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114-824: Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company founded by filmmaker George Lucas in 1971 in San Rafael, California , and later moved to San Francisco in 2005. It has been a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios since 2012 and is best known for creating and producing the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as its leadership in developing special effects, sound, and computer animation for films. The company's films Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) are all among

228-773: A "one time hit" or an ongoing "entertainment franchise " that can be continued, remade, rebooted , or expanded into other sister industries; such as the video game industry (see Star Wars , Star Trek ). Entertainment projects can be either an original or an adaptation from another industry. In rare occasional cases, a few troubled major studios would also shed their distribution and/or marketing staffs, mainly due to reduced resources, and resort to co-investing and/or co-distributing film projects with larger studios, operating as virtual, production-only movie studios. Notable examples include legendary studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , which, after many years of box office flops (mostly with low budgets), bad management and distribution, and bankruptcy,

342-497: A 3-disc expansion including the first compact disc release of the original soundtrack album, as well as John Barry 's complete score for the film. Huyck said that test screenings "went all right" and "people laughed", but Katz claimed she "tore up" negative response cards so that they could say, "Hey, we got a ninety-five percent on the screening!" Howard the Duck received mainly negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes ,

456-482: A comedy and that Howard should have been given either the Groucho Marx –like personality from his comic books or a fun Donald Duck–like persona. Ebert also criticized the soundtrack for being downbeat and bittersweet. Orange Coast writer Marc Weinberg and Leonard Maltin criticized the decision to shoot the film in live action. Maltin described the film as "hopeless .... a gargantuan production which produces

570-476: A computer. This was the first use of this technique, which soon became popular and was used in films such as Back to the Future Part II , Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Matrix . The effect of the feathers on Howard's head becoming erect during the love sequence took months to prepare. The voice of Howard, Chip Zien , was not cast until after the shooting was completed. Because Gale's voice

684-405: A contract) or as a subsidiary for an entertainment company, motion picture company, television network, or all, and are generally smaller than the company they are partnered with. A book to film unit is a unit of a book publishing company for the purposes of getting books that they published adapted into film . Films have been using books as a prime source for films for years. In 2012, six out of

798-426: A corporation to a limited liability company (LLC), changing its name to Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC in the process. On December 21, 2012, Disney completed the acquisition and Lucasfilm became a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney. At the time of Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox , the original distributor of the first six Star Wars films, were to retain the physical and theatrical distribution rights to both

912-614: A development and co-finance plan. Macmillan Films was launched by Thomas Dunne Books in October 2010 under the packaging model similar to Alloy while also moving to get film rights from Dunne's published author. Also that year, Random House changed their strategy to film development and packaging only. Condé Nast Entertainment was started by Magazine publisher Conde Nast in October 2012. In 2013, Macmillan Films became Macmillan Entertainment with an expansion to look at other divisions' book for possible films. A production company

1026-401: A gargantuan headache". People magazine seemed to agree: "Lucasfilm promised us The Mallard Who Fell to Earth ; the result turned out to be more like Xanaduck ...Who'd have imagined that Howard T. Duck, the same web-footed wiseacre who conquered the incredible Space Turnip and the horrible Hellcow, might be done in by something even more ridiculous: Hollywood?" The appearance of Howard

1140-467: A hair dryer was stuffed in Howard's bill to keep Gale cool. Gale taped two of his fingers together to wear the three-fingered hands created for the Howard costume. A total of six actors gave physical performances as Howard. Gerber was impressed by Howard's appearance, and commented, "It was very bizarre to meet it and … realize not just that I created it – that would have been bizarre enough… you know, it

1254-509: A horror sequence with which they were having difficulty. During the screenwriting process, a stronger emphasis was placed on special effects, rather than satire and story. Overall, the tone of the film is in diametric opposition to the comics. Whereas Katz declared, "It's a film about a duck from outer space... It's not supposed to be an existential experience... We're supposed to have fun with this concept, but for some reason, reviewers weren't able to get over that problem." Gerber declared that

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1368-401: A job as a janitor at a romance spa but eventually quits and returns to Beverly, who plays in a band called Cherry Bomb. At the club where Cherry Bomb is performing, Howard confronts their manager when he insults the band and plans to coerce Beverly. A fight breaks out, which Howard wins. Howard rejoins Beverly backstage and accompanies her back to her apartment, where Beverly persuades him to be

1482-593: A meeting that George Lucas had with Disney CEO Bob Iger during the inauguration of the Star Tours – The Adventures Continue attraction. Lucas told Iger he was considering retirement and planned to sell the company, as well as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. On October 30, 2012, Disney announced a deal to acquire Lucasfilm for $ 4.05 billion, with approximately half in cash and half in shares of Disney stock. Lucasfilm had previously collaborated with

1596-557: A new studio in Singapore. That same year, Lucasfilm Animation commenced production of a 3D animated Star Wars television series called Star Wars: The Clone Wars , with key production team members including executive producer Catherine Winder , supervising director Dave Filoni , Head of Lucasfilm Animation Singapore Chris Kubsch, and Henry Gilroy . Primary production took place at Lucasfilm Animation's Singapore studio. Airing on Cartoon Network between 2008 and 2013, The Clone Wars

