Filmmaker George Lucas started the Star Wars franchise in 1977 with the original film impressing critics and audiences. Over the years, the franchise has evolved into a global pop culture phenomenon and continues to tell new stories in the galaxy far, far away. However, Lucas has long since stepped away from the franchise having handed over the keys to Disney.
Lucas has had an undeniable impact on the franchise, with the prequel trilogy seeing the peak of it. The prequels received mostly mixed reactions but the filmmaker remained adamant about his story and vision for the space opera saga. Despite fans insisting that the franchise belongs to them, Lucas was unwilling to relinquish creative control, and here is what he had to say.
George Lucas Shut Down Star Wars Fans After They Claimed the Franchise Belongs to Everyone
George Lucas shaped the original trilogy of Star Wars movies, which saw unprecedented popularity and commercial success. After a gap of almost sixteen years, the filmmaker returned to the space opera saga to shape the prequel trilogy, which polarized fans and received mixed reviews.
During an interview with Paul Duncan, published in the Star Wars Archies, Lucas spoke about staying true to his vision for the prequel trilogy despite what fans felt. The filmmaker added that he was more interested in telling this story, referring to Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader.
I make all my movies for myself. People will say, ‘When you release it, it belongs to the public.’ No, it’s mine. I’m leasing it to you, $10 at a time. It still belongs to me.
Lucas made the above statement, slamming the fans who believe that their desire and what they want to see in the franchise should take precedence over the director’s vision.
Lucas was so adamant about his vision and creative choices for the Star Wars franchise that he made several retroactive changes to the original trilogy for the Special Edition re-releases. While speaking about the changes, Lucas vehemently stated, “These are my movies, not yours.” Thus, the filmmaker proved that he is the top authority on all things Star Wars.
Despite Being Possesive of the Star Wars Franchise George Lucas Ultimately Sold it to Disney
Lucas was extremely protective of the franchise he created with his blood and sweat. However, he eventually decided to part ways with it in 2012. After stewarding the franchise for almost three decades, the filmmaker sold the rights to Lucasfilm and Star Wars to Disney for $4.05 billion.
During an interview with Paul Duncan, Lucas explained his decision to sell off the franchise. The director stated that he was concerned about spending another decade of his life helming the next trilogy in the saga, which was a concern for him because of his personal life. He said (via IndieWire):
I was 69. So the question was, am I going to keep doing this for the rest of my life?
Lucas added that at the time he wanted to start working on the sequel trilogy, his daughter was very young. As a result, the filmmaker did not wish to spend another decade working on Star Wars as he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Lucas had written a story treatment for the sequels, which would have ensured his imprint remained over the entire nine-episode film saga. However, Disney eventually decided to head in a different direction and discarded Lucas’ story treatment, resulting in the most uneven and polarizing Star Wars trilogy.
The Star Wars movies are streaming on Disney+.
