Several studios rejected A New Hope (Episode IV), which was released as Star Wars before 20th Century Fox consented to create it. Despite being intrigued by Lucas' ideas, United Artists rejected him. Universal, on the other hand, had little trust in Lucas to carry out an idea with such economic potential. Disney's refusal was the most ironic, prompting Lucas to turn to Fox. In 2012, however, Disney paid $4 billion for the property.