1710-465: A private corporate investment entity (see Legendary Pictures ). Their only source of profit comes from the productions they produce. Because entertainment and media are currently in "high demand", a production company can profit if its management is capable of using its resources to supply good quality products and services to the public. Many entertainment production companies brand their entertainment projects. An entertainment project can either become

1824-513: A producer of the Indiana Jones films, had been appointed as co-chair of Lucasfilm Ltd. It was reported that Kennedy would work alongside Lucas, who would remain chief executive and serve as co-chairman for at least one year, after which she would succeed him as the company's chairperson, which she did in June 2013. On July 8, 2012, Lucasfilm's marketing, online, and licensing units moved into

1938-451: A production. The entertainment industry is centered on funding (investments from studios, investment firms, or individuals either from earnings from previous productions or personal wealth), projects (scripts and entertainment franchises), and talent ( actors , directors, screenwriters , and crew). Production companies are judged and ranked based on the amount of funding it has, as well the productions it has completed or been involved with in

2052-445: A self-publishing vanity press which are paid services. Both large and small production studios have an editorial board or editor-in-chief , along with other forms of a command hierarchy . Entertainment companies operate as mini conglomerate , operating many divisions or subsidiaries in many different industries. Warner Bros. Entertainment and Lionsgate Entertainment are two companies with this corporate structure. It allows for

2166-512: A sequel ceased. Following the box office failure, Huyck and Katz left for Hawaii and refused to read any reviews. Howard the Duck was first released on VHS and LaserDisc in January 1987. It was released on a Special Edition DVD by Universal Studios on March 10, 2009. The film was released on Blu-ray on March 8, 2016. It was later released on 4K Blu-ray to commemorate the film's 35th Anniversary in 2021. A novelization of Howard

2280-426: A single company to maintain control over seemingly unrelated companies that fall within the ranges of entertainment, which increases and centralises the revenue into one company (example: a film production company, TV production company, video game company, and comic book company are all owned by a single entertainment company). A motion picture company, such as Paramount Pictures , specializing "only" in motion pictures

2394-535: A week before quitting, stating: "I can't do this. It is insane. I can't get the rhythm of this. I am being confined. I am being handcuffed in order to match the flapping duck's bill." As a result, Chip Zien was cast because the filmmakers felt his nasal voice suited the part. Because Howard's voice was not cast until the film had begun editing, synchronization was extremely difficult. Principal photography began on November 11, 1985, and wrapped on March 27, 1986. Jeffrey Jones altered his voice for Jenning after

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2508-433: A woman being attacked by thugs, whom he defeats using a unique style of martial arts . The woman, Beverly Switzler , takes Howard to her apartment and lets him spend the night. The following day, Beverly takes Howard to Phil Blumburtt, a scientist who Beverly hopes can help Howard return to his world. After Phil is revealed to be only a lab assistant, Howard resigns himself to life on Earth and rejects Beverly's aid. He gets

2622-476: Is captured and is almost killed by the diner chef, but the Dark Overlord destroys the diner and escapes with Beverly. Howard locates Phil, and they discover an ultralight aircraft , which they use to search for the Dark Overlord and Beverly. At the laboratory, the Dark Overlord plans to transfer another of his kind into Beverly's body with the dimension machine. Howard and Phil arrive and seemingly destroy

2736-402: Is considered to be a small production company. These companies often work with up and coming talent. Small production companies will either grow to become a major production company, a subsidiary completely owned by another company, remain small, or fail. The success of an entertainment production company is centered on the projects it produces, the talent it can acquire, and the performance of

2850-442: Is only connected with its other counterpart industries through its parent company. Instead of performing a corporate reorganization, many motion picture companies often have sister companies they collaborate with in other industries that are subsidiaries owned by their parent company and is often not involved in the making of products that are not motion picture related. A film production company can either operate as an affiliate (under

2964-410: Is owned by Paramount Global ). Alloy Entertainment while not a unit of a publisher started using a book packaging to film model of film and TV development by developing the property in-house, hire authors for the books and films, so as to own the property. Random House was the first big six book publisher to establish a book to film unit, Random House Films , in 2005 with a Focus Features deal under

3078-448: Is usually run by a producer or director, but can also be run by a career executive. In entertainment, a production company relies highly on talent or a well known entertainment franchise to raise the value of an entertainment project and draw out larger audiences. This gives the entertainment industry a democratized power structure to ensure that both the companies and talent receive their fair share of pay and recognition for work done on

3192-584: The 50 highest-grossing films of all time, with The Force Awakens becoming the highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada . On October 30, 2012, Disney acquired Lucasfilm for $ 4.05 billion in the form of cash and in stock. Lucasfilm is currently one of five live-action film studios within the Walt Disney Studios, alongside Walt Disney Pictures , Marvel Studios , 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures . Lucasfilm

