[NEWS] George Lucas splits with 'Star Wars'

Buzz Bumble

Furry Ewok
From Zap2it.com ...

George Lucas splits with ‘Star Wars’ after 38 years, cites irreconcilable differences
“Star Wars” creator and original director George Lucas had little involvement with the forthcoming “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” but he recently confirmed it to be his last film with the franchise.

“The issue was ultimately, they looked at the stories and they said, ‘We want to make something for the fans,'” Lucas tells Charlie Rose on “CBS This Morning.” “People don’t actually realize it’s actually a soap opera and it’s all about family problems — it’s not about spaceships.”

After selling his Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, the creator states that he has officially ended his relationship with the franchise that made him a household name.

He continues, “So they decided they didn’t want to use those stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing so I decided, ‘fine…. I’ll go my way and I let them go their way.'”

The famous creator says that he will have absolutely nothing to do with the installments to follow. Release dates for “Episode VIII” and “Episode IX” have been announced for 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Lucas further explains in an interview with Vanity Fair why he decided to back off from “Episode VII: The Force Awakens.”

YouTube video clip

“You go to make a movie and all you do is get criticized,” he says. “People try to make decisions about what you’re going to do before you do it. It’s not much fun. You can’t experiment. You have to do it a certain way.”

Although the “Star Wars” films have strayed away from Lucas’ original vision, the filmmaker says that he has other stories on the horizon. “I will be directing movies, but not movies generally that will be shown anywhere,” Lucas says.
 

Borsk

Administrator
Staff member
As a writer/director, you don't get to complain about people hating your movies when you write stuff like:
  • "I wish I could wish away my feelings"
  • "Ay-yee-yee! Wha! Was’n dat. Hey, wait! Oh, mooie-mooie! I love you!"
  • "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil"
  • "I have seen a security hologram of him killing younglings"
  • "Love can't save you, Padme. Only my new powers can"
  • etc
 

Buzz Bumble

Furry Ewok
Nobody says everyone has to like what George Lucas does, but it is his creation and his ideas, and that's what "Star Wars" what it is. It's no different to any other movie, TV show, book, etc. - some people will like it and some won't.Trying to change "Star Wars" makes it something it's not, and simply makes a horrible confused mess and/or very silly. It destroys the continuity and what makes a franchise a "franchise". Having some fool come along saying they didn't like Episode I so they'll remake it as a zombie movie or a musical, would be incredibly silly.
 

Borsk

Administrator
Staff member
To be honest, I think we credit George Lucas way too much. Film making is a collaborative process and he had a ton of help with those first movies. As he's gained more power and control, the quality of the work has diminished and exposed him. I don't think the Star Wars that we know today is what he originally set out to create and, over time, it's clear that he's lost touch with the audience.

He talks about making private movies that he won't show to anybody. The irony is that these are the sort of movies people would actually like to see because he's likely creating something that he personally cares about. I don't think he cares about "our" Star Wars.

The way he acted at the premier and articles like this just make him seem like a bitter old man that would like for these new movies to fail out of spite.
 

Buzz Bumble

Furry Ewok
George Lucas was the one with the ideas and the storyline. Even Ralph McQuarrie has said his artwork was often based on Lucas' own rough sketches. Others did help with the design of vehicles, costumes, etc., but it was always Lucas who had the final veto.

I think Lucas made a massive mistake selling out to Disney. He should have kept the company under his control and simply given more of the day-to-day tasks over to Rick McCallum as his logical successor.


I don't think he cares about "our" Star Wars.

It's not "our" Star Wars. It's never been "our" Star Wars. It's George Lucas' Star Wars and we've been lucky enough to be allowed to see it ... that's really the whole point.
 
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