How George Lucas Really Feels About Disney's Star Wars Projects
With a budget of $11 million, George Lucas managed to create the first "Star Wars," turning his quirky sci-fi flick into a billion-dollar franchise. Lucas stopped making Star Wars movies after "Revenge of the Sith," and decided to sell the galaxy far, far away to Disney for a whopping $4 billion in 2012. Work on future projects immediately began, with the company releasing several Star Wars films and television programs over the last decade. While appearing at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where he received the the Honorary Palme d'or, Lucas candidly revealed to journalists (via El Pais in translated text) that he's on board with Disney's Star Wars projects.
"They have a lot of talent, and great ideas and production," the maverick filmmaker said about the House of Mouse. "Actually, I feel like they come from my children, and sometimes it hurts a little when they grow up and move away from you. I don't see everything, of course," Lucas added in what's pretty much a positive sentiment. He previously said that it was painful to sell Star Wars to Disney, but it seems like he's finally made peace with the decision.
Following the release of "The Force Awakens," the first live-action flick in the series post-"Revenge of the Sith," Lucas told Charlie Rose (via YouTube) that he felt that he had sold his beloved series to "white slavers." The filmmaker would later apologize for those insensitive comments and has since maintained that he's happy with the way Disney has been treating Star Wars.
George Lucas seems pleased with Disney's Star Wars
With his massive chunk of change, Forbes named George Lucas one of the richest celebrities in 2024, making the decision to cashout a comically lucrative one. Since the release of "The Force Awakens," Lucas seems to have genuinely warmed up to Disney's creative choices. While he's not actively involved in any productions (no, that rumor of Lucas returning to Star Wars isn't true), the creative has visited several sets, popping up on the lots for "The Mandalorian," and "Solo."
Though Lucas has mostly kept quiet about mentioning or highlighting specific projects, creatives over at Lucasfilm have opened up about his positive feedback. "Andor" creator Tony Gilroy, who also worked on "Rogue One," once said he had a 45 minute chat with Lucas about the prequel film. Similarly, franchise executive Pablo Hidalgo once revealed that Lucas was particularly enamored with "Obi-Wan Kenobi." While the franchise is no longer his toybox, Lucas seems to be okay with Disney's output.
Lucas told the panel at Cannes that he decided to sell Star Wars to focus on his daughter and other efforts. "Well, I also dedicate myself through my foundation to supporting all types of film restorations around the world, and to collecting," he said at the French festival, revealing what's taking up most of his free time. Next year will also see the opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which the former filmmaker has been working on.