3306-506: The video game development division of Lucasfilm, underwent closure, resulting in layoffs for most of its staff. Despite this, LucasArts maintained a small team to handle video game licensing. Disney subsequently entered an exclusive agreement with Electronic Arts (EA) to produce Star Wars games for the core gaming market for a decade. LucasArts retained licensing rights, while Disney Interactive Studios focused on casual gaming. EA's exclusivity deal ended in January 2021. In January 2014, it

3420-421: The "studio system". Independent studios usually prefer production house (see Lionsgate ), production studio (see Amazon Studios ), or production team (see Rooster Teeth ). In the case of television, a production company would serve under a television network . Production companies can work together in co-productions . In music, the term production team typically refers to a group of individuals filling

3534-626: The 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special for 20th Century Fox Television . That year, Lucas hired Los Angeles-based real-estate specialist Charles Weber to manage the company, telling him that he could keep the job as long as he made money. Lucas wanted the focus of the company to be making independent films, but the company gradually became enlarged from five employees to almost 100, increasing in middle management and running up costs. In 1980, after Weber asked Lucas for fifty million dollars to invest in other companies and suggested that they sell Skywalker Ranch to do so, Lucas fired Weber and had to let half of

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3648-710: The Dark Overlord with an experimental neutron disintegrator, but the creature is merely forced out of Jenning's body and attacks them in its true form. Howard fires the neutron disintegrator at the beast, obliterating him. He then destroys the laser spectroscope, preventing more Dark Overlords from arriving on Earth, but at the cost of his only chance of returning to Duckworld. Howard then becomes Beverly's manager, hires Phil as an employee on her tour, and performs with her on stage. Future Nirvana and Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear appears as an extra. George Lucas attended film school with Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz , who later co-wrote American Graffiti with Lucas. After

3762-645: The Dial of Destiny , become the first film in the franchise and Lucasfilm's first film overall to be co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures . In early 2013, Disney CEO Bob Iger disclosed Lucasfilm's plans to release standalone Star Wars films alongside the Sequel Trilogy over a six-year period. This strategy aimed to expand the Star Wars universe beyond the main saga. The first of these standalone films, Rogue One , premiered in 2016, followed by Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018. On May 6, 2013, LucasArts ,

3876-532: The Duck (released in the United Kingdom as Howard... A New Breed of Hero ) is a 1986 American superhero comedy film directed by Willard Huyck and starring Lea Thompson , Jeffrey Jones , and Tim Robbins . Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name , the film was produced by Gloria Katz and written by Huyck and Katz, with George Lucas as executive producer. The screenplay

3990-526: The Duck in all its great silliness and blemishes." Jeffrey Jones also said he is happy with his role in the film. In retrospect, Huyck and Katz suggested that the film "could have had a more Ted -like tone" and "been edgier and dirtier," but that at the time "Universal wanted a family-friendly movie." In 1997, Steve Gerber expressed his overall dissatisfaction with the film: What can I say? It sucks. In retrospect, though, after eleven years that have brought us so many worse films, it's not quite as sucky as

4104-405: The Duck was released in theaters on August 1, 1986. Upon its release, the film was a critical and commercial failure and was criticized for its humor, performances, inconsistent tone, and appearance of the title character, though the effects and soundtrack were mostly praised. In the years since, it has been considered among the worst films ever made , but has also developed a cult following . It

4218-486: The Duck was written by former National Lampoon editor Ellis Weiner . The reaction to the film had a negative effect on the cast, who found themselves unable to work on other projects because of the film. The bad press right at the opening weekend had Lea Thompson accepting a role in Some Kind of Wonderful , which she had refused previously, because, as she said, "I had to get on another movie, I wouldn't have done

4332-488: The Duck ", because the studio had passed on previous projects in which Lucas was involved, which had been very successful. Sheinberg denied any involvement in Howard the Duck , claiming that he never read the screenplay. Huyck and Katz strongly felt that the film should be animated. Because Universal needed a film for a summer release and thinking that animating the film would take too long or cost too much, Lucas suggested that

4446-402: The Duck . Katz said Lucas continued to support the film after its failure because he felt it would later be seen in a better light than it had been at the time of its release. Huyck said he later encountered fans and supporters of the film who felt that it had been unfairly treated by critics. Lea Thompson has stated that she had fun making the film and is happy to find fans "celebrating Howard

4560-487: The Duck complaining to Marvel that his movie was not given a special Blu-ray re-release to celebrate its 25th anniversary. He eventually gets Joe Quesada to try to appeal to, and bribe, George Lucas into supporting the re-release. In 2014, the Los Angeles Times listed the film as one of the costliest box-office flops of all time. Writer Chip Zdarsky , who took on Howard's comics in the 2010s, revealed he

4674-522: The Jedi (1983) was in production, Lucas decided not to pursue further Star Wars films. Despite the third film achieving similar classic status to its two predecessors, George was unhappy with the cinema presentation of Return of the Jedi , he created the company THX , which was unveiled on May 20, 1983. Lucasfilm produced the John Korty -directed animated film Twice Upon a Time (1983). 1985 saw

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4788-534: The Los Angeles staff go. By the same year, the corporate subsidiary had been discontinued and its business was absorbed into the various divisions of Lucasfilm. And of course, it was also the same year when second Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back , was released in cinemas as an official sequel to the original 1977 film. Between 1981 and 1989, three Indiana Jones films, stories by Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg , were released. While Return of

