The 77th Cannes Film Festival, a prestigious event in the world of cinema, was marked by a significant moment when George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars saga, was honored with the Palme d’or award.
In an insightful interview, Lucas candidly expressed that the original ideas for Star Wars post-Disney “sort of got lost” in the subsequent films, sparking a fascinating discussion on the direction of the iconic series.
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In a revealing discussion, George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, shared his reasons for stepping away from the iconic franchise.
Lucas opened up about the personal changes in his life around the time he sold the company. He said, “When I sold the company, because I had a baby girl. I got married, I had a different life…”
Lucas also acknowledged the time commitment required to continue the Star Wars saga. He stated, “I knew it would take me another 10 years to make those films and I was 69. I’m not going to be doing this when I’m 79. It’s time to let go and let somebody else do it.”
Reflecting on his deep connection with the franchise, especially during the making of “Empire Strikes Back”, Lucas confessed, “In some ways, I ended up having to be on the set the whole time, but it’s like I was the only one that really knew what Star Wars was.”
George Lucas Defends the Prequels and Stands by His Vision
In the same interview, George Lucas also reflected on the backlash toward the prequel trilogy—and stood by the creative choices he made. He pointed out that the criticism often came from fans who had aged out of the intended audience.
“Critics and fans who had been 10 years old when they saw the first one… didn’t want to watch a children’s film,” Lucas explained.
He compared the backlash to Jar Jar Binks with earlier responses to characters like C-3PO and the Ewoks, reminding everyone that Star Wars was always meant for younger audiences.
“Everybody said the same thing about 3-PO, that he was irritating and we should get rid of him,” Lucas said. “When I did the third one it was the Ewoks: ‘Those are little teddy bears. This is a kid’s movie, we don’t want to see a kids’ movie.’ I said: ‘It is a kids’ movie. It’s always been a kids’ movie.’
The Ideas in the Original “Sort of Got Lost” in Post-Disney ‘Star Wars’ Films
In the discussion about the transition of Star Wars to Disney, George Lucas shared some intriguing insights.
He said, “I was a really good friend, so it was like I was the consultant, the adviser who actually knew the world, because there’s a lot to it. The Force, nobody understands the Force, nobody knows what they do…”
Lucas also expressed his thoughts on the evolution of the franchise after he sold the company. He said, “They started other ones when I sold the company, and those ideas that were in there sort of got lost, but that’s the way it is.”
Lucas concluded his thoughts with a simple yet profound statement, “If you give it up, you give it up.”
Here is the full interview watch party from the Star War Theory channel on YouTube. You can watch the whole video if you like. If you’re looking for the part where George Lucas shares the points mentioned in this article, start the video at 1:28:49. For the section where he defends the Star Wars prequels, you can jump to 1:19:35.
