “announcement continues a commitment that Lucas made in 2010 to The Giving Pledge where he stated,  “I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education.  It is the key to the survival of the human race.  We have to plan for our collective future—and the first step begins with social, emotional, and intellectual tools we provide to our children.  As humans, our greatest tool for survival is our ability to think and to adapt—as educators, storytellers, and communicators our responsibility is to continue to do so.’” 

hollywood reporter


Page 1 of 4
<<[1] [2] [3] [4] >>
superdogbiter 1st-Nov-2012 08:18 pm (UTC)
yay
filmfreakfranco 1st-Nov-2012 08:19 pm (UTC)
oh bow
reginageorge 1st-Nov-2012 08:19 pm (UTC)
as a future teacher i say THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
levenah 1st-Nov-2012 08:34 pm (UTC)
SAME!

Are you student teaching yet?
reginageorge 1st-Nov-2012 08:38 pm (UTC)
nope, not yet!!
allysqpkt 1st-Nov-2012 09:14 pm (UTC)
+1
maddoctormaddie 1st-Nov-2012 08:20 pm (UTC)
Okay, I think I like him again.
cookinguptales 1st-Nov-2012 08:20 pm (UTC)
Does he always look that depressed?
adigallia 1st-Nov-2012 08:31 pm (UTC)
Pretty much. But he just made $4 billion and has a hot gf so I hope he isn't really unhappy!
demi32 1st-Nov-2012 08:20 pm (UTC)
Awesome!!
fred2265 1st-Nov-2012 08:48 pm (UTC)
Yes, superb..
hazel_belle 1st-Nov-2012 08:20 pm (UTC)
Dear George Lucas ---> As Future School Librarian, Bless you. ---> Love Me
blckcelebrtion 1st-Nov-2012 08:50 pm (UTC)
may i ask where you're going right now? i'm at southern miss and it's all online.
hazel_belle 1st-Nov-2012 08:53 pm (UTC)
I am just finishing up my undergrad in history but I am applying to Simmons College, their LIS program is incredible and one of the best programs in the US. Also check into the ALA website to see what schools have non-online programs.

fwee_prower 1st-Nov-2012 08:21 pm (UTC)
It's weird how Disney Owns Marvel and Star Wars now.
ilikeandrewbird 1st-Nov-2012 08:21 pm (UTC)
theyre already planning more Star Wars movies. everyone is fucked.
doriscrockford2 1st-Nov-2012 08:35 pm (UTC)
And the Muppets!
lisse_pitch13 1st-Nov-2012 09:23 pm (UTC)
*DARTH VADER-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*
daisyazul 1st-Nov-2012 10:19 pm (UTC)
I wait for a star wars easter eggs on marvel movies
ilikeandrewbird 1st-Nov-2012 08:21 pm (UTC)
that's really fantastic

I saw a great interview with him, he doesn't give his children much money, he wants them to support themselves.

I LOVE when billionaires give back like this.

With that said, Disney is going to demolish his brand.
winonaforever 1st-Nov-2012 08:22 pm (UTC)
I love the man, but he has done a good job at tainting his brand himself.
hazel_belle 1st-Nov-2012 08:23 pm (UTC)
I am gonna be optimistic and hope that Disney won't demolish it. Besides Lucas did some of his own damage buy giving us the prequel films. Disney seems to be doing right by Marvel, and it gives me some sort of hope.

At this point it is a wait and see thing.
lickety_split 1st-Nov-2012 08:51 pm (UTC)
Yeah, Disney's treatment of Marvel has really surprised me tbh. I'd completely expected them to run a kid-friendly flat roller over it.
drasticsigns 1st-Nov-2012 09:39 pm (UTC)
iawtc
lcacbc 1st-Nov-2012 08:25 pm (UTC)
idk Disney makes some great films. I am quite optimistic
filmfreakfranco 1st-Nov-2012 08:26 pm (UTC)
they've done a lot of great stuff with star wars at their parks so I really think Disney will keep his brand well
skeet_skeet 1st-Nov-2012 08:30 pm (UTC)
No more damage than Lucas did to it himself lbr.
the_wolski 1st-Nov-2012 08:34 pm (UTC)
noooo the collabs disney has already done with the star wars brand have been amazing thus far, and it'll probs continue to be like that in the future
adigallia 1st-Nov-2012 08:40 pm (UTC)
Eh, Disney has done a good job with Marvel and Pixar, so I'm going to wait and see what happens. If Disney can make a Star Wars movie as successful and well-liked as the Avengers, it would go a long way to restoring the brand of Star Wars (which, tbh, has been tarnished by the prequels).
victory_goddess 1st-Nov-2012 08:44 pm (UTC)
Disney couldn't do any worse to the franchise than Lucas himself has already done. Plus Disney has an appreciation for its franchises' fan bases that Lucas never did.
jalie89 1st-Nov-2012 08:22 pm (UTC)
It's great that he is doing this.

Side comment: His gf is beautiful and highly intelligent.
adigallia 1st-Nov-2012 08:37 pm (UTC)
She is! She talked to the Chicago Tribune about the sale and how happy she was for him and it was cute.