4902-479: The Lucasfilm story group. Lucasfilm continued its expansion globally, opening its regional headquarters in Singapore in 2014. This facility housed staff from Lucasfilm, The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia and ESPN Asia Pacific. Meanwhile, between 2015 and 2018, Lucasfilm released several cinematic films, including critical and commercial successes like Episode VII: The Force Awakens and Rogue One , alongside

5016-441: The altered voice of Jenning during his possession by the Dark Overlord "with a slight bit of enhancement every now and then" by sound designer Ben Burtt . Stop motion effects during the climax were designed by Phil Tippett , who began with a clay model before upgrading to more sophisticated pieces. The film's score was written by John Barry , although some of it was replaced by material composed by Sylvester Levay (most notably

5130-527: The band and record the songs so they could be synchronized during filming. The final sequence, in which Cherry Bomb performs the film's title song, was shot in front of a live audience at The Warfield in San Francisco. The song was co-written by Dolby, Allee Willis and George Clinton . Gale was choreographed to dance and play guitar as Howard. Dolby built a special guitar for Gale to use for rehearsal and filming. In 2019, Intrada Records released

5244-430: The band's new manager. The two flirt and get into bed, but they are interrupted by Phil and two of his colleagues, who reveal that a laser spectroscope they were inventing was aimed at Howard's planet and transported him to Earth when it was activated. They theorize that Howard can be sent back to his world through a reversal of this process. Upon their arrival at the laboratory, the laser spectroscope malfunctions, raising

5358-580: The character 's cameo appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy and its 2017 sequel , expressing hope at directing it herself. In 2021, following the release of a trailer for the Disney+ animated series What If...? , which prominently featured Howard, Thompson once again indicated her interest in directing the film. She later revealed that she had pitched the film, following Howard stranded on Earth after

5472-472: The character's possession by the Dark Overlord, which he demonstrated when interviewed by Dallas-Fort Worth reporter Bobbie Wygant . The ultralight sequence was difficult, requiring intense coordination and actors Robbins and Gale to actually fly the plane. The location scout was stumped for a location for the sequence; after she described what she was looking for, a telephone repairman working in her office in San Francisco suggested Petaluma, California , for

5586-413: The comic-book series was an existential joke, stating, "'This is no joke!' There it is. The cosmic giggle. The funniest gag in the universe. Life's most serious moments and most incredibly dumb moments are often distinguishable only by a momentary point of view. Anyone who doesn't believe this probably cannot enjoy reading Howard the Duck ." However, after shooting was finished, Gerber stated that he felt

5700-578: The company's Walt Disney Imagineering division to create theme park attractions centered on Star Wars and Indiana Jones for various Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide. Kathleen Kennedy , co-chairwoman of Lucasfilm, became president of Lucasfilm, reporting to the Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn . Additionally, she serves as the brand manager for Star Wars , working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize

5814-455: The company's daily activities. In some cases, a production company can be run by only a handful of people. The company's funds are mainly committed towards employing talent, crew, and acquiring new updated production equipment on a regular basis. Many productions often require at least one to two cameras and lighting equipment for on location shooting. Production equipment is either leased or purchased from another production company or directly from

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5928-437: The distribution and ownership rights to all the films under its umbrella. In December 2013, Walt Disney Studios purchased the distribution and marketing rights to future Indiana Jones films from Paramount Pictures , although the latter studio would retain the distribution rights to the first four films and would receive "financial participation" from any additional films. This would make the fifth installment, Indiana Jones and

6042-564: The documentary A Look Back at Howard the Duck , Huyck, Katz and Lucas began to seriously consider adapting Howard the Duck as a film, and met with Gerber to discuss the project. Steve Gerber's account differs slightly; he recalls that at the time he was approached to discuss the film, Lucas was not yet involved with the project. The film was optioned by Universal Studios after a partnership with Marvel Comics. According to Marvin Antonowsky, "Sidney [Sheinberg] lobbied very hard for Howard

6156-440: The exposure, when shooting in public locations, major productions often employ security to ensure the protection of the talent and crew working on a specific production. After filming is completed, the production enters into post production, which is handled by a post production company and overseen by the production company. The editing, musical score, visual effects, re-recording of the dialog, and sound effects are "mixed" to create

6270-464: The film a grade "B−" on a scale of A to F. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave one star out of four, called it a "stupid film" and said, "the story has no center; the duck is not likable, and the...special effects...are less impressive than a sparkler on a birthday cake." On their television show , both Siskel and his co-host Roger Ebert complained that the movie was not enough of

6384-406: The film could be produced in live-action, with special effects created by ILM. Production designer Peter Jamison and director of photography Richard Kline were hired to give the film a look similar to that of a color comic book. Throughout the shoot, Huyck shot multiple segments establishing Duckworld, designed by Jamison. In the opening shot, the skyline displayed could easily be New York City but

