Get ready for a whole lot of Star Wars, folks.  Disney took the stage today for its presentation at CinemaCon—a convention for theater owners—in Las Vegas, and the studio made the bold announcement that it is planning on releasing a new Star Wars film into theaters every summer starting with 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII.  The studio will alternate every other year with an “Episode” film and a standalone film, and based on previous rumors there certainly won’t be a lack of characters for them to mine.  Hit the jump for more.

Another day, another Star Wars rumor.  As anticipation for Disney and Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII continues to rise, fans are clamoring for every tiny bit of information concerning the new trilogy.  Firm details are incredibly scarce at the moment, and things will likely stay that way for some time now that “Mystery Man” J.J. Abrams has officially signed on to direct Episode VII.  The most recent unconfirmed rumor concerning the film states that Harrison Ford is in talks to reprise his role as Han Solo, and now a new rumor has surfaced that suggests Solo will be joined by his pals Luke and Leia, as Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher may or may not be returning in a storyline that focuses on the trio’s children.  Hit the jump for more.

We knew that Disney was developing Star Wars movies outside of the sequel trilogy, and a couple days ago, it was rumored that one of those spinoffs would focus on Yoda.  Today, we’ve received the news that we’ll be getting a spinoff focusing on a young Han Solo, and a new adventure featuring Boba Fett.  Even though George Lucas has removed himself from the new movies, it seems like Disney and LucasFilm are continuing one of the key mistakes of the prequel trilogy.  They’re taking the gigantic, rich world of Star Wars and making it smaller by clinging on to old characters as if audiences would stay away unless there were familiar faces.  Holding on to Yoda, Han Solo, and Boba Fett could weaken the Star Wars legacy as the mystery and allure of the characters is washed away.

The 3D re-release trend seems to have come and gone rather quickly.  Just recently we learned that Disney had canceled its plans to re-release The Little Mermaid in 3D, and now Lucasfilm (also owned by Disney) is rethinking its re-release plan for the Star Wars films.  The trend of post-converting popular older movies to 3D and putting them back in theaters was kicked off by The Lion King to great success, but subsequent re-releases like Beauty and the Beast and Finding Nemo didn’t really catch on.  We learned today that Lucasfilm would rather focus their attention on the new Star Wars films, so they’ve decided to postpone plans to put the previous Star Wars films back into theaters.  Hit the jump for more.

Disney and Lucasfilm have now confirmed what we already knew: J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII.  The press release was sent out this evening, announcing that Abrams will not only helm the new sequel, but he’ll also produce through Bad Robot with Bryan Burk.  The announcement includes quotes from both producer and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy and Mr. George Lucas himself, and here’s what Lucas had to say about the decision:

“I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller.  He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

Also of note, the press release adds that screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back) and Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes) will be consulting on the project.  We previously learned that the two would have a hand in the scripts for further sequels/spinoffs, but it appears they’re also collaborating on Episode VII.  Michael Arndt is writing the screenplay.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.

In this, the final Saturday of 2012, it’s time to extract five topics from a year’s worth of Top 5‘s for our second annual “End of the Year Edition”. Given that this is a year-end list that exists on the Internet, I’m fully prepared for obligatory statements regarding my choices and how they prove my own ineptitude. That said, in an attempt to preempt such backlash, I’d like to welcome any and all readers to respectfully disagree with me in the comments section. Let’s keep it classy and enjoy a highlight reel of some of the best 2012 had to offer after the jump.

Disney just tied the bow on their biggest present of the year, finalizing their purchase of Lucasfilm and Star Wars to the tune of $4.06 billion worth of assets. At the closing today, Disney shares were priced at $50 a pop after the merger that was originally announced on October 30th. Easily the biggest news in the entertainment industry this year, Disney’s announcement of a new sequel trilogy of films has sparked an incredible amount of interest in what will be a developing story over the next several years. Be sure to get caught up on our extensive Star Wars coverage here. Hit the jump to read the press release.

When it was first announced that Disney was purchasing LucasFilm and a new batch of Star Wars films were being produced, one of the first questions on everyone’s mind was “how is George Lucas going to ruin these movies too?”  A large amount of uneasiness was put to rest when Lucas made clear that he was essentially handing the keys of the franchise over to new LucasFilm head Kathleen Kennedy and he’d only be involved with the new films in a “consultant” role.

We know that the upcoming trilogy is based on story treatments and characters that Lucas himself drummed up, but many wondered just how involved Lucas would be with episodes VII, VIII, and IX as a so-called consultant.  Would he be looking over the shoulder of the new director every day of production?  Is he expecting the new screenwriters to strictly follow his own story beats and characters?  Now Lucas himself has come forward to clarify just how involved he’ll be, and it’s fairly encouraging stuff.  Hit the jump for more, including Lucas’ thoughts on the possibility of Steven Spielberg directing one of the new films. 

