Lucas to give Disney’s $4.05 billion to charity

In a stunning act of philanthropy, George Lucas has pledged to give the $4.05 billion he will receive from selling Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney to a charity focusing on education.

On Tuesday last week Disney announced that it had acquired Lucasfilm for the enormous sum of money, and the internet exploded with the announcement that Disney would be creating a seventh Star Wars film, to be released in 2015.

In a statement on Wednesday, Lucas said, “For 41 years, the majority of my time and money has been put into the company. As I start a new chapter in my life, it is gratifying that I have the opportunity to devote more time and resources to philanthropy.”

The Star Wars creator has not yet disclosed which charity will be receiving the enormous chunk of money, but a lot of speculation is on Edutopia, a foundation working on innovative coursework in schools, of which Lucas is the chairman.

Lucas has been a major charity donator for several years, particularly in the education field, which he is very passionate about. In a 2010 letter, he wrote:

“I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education. It is the key to the survival of the human race. We have to plan for our collective future –- and the first step begins with the social, emotional, and intellectual tools we provide to our children. As humans, our greatest tool for survival is our ability to think and to adapt – as educators, storytellers, and communicators our responsibility is to continue to do so.”

Kind of makes you feel bad for leaving that car guard in your rearview mirror.