6498-449: The film has an approval rating of 13%, based on 83 reviews, with an average rating of 3.8/10, making it the lowest-rated Lucasfilm production. The site's consensus states: "While it has its moments, Howard the Duck suffers from an uneven tone and mediocre performances." On Metacritic the film has a score of 28 out of 100, based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave

6612-399: The film was faithful to both the spirit of the comic book and the characters of Howard and Beverly. An early proposed storyline involved the character being transported to Hawaii . Huyck states that this storyline was considered because "we thought it would be sort of fun to shoot there". According to Katz, they did not want to explain how Howard arrived on Earth initially, but later rewrote

6726-420: The film's final sequences. Common Sense Media criticized the film for the pointless plot lines and the excessive use of sexual innuendo. The group set the appropriate age for the movie at 13+. The film grossed US$ 16,295,774 in the United States and US$ 21,667,000 worldwide for a total of US$ 37,962,774. When the film was screened for Universal, Katz said that the studio's executives left without commenting on

6840-408: The film's production concluded, Lucas told Huyck and Katz about the comic book Howard the Duck , primarily written by Steve Gerber , describing the series as being "very funny" and praising its elements of film noir and absurdism . In 1984, Lucas relinquished his presidency of Lucasfilm to focus on producing films. Lucas wanted John Landis to direct the film, but Landis declined. According to

6954-404: The film. Screenings for test audiences were met with mixed response. Rumors circulated that Universal production heads Frank Price and Sidney Sheinberg engaged in a fistfight after arguing over who was to blame for green-lighting the film. Both executives denied the rumors. News reports speculated that one or both would be fired by MCA chairman Lew Wasserman . Price soon left the studio and

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7068-425: The final film, which is then screened at the final screening. Marketing is also launched during this phase, such as the release of trailers and posters. Once a final film has been approved, the film is taken over by the distributors, who then release the film. For legal reasons, it is common within the entertainment industry for production companies not to accept unsolicited materials from any other company, talent, or

7182-400: The general public. It is also common for filmmakers or producers to become entrepreneurs and open their own production companies so that they can have more control over their careers and pay, while acting as an "in-house" creative and business driving force for their company but continuing to freelance as an artist for other companies, if desired. Howard the Duck (film) Howard

7296-426: The guild. Productions with smaller budgets are allowed to use both guild talent and talent from the public. The majority of the talent and crew working in the entertainment industry are members of their professions guild. Most productions in the entertainment industry are guild productions. A production company is responsible for the development and filming of a specific production or media broadcast. In entertainment,

7410-422: The inside of the puppet's neck was visible when its mouth opened. Huyck repeatedly reshot scenes involving Howard as the animatronics were improved. Because multiple puppeteers were in charge of controlling different parts of the animatronic body, Huyck was unable to coordinate the shoot properly. The opening sequence where Howard's chair is propelled out of his apartment used wires that were later digitally erased by

7524-426: The less successful Solo . After the mixed performance of Solo at the box office, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed a slow down in release of new Star Wars films. Lucasfilm moved its focus on developing content for Disney+ by launching several programs including the successful series The Mandalorian series on Disney+. In November 2023, Dave Filoni revealed that he was promoted to be the chief creative officer at

7638-440: The manufacturer. In the entertainment industry, in order to secure experienced professional talent and crew, production companies often become a signatory company to that talent or crew members "guild". By becoming a signatory company, it agrees to abide by the guild regulations. All big budget guild productions are exclusive to guild members and non guild members are not allowed to participate in these productions unless authorized by

7752-538: The movie if Howard wasn't such a bomb." According to Ed Gale, he was hired to work on Spaceballs because Mel Brooks had said, "Anybody who's in Howard the Duck can be in my movie." Gale also said he receives more fan mail for his Howard the Duck portrayal than for his Chucky performances, the antagonist in the Child's Play horror film series. After the film's release, Huyck and Katz chose to work on more dramatic projects to separate themselves from Howard

7866-420: The music for the scene where Howard and Phil fly the ultralight—Barry's original cue is heard on the soundtrack album). Thomas Dolby wrote the film's songs, and chose the members of Cherry Bomb. Actress Lea Thompson performed her own singing for the role, although she states that the filmmakers were unsure as to whether they would keep her vocals in the final film. Thompson was required to learn choreography with

7980-649: The new Letterman Digital Arts Center located in the Presidio in San Francisco. It shares the complex with Industrial Light & Magic. Lucasfilm had planned an expansion at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County , California, but shelved the plan in 2012 due to opposition from neighbors. However, it still plans to expand elsewhere. Skywalker Sound remains the only Lucasfilm division based at Skywalker Ranch. On September 5, 2012, Micheline Chau, who served as president and COO of Lucasfilm for two decades, announced that she

8094-485: The nine best picture Oscar nominees were originally books. Previously, publishers did not develop their books into movie nor receive any of the profits. Neither Scholastic or Little Brown, get any box office revenue from the Harry Potter and The Twilight Saga movies just through book sales. As the publishers faced decreasing revenue due to increased competition from self-published e-books, or Amazon.com moving into

8208-415: The organization of staff, the production itself, post-production , distribution, and marketing . Production companies are often either owned or under contract with a media conglomerate , film studio , record label , video game publisher , or entertainment company, due to the concentration of media ownership , who act as the production company' s partner or parent company . This has become known as

