What began in 1999 as a trial that was only expected to last for two or three years has now been extended a further decade because The LEGO Group and Disney have agreed to a new contract that will see the evergreen theme carry on until 2032.
The original license between Lucasfilm and LEGO was announced in 1998, and was due to expire in 2007, but having had enormous success with the LEGO Star Wars theme – one that was credited for saving the company from bankruptcy – the license was extended to 2011 in order to see out The Clone Wars animated television series. The continued popularity of the Clone Wars collection gave LEGO every reason to seek out an extension of their contract with Lucasfilm, which was given.
Confidential sources have shared that the current contract, which was between LEGO and Lucasfilm and due to expire this year, has now been renegotiated to include all Disney intellectual property – including The Muppets, Marvel, Frozen, Buzz Lightyear, and all the other classic characters as well as Star Wars.
While we aren’t in a position to reveal any details of the contract, we can share that fans hoping to see a Collectible Minifigure Series (CMF) based on characters from Star Wars are going to be disappointed because there’s no change in LEGO’s position as the new contract will not allow for these to be made.
While the contract renewal is great news all around, it is bittersweet for those Star Wars minifigure fans hoping to finally get a blind-bagged series of their own.
What do you think? Were you hoping that LEGO Star Wars would go on, or perhaps you wanted a break from the theme? Let us know!
Amazing! Here’s to another 10 years
As long the license doesn’t go past 2071 – when I turn 99 – that’s fine!