If the Star Wars franchise is considered one of the greatest film series of all time in Hollywood, the credit goes to its creative mastermind George Lucas. The visionary director pioneered a sci-fi revolution with the epic space saga that spanned multiple decades to become a cult classic that will continue to remain evergreen for years to come.
Lucas’ genius was also appreciated by his illustrious peers, including Stanley Kubrick, who is widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of his time. The Eyes Wide Shut director was also honest about the Star Wars director’s full-time foray into becoming a producer, and believed that he should have continued to direct more films.
Stanley Kubrick Had These Words Of Advice For George Lucas
George Lucas has succeeded in carving a historic legacy in Hollywood with his pioneering Star Wars franchise which is still considered one of the greatest film series of all time. Its unique feature was the fact that it continued to stay relevant over many decades for generations of viewers.
Having always been a visionary and storyteller first and then a filmmaker, Lucas hung up his directing boots once and for all in 2005 after Revenge of the Sith. He continued to pioneer new narratives in the franchise through his production house, LucasFilm. This move though, surprised a few of his contemporaries.
Stanley Kubrick, who is widely regarded as one of the industry’s most prolific and detailed directors, commented on his colleague’s decision to step down from directing. In the French version of the book titled Kubrick by Michel Ciment (via Reddit), The Shining filmmaker addressed Lucas’ decision to focus more on producing films, and wondered why financial success led many directors to quit helming movies.
If I made as much money as George Lucas, I wouldn’t decide to become a studio mogul. I can’t understand why he doesn’t want to direct films anymore because American Graffiti and even Star Wars were very good.
Meanwhile, Lucas officially ended his association with the Star Wars franchise in 2012 when he went on to sell LucasFilm to Disney. This was after he revealed that he was not keen on making mainstream Hollywood films anymore (via Vanity Fair).
Revenge Of The Sith Had An Alternative Ending
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, which released in 2005, heralded the swansong for George Lucas as director. The film which had many memorable moments, also culminated the trilogy with the galactic battle between Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, which is still considered one of the iconic finales in Hollywood.
In the duel on the volcanic planet of Mustafar, both characters are engaged in an intense tussle, before Obi-Wan Kenobi uses a devastating move to severe Darth Vader’s legs and left arm before leaving him for dead near a lava flow. Interestingly, this scene had an alternative ending that did not make the final cut despite both stars fighting for it to be used.
Prolific stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, who was responsible for all the action sequences in the Star Wars films, revealed that George Lucas remained undeterred by Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen’s insistence on using the ending, which would have reflected an accidental defeat of Darth Vader, rather than the premeditated one that was depicted.
Elaborating on the scene and how it could have unfolded, Gillard gave a detailed account to the SFF Gazette and stated that the original idea saw the two characters landing on the side of the volcano and near the lava flow next to each other, as opposed to landing on the droid.
Anakin just grabbed [Obi-Wan] by the throat… He’s got him and Obi’s saber is down on the ground, and Anakin says, ‘I’m sorry it has to be this way, my master,’ and actually lets [the lightsaber] go.
This ending, in retrospect, could have been a poetic culmination to the master-student relationship. But as it turned out, the final cut approved by Lucas, also went on to become a cult scene that is still remembered till today.