8322-404: The overtime." Robbins admitted that he thinks more about the money he made than the quality of the film. To play the physical role of Howard, Huyck and Katz held casting calls with dwarf actors, eventually casting child actor Jordan Prentice and hiring Ed Gale , who had been rejected because he was too tall for the role, to perform stunts and play the role during evening shoots. Prentice found

8436-424: The past. If a production company has major funding either through earnings, studio investors, or private investors, and has done or been involved with big budget productions in the past, it is considered to be a major production company. These companies often work with well-known and expensive talent. If a production company does not have much funding and has not done or been involved with any big budget productions, it

8550-486: The personality of the title character, played the story straight instead of as a satire, removed the surrealist elements, and added supernatural elements that could highlight special effects work done by Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic . The filmmakers consulted with Disney 's lawyers to make sure Howard did not resemble the Disney character Donald Duck too closely. Howard's appearance was redesigned several times during

8664-474: The possibility of something else being transported to Earth. At this point, Dr. Walter Jenning is possessed by a life form from a distant region of space. When they visit a diner, the creature introduces himself as a "Dark Overlord of the Universe" and demonstrates his developing mental powers by destroying the table, utensils, and condiments. A fight ensues when a group of truckers in the diner insults Howard. He

8778-439: The prequel trilogy and Episodes V and VI of the original trilogy until May 2020, along with full distribution rights for the original 1977 film in perpetuity. Lucasfilm retained the television and digital distribution rights to Star Wars Episodes I through VI with exception to Episode IV . On March 20, 2019, Disney officially acquired 20th Century Fox after acquiring its owner, 21st Century Fox , thus consolidating all

8892-400: The process, including his clothes and the shape of his bill. The film's screenplay was adapted into comic book format by the writer Danny Fingeroth and artist Kyle Baker for Marvel Comics. The adaptation appeared in both Marvel Super Special #41 and in a three-issue limited series . After auditioning a number of actresses, singers, and models for the role of Beverly, Lea Thompson

9006-416: The production process begins with the development of a specific project. Once a final script has been produced by the screenwriters, the production enters into the pre-production phase, most productions never reach this phase for financing or talent reasons. In pre-production, the actors are signed on and prepared for their roles, crew is signed on, shooting locations are found, sets are built or acquired, and

9120-486: The production's shooting locations for both privacy and safety reasons. In many cases, the director, producers, and the leading actors are often the only people with access to a full or majority of a single script. Supporting actors, background actors, and crew often never receive a full copy of a specific script to prevent leaks. Productions are often shot in secured studios, with limited to no public access, but they are also shot on location on secured sets or locations. Due to

9234-435: The project. For example, in a theatrical performance, the production team has not only the running crew , but also the theatrical producer , designers , and theatrical direction . The production company may be directly responsible for fundraising the production or may accomplish this through a parent company , partner, or private investor. It handles budgeting, scheduling, scripting, the supply with talent and resources ,

9348-552: The proper shooting permits are acquired for on location shooting. Actors and crew are hand picked by the producer, director, and casting director, who often use collaborators or referenced personnel to prevent untrusted or unwelcomed people from gaining access to a specific production and compromising the entire production through leaks. Once a production enters into principal photography, it begins filming. Productions are almost never cancelled once they reach this phase. Codenames are often used on bigger productions during filming to conceal

9462-517: The publishing field, publishers have started to enter the film and TV production business to boost their net income with Amazon attempting to compete there too. More screenwriters are turning to book publishers to get their screenplay published as a book, so as to have a boost in their attempt to have the screenplay turned into a movie, given that it is a known product after the book. Publisher Simon & Schuster , though not involved with film and TV, shares possible film and TV deals with CBS (S&S

9576-503: The release of Paul Schrader 's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters . The next year, Jim Henson 's Labyrinth and an adaptation of Marvel Comics ' Howard the Duck were released. Ron Howard directed the fantasy film Willow in 1988 (story by Lucas); the same year the children's animated film The Land Before Time was released. From 1992 to 1993, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (created by Lucas) television series

9690-613: The release of the third prequel film Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2005 where all three prequels had received mixed to negative reviews. In addition to the prequels, Lucas released the Special Editions for the Star Wars Original Trilogy in 1997, 2004 and 2011, for VHS , DVD and Blu-ray , which were met with increasingly negative reception. In 1987, the company, which at that time,

9804-483: The reviews might have led you to believe. Still, there are big problems with it, chief among them, the duck costume and the duck's bland voice. I liked the performances by Jeffrey Jones, Tim Robbins, and Lea Thompson, though. Lea wasn't playing "my" Beverly, but she did reasonably well with the role as it was written. In June 2012, the YouTube series Marvel Superheroes: What the--?! featured an episode starring Howard

9918-539: The role of " record producer " usually reserved for one individual. Some examples of musical production teams include Matmos and D-Influence . The aforementioned publishing conglomerates distribute said creative works, but it is not uncommon for production companies to act as a publication . For example, The Walt Disney Company and Nintendo act as publisher for Walt Disney Animation Studios and Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development respectively. Self-publishing , in this case, should not be confused with

