It’s a move that’s been whispered about for a number of years – Lucasfilm leaving the Letterman Digital Arts Center at the Presidio and moving six hours south to Los Angeles – and the good folks at Star Wars News Network have investigated further, digging up possible evidence that this rumoured move could become a reality sooner rather than later.
Lucasfilm currently operates out of the Letterman Digital Arts Center located in the famous San Francisco Presidio where it houses and operates all Lucasfilm divisions besides Skywalker Sound, which still operates out of Skywalker Ranch. The divisions of Lucasfilm also located at the Presidio are Industrial Light & Magic, ILMxLAB, Lucasfilm Animation, Consumer Products, Digital Media, and Franchise Management.
The building is still owned by Skywalker Properties Ltd., which is owned by George Lucas. So with that and with Skywalker Sound operating out of Skywalker Ranch, Disney is paying George Lucas rent for both locations. Our source told us quite simply:
“Disney wants to move Lucasfilm to Burbank, and the larger incentive is that they have been paying George Lucas rent for eight years and don’t want to anymore. There is no reason to keep Lucasfilm six hours away from Disney while paying rent to do it.”
Lucasfilm has previous history with Los Angeles, being based there in the 70’s before relocating north to the Bay Area in 1979, building Skywalker Ranch on Lucas Valley Road and eventually moving into the Presidio. With the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art proposed to open at Exposition Park in 2021 and Disney keen to consolidate and focus on Disney Plus, perhaps the days of Lucasfilm being a San Francisco based company and the history that goes with it are coming to a close.
