On Tuesday afternoon, the Walt Disney Company announced in a press release shortly before its investor call that it would acquire 100 percent of LucasFilm LTD for $4.05 billion, in cash and stock. In the press release, Disney also said it would invest in a new film, Star Wars Episode 7, which would be released in 2015, "with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future."

Disney will surely find many other ways to cash in on the beloved trilogy (and the less-beloved but still respected trilogy of prequels). "We also expect to utilize Star Wars in other businesses including Parks & Resorts, in games and in our television business. These initiatives were also considered in our valuation," Disney's press release said.

Disney's acquisition includes all the ventures of LucasFilm LTD, including the special effects powerhouse Industrial Light and Magic, as well as LucasArts and Skywalker Sound. "The present intent is for LucasFilm employees to remain in their current locations," Disney said.

"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," George Lucas was quoted in Disney's press release. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime."

During the Walt Disney conference call about the acquisition, the company said, "we plan to release one film every two to three years," after the seventh episode in 2015. It also said that while the Star Wars franchise is currently skewed toward "toys and North America," Disney plans to increase the "breadth and depth" of that appeal.

When asked during the conference call about how realistic the next Star Wars movies are, Robert Iger, Chairman and CEO of Disney said, "What we're buying along with the overall company... is a pretty expensive treatment for the first three movies," which would be considered episodes 7-9 of the franchise. "We're in the early stages of creating the first movie."

One reporter asked about the many games created by LucasArts, specifically social gaming, but Disney was vague about that answer: "We're likely to focus on social and mobile more than console. We'll look at console opportunistically."

"We didn't ascribe any value to the Indiana Jones franchise as part of this acquisition," Iger said later on in the call, suggesting no further installments of that franchise is on the horizon.