10032-468: The scene. Because of the limited shooting time, a third unit was hired to speed up the process. The climax was shot in a naval installation in San Francisco , where conditions were cold throughout. The film cost an estimated US$ 30–36 million to produce. Howard was initially intended to be a fully computerized character but these attempts proved unsuccessful. The idea of fully puppeteering Howard

10146-411: The screenplay so that the film would begin on Howard's homeworld. Huyck and Katz wanted to incorporate both lighter, humorous elements and darker, suspenseful elements. Katz states that some readers were confused by the sexual elements of the screenplay, as they were unsure as to whether the film was intended for adults or children. Huyck and Katz wrote the ending leaving the story open for a sequel, which

10260-610: The shooting conditions to be too difficult to handle, and the film's editors were unable to match day and evening sequences because of the difference in the two portrayals. Because Gale also served as an understudy, he took over the role. Although many actors and comedians pursed to voice Howard such as Jay Leno , but they were all turned down; Huyck and Katz auditioned a number of actors including John Cusack , Robin Williams , and Martin Short for Howard's voice. Williams worked for

10374-470: The shooting, he chose to miss the deadline on the first issue of The Spectre so he could watch the final day. Huyck and Katz began to develop ideas. Early on in production, it was decided that the personality of the character would be changed from that of the comics, in which Howard was rude and obnoxious, to make the character nicer. Gerber read over the script and offered his comments and suggestions. In addition, Huyck and Katz met with Gerber to discuss

10488-405: The studio and would be directly involved in the planning of future Star Wars films and Star Wars in other series . Former subsidiaries of Lucasfilm are: Production company Generally the term refers to all individuals responsible for the technical aspects of creating a particular product, regardless of where in the process their expertise is required, or how long they are involved in

10602-415: The talent. Marketing is also a major factor. All films, as a tradition, are often marketed around the image and the performance of the actors; with an option of marketing the behind the scenes crew such as the directors and screenwriters. Unlike many other businesses, a production company does not rely on an ongoing revenue stream , they operate on ongoing investments; this often requires a parent company or

10716-439: The two moons visible in the sky (at similar angles from one another as the two suns of Tatooine in the original Star Wars film). Howard's apartment is filled with detailed props, including books and magazines featuring duck-oriented puns. Because Lucas often worked with dwarf actors, he was able to hire a number of extras to work on these sequences. Though Gerber's schedule generally prevented him from being present during

10830-619: The value of this global franchise. Kennedy serves as producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas originally announced as serving as a creative consultant. The company also announced the future release of new Star Wars films, starting with Episode VII: The Force Awakens in 2015. Under the deal, Disney acquired ownership of Star Wars , Indiana Jones , and Lucasfilm's operating businesses in live-action film production, consumer products, video games, animation, visual effects, and audio post-production. Disney also acquired Lucasfilm's portfolio of entertainment technologies. The intent

10944-454: Was a fan of the movie growing up and had the 2016 run of the title featuring metafictional references to the film. The plot had Lea Thompson hiring Howard and discovering the villain Mojo had hypnotized her into playing Beverly opposite an alien in a Howard costume. In a June 2018 interview, Lea Thompson said that she was going to pitch Marvel Studios a new Howard the Duck movie following

11058-521: Was announced that Dark Horse Comics would be losing its license for Star Wars comics to Marvel Comics , another Disney subsidiary, in 2015. That April, Lucasfilm announced that the Star Wars Expanded Universe content would be rebranded as Star Wars Legends , with only selected works, including the six episodic films and The Clone Wars , deemed canon. Additionally, a new line of canon Star Wars books began publication under

11172-552: Was cast because of his performance in Amadeus . Although Tim Robbins had no prior film experience, Huyck and Katz were confident that he was right for the part. Robbins said in a later interview that he doesn't look back negatively at the film as he "got this big job that was paying a really decent salary and it was for George Lucas … so it was a huge deal at the time. And then it wound up going over its shooting schedule, and I ended up getting paid twice for that movie because of all

11286-529: Was cast due to her appearance in Back to the Future . Thompson purchased clothing from thrift stores because she wanted to appear at the audition as "a cross between Madonna and Cyndi Lauper ." During the shoot, Thompson complained that the filmmakers chose to shoot Howard's closeup before hers. Thompson also states that she regrets not wearing a wig, as her hairstyle took two hours a day to prepare. Jeffrey Jones

11400-455: Was criticized as being unconvincing due to his poorly functioning mouth and expressionless face. Reviewers also criticized the acting and humor and found the film boring. In The Psychotronic Video Guide , Michael Weldon described the reactions to Howard as being inconsistent, and, "It was obviously made in LA and suffered from long, boring chase scenes", but praised the stop-motion special effects in

11514-559: Was difficult to hear through the suit, Huyck ordered Gale to perform his scenes without speaking any of the required dialogue, which was later synchronized during the editing process. Lead puppeteer Tim Rose was given a microphone attached to a small speaker, which would allow Rose to speak the dialogue to help the actors respond to Howard's dialogue. While wearing his suit, Gale could only see through Howard's mouth and had to sense his location without proper eyesight. Gale often had to walk backward before beginning rehearsals. In between takes,

