Following last week’s announcement that Lucasfilm Ltd., the company founded by filmmaker George Lucas, will be sold to the Walt Disney Co. for $4.05 billion, Mr. Lucas has expressed his intention to donate the majority of the proceeds of that deal to philanthropic efforts, with a primary emphasis on education.
The details, such as what kinds of educational endeavors would be funded, have not yet been announced, but the move falls in line with previous statements and actions from the creator of the “Star Wars” movies. Mr. Lucas founded the George Lucas Educational Foundation in 1991 to document and advocate research-based educational strategies to improve K-12 education. The content produced by the George Lucas Educational Foundation is released through Edutopia, an online magazine.
It is unclear whether the proceeds of the Lucasfilm sale will go into Mr. Lucas’ established philanthropic efforts or if a new foundation will be created.