Also, it kills me how dumpy and Ewoky he is and how gorgeous and elegant she is. Too funny.
swanqween 1st-Nov-2012 09:28 pm (UTC)
OMG HE IS SO EWOKY
what a perfect way to describe him
lickety_split 1st-Nov-2012 08:56 pm (UTC)
(Googles)

OMG I had no idea ol' George was down with the swirl! You're right though, she's absolutely gorgeous.
distant_lines 1st-Nov-2012 08:23 pm (UTC)
Okay, I think I forgive you for allowing Disney to be allowed to touch Star Wars.
hot143chocolate What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:24 pm (UTC)
I think I would start a foundation and find causes, nonprofits, and charities to support.

I would also travel a lot.
superdogbiter Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:26 pm (UTC)
buy this site and then go to bed
filmfreakfranco Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:27 pm (UTC)
buy my own island and have Xtina sing me to sleep with "little dreamer" every single night
x_rose_tyler_x Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:27 pm (UTC)
I would go directly to the places I want to help to make sure the money I put into them gets there and things get done. And help animal shelters or fund one myself, possibly.

Also travel a lot and get a house for me, another for my sister, another for my parents, all of them with indoor pools and giant kitchens.
mestupkidd Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:28 pm (UTC)
According to my math...
$4 billion / $50,000 = 80,000

So I guess I would be giving out 80,000 $50,000 grants to students and individuals who need capital to start a small businesses.
sastra_fuss Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:29 pm (UTC)
Buy a small country and start shit with the u.s.
piratesswoop Re: What would you do with $4 billion?2nd-Nov-2012 02:29 am (UTC)
lmao girl
browneyedguuurl Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:30 pm (UTC)
I would pay off my debt, set up trusts for my sisters, give some money to my family, set up a trust for myself and invest. I would start a non profit and find worthwhile charities that doesn't receive as much attention and invest in them. I would start scholarship programs and award at least 20 full rides per state. Give money to medical research.... SO MUCH!
hazel_belle Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:32 pm (UTC)
1) Help out my home town rebuild itself after Sandy practically destroyed it.
2) Buy my mom season tickets to the Jets, and my dad season tickets to the Giants.
3) Pay off all my loans and attend graduate school and graduate
4) Take a cruise down the Danube
5) Travel to Ireland and Israel.
6) Hire a personal trainer and get my butt into gear
watchsnowfall Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:32 pm (UTC)
sigh, what WOULDN'T I do?

- take six months off and rent a villa on the coast of france and get in the best shape of my life (i've got 4 billion dollars, I can be selfish with a million of it).
- buy a hockey team
- give back to my friends and family
- spend the rest of my life doing charity work. I'd love to help out underprivileged inner city kids, fund education for women who can't afford it, fund scientific research, etc.
reginageorge Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:41 pm (UTC)
idek what i would do with all that money.....
purrple_267 Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:41 pm (UTC)
Spoil my mom rotten, travel and donate to charities.
xkyrie_eleisonx Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:47 pm (UTC)
Travel the world, buy a modest house and car, make sure my parents, sister, and grandparents have their debts paid and live comfortably. I'd donate at least a billion to different causes.
shangman Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 08:48 pm (UTC)
After going on an amazing holiday around the world, I'd buy a really amazing home in central London, a really amazing home with a massive garden for my parents somewhere around London, and buying ridiculous amounts of couture and stuff,
I'd invest 1 billion of it in small companies that are investigating new technology,
I'd give tonnes to my mother's charity which helps 16+ teenagers who come from hard family backgrounds and/or have learning disabilities and make sure they never have to apply for funding again and help her expand it, so that the current location is really done up (the building is nice, but the gardens need work, they need more staff and better equipment, etc)
I'd maybe help current schemes/start a scheme that gave really good preschool to young children in poor families, since that is meant to REALLY improve their chances of escaping poverty and have the best lives.
And of course pay off the student loans of many ONTDers.
I'd buy loads of couture and become like Anna Dello Russo, only better

Also I'd have a personal chef and a gardener so I had the best food and massive beautiful greenhouse to eat my food every day.

And a really fancy cat
andi88 1st-Nov-2012 08:49 pm (UTC)
Pay off mine/my mom's debts. Buy a house. Give tons to charity. By my family a big house in Peru. Start a film production company. Figure out a way to meet RDJ and David Duchovny.
jazzypom Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 09:00 pm (UTC)
I'd invest in education for young children; especially those in economically depressed neighbourhoods focusing on Math, Science languages and music.

I'd travel like mad.

Start my own capsule fashion line, because I've yet to see stuff I really want.

drasticsigns Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 09:43 pm (UTC)
pay off my debt, my parents debt, and set us up for life. pay for my close friends' educations.

I'd donate the rest to various charities.

I'd live on what I'd put away and travel for the rest of my life.
supermishelle Re: What would you do with $4 billion?1st-Nov-2012 09:45 pm (UTC)
Save it for my future presidential campaign.
lcacbc 1st-Nov-2012 08:24 pm (UTC)
Can he give me some money? A million is fine.

That's a really good thing for him to do
adigallia 1st-Nov-2012 08:45 pm (UTC)
He could give 4,000 people a million dollars each. Holy hell, that's a lot of money.
actxappalledx 1st-Nov-2012 08:25 pm (UTC)
That's really amazing of him
littlehayzay 1st-Nov-2012 08:25 pm (UTC)
Star Wars bores the pants off me, but he does some great charitable things and trolled the fuck out of that town
Page 1 of 4
<<[1] [2] [3] [4] >>
This page was loaded May 19th 2013, 9:13 pm GMT.