11628-454: Was expanding from three to five films a year on its own, decided to increase making its Northern California production facilities available to other filmmakers. In 1989, Lucasfilm launched a new subsidiary Lucasfilm Entertainment Group (later LucasArts Entertainment Company) to consolidate all four units, which are Industrial Light & Magic , Lucasfilm Commercial Productions, Lucasfilm Games , and Sprocket Systems . In 2005, Lucasfilm opened

11742-428: Was explored, but the filmmakers determined they would need an actor in a suit to portray him for much of the film. Lucasfilm built animatronic suits, costumes and puppets. Because of the limited preparation time, varied "ducks" created for the film would explode or lose feathers, and multiple ducks were built with the wrong proportions. On the first day of shooting, the crew realized the poor quality when they found that

11856-660: Was for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations. Star Wars merchandising would begin under Disney in the fiscal year 2014. Starting with Star Wars Rebels , certain products will be co-branded with the Disney name, akin to what Disney has done with Pixar . On December 4, 2012, the Disney-Lucasfilm merger was approved by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), allowing the acquisition to be finalized without dealing with antitrust problems. On December 18, 2012, Lucasfilm Ltd. converted from

11970-578: Was founded by filmmaker George Lucas in 1971 in San Rafael, California , and was incorporated as Lucasfilm Ltd. on September 12, 1977. In the mid-1970s, the company's offices were located on the Universal Studios Lot . Lucas founded the Star Wars Corporation, Inc. as a subsidiary to control various legal and financial aspects of Star Wars (1977), including copyright, and sequel and merchandising rights. It also produced

12084-566: Was never produced. The film was originally intended to be animated based on the character created by Steve Gerber and quoting scripts by Bill Mantlo . In particular, the "Duckworld" story of Howard the Duck magazine #6 was to serve as a basis for the script. A contractual obligation required Lucas to provide a distributor with a live-action film, so he decided to make the film using live actors and to use special effects for Howard. Katz said that an animated film "would have taken too much time and too much money." The script significantly altered

12198-490: Was nominated for seven Razzie Awards (winning four), and made about US$ 38 million (US$ 16.3 million domestically) compared to its US$ 30–37 million budget. Howard the Duck lives on Duckworld, a planet similar to Earth but inhabited by anthropomorphic ducks . One night, his armchair propels him out of his apartment building and into outer space; Howard lands on Earth , in Cleveland , Ohio . Upon arriving, he encounters

12312-523: Was originally intended to be an animated film, but the film adaptation became live-action because of a contractual obligation. While several TV adaptations of Marvel characters were aired, this was the first theatrical release since the Captain America serial of 1944. Lucas proposed adapting the comic book following the production of American Graffiti (1973). After multiple production difficulties and mixed response to test screenings, Howard

12426-407: Was produced. In 1992, after viewing an early computer-generated imagery test created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) for Jurassic Park , Lucas announced his intentions to produce a Star Wars Prequel Trilogy . In 1994, the long-delayed Radioland Murders (story by Lucas) was released. In 1995, Lucas began production on the prequel trilogy. The trilogy took 10 years to make, ending with

12540-649: Was restructured at the end of 2010 under new management and currently struck deals with some of the Big Six studios (most notably the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group and Warner Bros. ); Miramax , which was downsized by former owner Disney into a smaller division. Because a production company is only operational when a production is being produced and most of the talent and crew are freelancers , many production companies are only required to hire management staff that helps to oversee

12654-474: Was retiring. With her departure, senior executives for each of the Lucasfilm divisions would report directly to Kathleen Kennedy. Chau was credited with keeping the Lucasfilm and Star Wars brands strong, especially through animation spin-offs and licensing initiatives. Discussions relating to the possibility of The Walt Disney Company signing a distribution deal with Lucasfilm officially began in May 2011, after

12768-474: Was sort of like meeting a child I didn't know I had …" Makeup artists Tom Burman and Bari Dreiband-Burman and actor Jones discussed the appearance of the Dark Overlord with Huyck and Katz and developed the character's progressing looks. When Katz's daughter visited during filming, she was terrified by Jones' appearance in makeup. The diner sequence combines practical effects, including squibs and air cannons, with visual effects created by ILM. Jones provided

12882-461: Was succeeded by Tom Pollack. In an article titled "DUCK Cooks Price's Goose", the September 17, 1986 issue of Variety attributed his departure to the failure of the movie, although Price had not approved the film's production. In July 1986, Huyck and Katz stated that the film's ending left it open for a sequel , which they seemed interested in making. However, after the film bombed, talks of

12996-541: Was well received by fans and was nominated for several film awards including the Daytime Emmy Awards and the Annie Awards . In January 2012, Lucas announced his retirement from producing large-scale blockbuster films and instead re-focusing his career on smaller, independently budgeted features. In June 2012, it was announced that Kathleen Kennedy , a long-term collaborator with Steven Spielberg and

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