If you thought we’d be heading into the Thanksgiving holiday without one more Star Wars rumor for the road, you’d be wrong.  Michael Arndt was recently confirmed as the screenwriter for Star Wars: Episode VII, and while everyone is busy speculating over who will or won’t direct the next installment in the franchise, it appears that Disney already has its sights set on Episodes VIII and IX.  Word on the street is that the Mouse House is looking at Empire Strikes Back screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and X-Men: First Class scribe Simon Kinberg to possibly get to work on the next two installments in the new trilogy right away.  Hit the jump for more.

[Update: Kasdan and Kinberg's involvement has been confirmed along with the news that the two will also produce.  More after the jump.]

Just when I thought my limited edition poster appetite was satisfied, the Halloween season rolls around and Mondo drops this beauty from Ken Taylor for John Carpenter‘s masterpiece. Given that I wasn’t fortunate enough to attend the benefit at L.A.’s New Beverly Cinema where the print’s Regular edition of 225 was released for only $100 (which included a ticket to the screening no less!), I’m now banished to dealing with sellers who are already asking upwards of four times that number. Sigh. What’s a guy to do but drop ridiculous amounts of money on movie art?

But enough of Hoarders: Collectible Movie Poster Edition, standing out from this past week’s headlines is the huge news regarding Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm and the launch of a new Star Wars trilogy beginning in 2015, Wreck-It Ralph interviews with John C. Reilly and more, our American Film Market 2012 coverage, Francis Lawrence helming the remainder of The Hunger Games franchise (including a two-part adaptation of Mockingjay), and special Election 2012 assets including Joss Whedon‘s endorsement of the Zomney Apocalypse and the return of Idiocracy‘s President Dwayne Elizando Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

In the wake of Disney’s recent $4 billion purchase of Lucasfilm, it looks like Star Wars: The Clone Wars will be the first casualty.  Don’t worry, fans, the show itself will remain on the air, but its home will most likely be changing.  Having aired on Turner Entertainment’s Cartoon Network for its five-year run, the licensing rights were previously renewed with Lucasfilm each year; those rights run out at the end of the current 2012-2013 season.  Reps from both sides say they have yet to reach a decision on where the show will land at the end of the current season.  Hit the jump for more on the fate of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. 

You know that Disney just bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion and all the star wars that come with it.  George Lucas was the sole owner of Lucasfilm, and so all 4.05 billion dollars go to him.  Lucas has spent the last four decades minting money with the Star Wars franchise, and so thankfully can afford to be generous.  A Lucasfilm spokesperson tells THR that Lucas plans to “donate the majority of the proceeds to his philanthropic endeavors.”

Lucas is the chairman of Edutopia, a part of the George Lucas Educational Foundation and likeliest candidate to receive the donation.  Lucas is staying true to his 2010 pledge: “I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education.  It is the key to the survival of the human race.”  More after the jump.

A tiny bit of news broke this afternoon, as it was announced that Disney was acquiring George Lucas‘ LucasFilm and a new Star Wars film is being planned for release in 2015.  Naturally, the internet went a little nuts.  There was a bit of confusion surrounding the initial news nugget, but we learned a bit more as Disney and LucasFilm started revealing the details of the deal.  Star Wars: Episode 7 will kick off a new trilogy, with LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy overseeing the franchise as the executive producer while Lucas acts as a creative consultant.

In concert with the acquisition news, Lucas and Kennedy released a video online explaining why the decision was made to sell the company to Disney and what this means for Star Wars going forward.  Hit the jump to see what they had to say.

Cue internet explosion.  In a “holy shit” piece of news, Disney has purchased George Lucas’ Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, and has earmarked a 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII.  Yes, you read that right.  Not only will Disney be in command of the Star Wars empire, but a seventh entry in one of the most popular franchise of all time is in the works and set for release the same year as The Avengers 2 and Justice League.

I’m still in a fair amount of shock here, but with this move Disney has solidified its plans to take over the world as the company now houses Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm.  The new was announced by both companies, so this is no hoax.  Hit the jump for more.  [Update: We've updated the article with more information on the acquisition and the future of the franchise.]

If you’re a fan of the Indiana Jones franchise, September is a great month.  Not only did Raiders of the Lost Ark get a special one-week IMAX release, but the entire franchise hits Blu-ray next week and the box set is loaded with incredible behind-the-scenes extras.  For a full list of what’s included, click here.  But trust me when I say, this is a set absolutely worth owning.  Click here to order Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures on Amazon.

To help promote the release, I recently got to visit LucasFilm in San Francisco and participate in a group interview with Sound Designer Ben Burtt and Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren.  They talked about their thoughts on how the films hold up, the visual effects, their favorite moments, how Burtt came up with some of the signature sounds, if anything changed during the restoration process, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what they had to say.