Singapore’s Lucasfilm Disney ‘Star Wars’ studio to close for ‘economic’ reasons
- The Singapore studio, founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas, was involved in Hollywood productions including Iron Man and Star Wars films
- Parent firm Disney said in February it was cutting 7,000 jobs worldwide, amid erosion of its traditional TV business and fewer streaming subscribers
Lucasfilm’s visual effects and animation studio in Singapore will close down in the coming months after almost two decades due to economic reasons, parent firm Disney said on Tuesday.
The Singapore studio was set up in the 2000s by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), which was founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas and is a division of Lucasfilm.
For years, its home in Singapore was the striking Sandcrawler building, named after the Star Wars transport that inspired its design. Lucasfilm sold the building in 2021.
“Over the next several months, ILM will be consolidating its global footprint and winding down its Singapore studio due to economic factors affecting the industry,” Disney said in a statement.
It did not say how many employees will be affected in Singapore.
ILM has 340 employees in Singapore, Channel News Asia reported, citing an employee who told the outlet that staff would continue working at the studio until the end of the year.
