After the Disney Deal, How Much Is Lucas Worth?

Alberto Pizzoli | AFP | Getty Images

Even before Disney showered him with the mother of all liquidity events, George Lucas was a very wealthy man.

According to Wealth-X, Star Wars creator George Lucas had about $1.4 billion in cash, investments and other assets before the deal. That didn't include the value of his private companies, which included LucasFilm.

As first reported by CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Disney is paying $4 billion for LucasFilm and its related companies. Fully $2 billion of that will be in stock and $2 billion will be in cash. Since George Lucas never sold stakes in his companies and never took venture capital money, he gets the whole check.

The deal will bring his net worth to $5.2 billion after taxes, according to Wealth-X.

That's more than even the most avid wealth-watchers expected. Before the sale, Forbes estimated Lucas' net worth — including his company — at $3.3 billion. (Read more: The Top Investments Among the Wealthy)

Lucas will, of course, have to pay a 15 percent federal capital-gains tax, in addition to California taxes. Selling now proved to be prudent timing, since both federal rates and capital gains rates may go up next year, regardless of who wins the presidential election.

Yet even after taxes, Lucas will likely become among the 70 richest Americans, vaulting from around 120. His liquid net worth alone will more than double to $3.1 billion. Plus, he reportedly gets to keep his Skywalker Ranch, the plush campus of work and residential space that has a swimming pool, volleyball and handball court and aerobics room. Located on more than 4,000 acres in Marin County north of San Francisco, it is worth at least $100 million, according to Wealth-X.

As you can see in the chart above, Wealth-X puts the value of his house at around $700,000. So maybe it's time for an upgrade.

What else might Lucas do with all this cash? A big chunk is likely to go to philanthropy, and specifically to education reform, through the George Lucas Educational Foundation. He is also CEO of the Lucasfilm Foundation, which gives to education, health care, arts and culture, religious and social causes. (Read more: Millionaires Give Nine Percent to Charity)

You can bet that Lucas is getting flooded with calls today from charities and wealth managers alike to help him decided what do with all that cash.

What do you think Lucas should do with his money?

-By CNBC's Robert Frank
Follow Robert Frank on Twitter: @robtfrank