International
Disney acquires Lucasfilm Company
MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company has announced an outlay of $4.05 billion for the purchase of the Lucasfilm Company, founded by director George Lucas and the creator of franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Disney struck an agreement with Lucas, owner of 100 per cent of Lucasfilm, for the purchase of the company to be paid half in cash and the remainder with approximately 40 million Disney shares.
"It‘s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers," the 68-year-old Lucas has been reported to have said. "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," he added.
Kathleen Kennedy, until now co-president of Lucasfilm, will function as the president of the firm within the Disney group.
"I‘m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, ‘Star Wars‘ will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come," Lucas hoped.
Disney President and CEO Robert A. Iger confirmed that the studio plans a new Star Wars trilogy that will begin in 2015 with Star Wars: Episode 7 and will continue with Episode 8 and Episode 9 as well.
The revered production house also revealed that it plans to create a new chapter in the famous galactic saga, Star Wars: Episode 7 that would release in 2015.
With the acquisition of Lucasfilm, Disney has added entities like television sports channel ESPN, ABC, the Pixar animation studio and Marvel Comics and other companies in its group.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
