Disney secures rights to Indiana Jones

Walt Disney Studios is picking up another Lucasfilm franchise, having negotiated rights to future Indiana Jones films from Paramount Pictures, according to a report from Variety.

The deal gives Disney marketing and distribution rights to future films in the franchise, while Paramount retains distribution rights to the first four films. Disney and Paramount's arrangement doesn't come with the same fanfare that surrounded the $4 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm and Star Wars, as no new films or other franchise expansions were announced.

It's possible that the deal could result in new Indiana Jones video games, but Disney has made no such announcements. The franchise most recently appeared on PC and video game consoles in 2009 with the release of Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, a game that incorporated all four Indiana Jones movies. A Facebook game from Zynga, Indiana Jones Adventure World, ended its service earlier this year.

In the wake of Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm and LucasArts, the company signed an exclusive deal with Electronic Arts to make a slate of games based on the Star Wars franchise.