Recently, it was reported Disney was in talks to acquire the entertainment division of 21st Century Fox, and while talks about such a deal have now died off, it's worth wondering what that merger would mean for the Star Wars franchise. Prior to the Mouse House's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, the original six episodes of the Skywalker saga were distributed by 20th Century Fox, the only studio willing to give George Lucas an honest shot at realizing his vision back in the 1970s. There's no denying it was a fruitful partnership, as Star Wars redefined the film industry in more ways than one and spawned perhaps the most beloved franchise in pop culture.The galaxy far, far away now calls Disney home, but the property is in an interesting place due to its history with Fox. In the wake of these discussions becoming public, there was much talk over what impact it could have on Marvel movies, as Fox continues to own the rights to X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and related characters. However, this would also have some interesting ramifications for Star Wars should it ever come to pass - potentially giving longtime fans the one thing they've always wanted.
Star Wars Movie Rights
Even though Disney is now the owner of Lucasfilm (and, by extension, Star Wars and Indiana Jones), they do not yet posses the rights to all of the films that have been released - and they never will. Under the terms of the agreement after Lucas sold, Disney will acquire the rights to The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and the complete prequel trilogy in May 2020. You will notice the movie that started it all, A New Hope, is not included on this list, and that's because Fox owns it in perpetuity. Whereas Lucas independently produced and financed his final five Star Wars installments, he was partners on the 1977 smash with Fox, so they'll always be able to stake claim to it.
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Bringing the likes of Wolverine and Marvel's First Family to the MCU is undoubtedly a motivating factor in Disney's interest in acquiring Fox, but surely the New Hope rights are a key factor as well. Because of this issue, it would be a little complicated to put together a new box set of the original trilogy or the complete saga once 2020 rolls around. With Episode IX set to hit theaters in December 2019 (meaning, it will be available on home media the following spring), the studio would most likely want to release some kind of special collection to commemorate the full (at least for now) story. Obviously, you can't have A New Hope missing, so something has to be done soon. Some might have thought Disney and Fox would strike a deal similar to the one Marvel and Sony made for Spider-Man, but apparently Bob Iger thought it'd be easier to just purchase Fox. Time will tell if the sides will resume their talks.
Even if Disney never does acquire Fox (which would probably be for the best), the studios will likely figure out the New Hope dilemma at some point because there's money to be made, and companies like money. A massive, nine-film box set loaded with bonus material would sell like hotcakes and be perfect for the die-hard fan, so the onus is on the parties to get an arrangement in place. Fortunately, they have some time before this becomes a major issue, though the pressure is slowly beginning to mount. The fact Disney was even considering buying Fox illustrates those involved are aware of the problem the rights matter presents and are trying to pursue a suitable solution. Since Mickey Mouse isn't expanding his empire anytime soon, everyone has to go back to the drawing board.
Of course, whenever the original trilogy is the topic of conversation, the prospect of finally seeing the unaltered versions of those seminal films is bound to pop up. In the five years since the Disney acquisition, this has been the biggest, non-movie rumor to pop up, with multiple reports popping up (including a claim from John Landis that such a set was in the works). Of course, none of these ever amounted into anything, so now people are pinning their hopes on this possible Fox/Disney merger. Unfortunately, it wouldn't likely help matters.
Lucasfilm Won't Release The Unaltered Trilogy
A re-release of the unaltered trilogy is a bigger deal for fans than it is for Lucasfilm. The last time the first three movies were made available in their original, theatrical glory was 2006 on incredibly poor DVD transfers that were non-anamorphic and ill-suited for widescreen televisions. HD versions of the trilogy (most famously the Despecialized Editions) can be downloaded online, but many fans would happily fork over whatever it cost to get them on an actual, studio-sanctioned Blu-ray release. Sadly, that doesn't appear to be in the cards at all.
Related: The Unaltered Original Trilogy Deserves Blu-ray Release
During Star Wars Celebration Orlando, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy nixed the idea, saying that those films were Lucas' and she wouldn't think of touching them. It's important to note that there's no condition in place that bars the studio from embarking on some sort of restoration project should they choose to, it just isn't a priority for them at this juncture. As far as they're concerned, the versions found on the 2011 Blu-rays are definitively canon and should be left alone. Granted, it's frustrating that there are multiple versions of cultural touchstones like The Lord of the Rings and Blade Runner readily available while the original cuts of Star Wars fade further and further into obscurity, but each scenario is different. In this case, when Lucas made the first special editions in 1997, he made alterations to the film prints themselves, so it would take a painstaking amount of work to put them back in their initial form.
Disney getting the rights to A New Hope doesn't adjust any of that and probably wouldn't inspire a change of mind in Kennedy. Lucasfilm's primary concern is looking ahead to the future, developing the next decade of content while also closing out the sequel trilogy and getting Solo: A Star Wars Story across the finish line. The original trilogy likely won't be part of their plans until the aforementioned ultimate saga box set with the nine episodes. Chances are, if the unaltered editions were to be officially released, it would have happened by now. There have been multiple Blu-rays over the past six years, and 2017 marked the 40th anniversary of Star Wars. As difficult as it is to hear, fans have to resign themselves to the notion the fabled theatrical box set will never come to be.
The only way Star Wars would be impacted in the event Disney bought Fox is that all of the films would be under the same roof three years from now, making it simpler to put the entire series in a single collector's home media release. Whether or not the unaltered cuts of New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi see the light of day is entirely up to Lucasfilm, and they've done nothing to indicate they are interested in bringing them back (despite the fact such a set would make gobs of cash). For better or worse, Greedo shooting first, "Jedi Rocks," and Hayden Christensen's Force ghost are here to stay. The only thing Disney wants is the rights to A New Hope, since the complete saga Blu-ray set would be a top seller regardless of what versions were on there.
Conclusion
This would-be acquisition is certainly more exciting for the effect it would have on the MCU rather than Star Wars. As far as our favorite galaxy is concerned, some red tape when it comes to future box sets would be eliminated, and that's pretty much it. Disney is in full control of all other aspects of the Star Wars franchise and continue to reap the benefits of their $4 billion property. With more movies, a bevy of publications, and a theme park on the way, there's little the Mouse House has to gain from a Disney/Fox merger. One day, the New Hope situation will have to be resolved, but that's a good question for another time.
