When sophomore Jacob Feeney heard Disney bought the rights to George Lucas’ “Star Wars” franchise, he didn’t want the company that produced Mickey Mouse to work with the man who created Darth Vader.

“I’m not going to lie, I was pretty disgruntled,” Feeney said. “Princess Leia is now a Disney princess, dang it.”

The news of the purchase broke this past week and people took notice.

“It is a big deal in terms of pop culture,” said Popular Culture Instructor Charles Coletta. “This was big news.”

The big news took sophomore Katelynn Phillips by surprise when she first saw the news online.

“I read it and I was like ‘oh no, this is going to be another fiasco,’” she said. “Then I saw how much he sold it for and I couldn’t blame him.”

Lucas reportedly sold the “Star Wars” rights to Disney for approximately $4 billion, Coletta said.

“He wanted the franchise to continue,” Coletta said. “It’s a huge business.”

Disney’s business includes selling merchandise and it may soon be able to sell “Star Wars”-related merchandise.

“Disney is the expert on merchandise,” Coletta said. “They’ve been selling Mickey Mouse merchandise for 80 years now.”

Disney may also go in a different direction with the franchise.

“Don’t be surprised if Disney comes out with a ‘Star Wars’ television show,” Coletta said.

Some may voice the concern that the new “Star Wars” movies won’t be as good as the ones first released in the 1970s.

People weren’t too happy with the last “Star Wars” movies, Coletta said.

Some people, like Phillips’ father, didn’t care for the past three prequel movies and probably won’t care for the new ones, she said.

“The older generation, like my dad, will hate them,” Phillips said. “My generation just accepts things better.”

Because Disney is more geared toward the younger audiences, the new “Star Wars” films might be a bit tame, Feeney said.

“I’m waiting for the part where they pull out the light sabers and it’s a sock,” he said. “Disney, just stop what you’re doing.”

Some student interest may be lowering in the “Star Wars” franchise at the University.

Students have not shown interest in ‘Star Wars’ at the Jerome Library, said librarian Nancy Down.

“I would expect a bit of interest to see why it resonates with people,” Down said. “There’s more interest in ‘Star Trek.’”

For Phillips, that interest still remains.

Although she was disappointed when she first saw the news, Phillips is still optimistic.

“I’m hoping for the best, but expecting the worst,” she said.

The first Disney-released ‘Star Wars’ movie will hit theaters in 2015 and may appeal to a whole new audience, Coletta said.

“They’ll have a new generation of fans,” he said. “It’s really something to look forward to.”