George Lucas: "I'm Retiring"

[Shropt]

I'm just surprised that George listens to the fans. I figured after the special edition ver 4 that he just didn't know what we were saying.

I call this a victory for the fans!

 

[comiclover47]

Maybe he lost his way.but I will miss him.

 

[OSCORP]

Well it's 2012, and he thinks the tectonic plates are going to shift or some shyyt this year and it's the apocalypse. So his timing is good.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

I read the full article here (thanks for posting the link, K07), and I feel a little bad for Lucas. Apparently no studio wanted to distribute the Red Tails film. One studio didn't even bother to show up to a screening. Fox is kind of distributing it, but Lucas is paying for everything--even the prints.

I can understand and even admire his reasons for making Red Tails, but I don't have any confidence is his film making abilities (even though he's not directing).

So we'll see if Red Tails ends up being a flop. A flop will justify the snub from the studios, and will likely be the final nail in the coffin for Lucas's "career" as he will surely retire.

I just wish he would find a worthy person who could carry on his properties and do them justice. I know it's a very personal decision and he is most likely holding on to them because he's afraid his life's work will somehow be run to the ground or be marred or tarnished. And that is understandable. But on the other hand, he could find someone who is intelligent and understands everything Lucas created and really take SW and Indy to the next level. I know it might be a rarity in Hollywood, but I'm sure there's someone out there who could carry on the legacy with dignity and respect.

 

[6Series]

I hope he let the guys responsible for the TOR trailers to take over SW. Screw reboots, I dig the 6 movies and hope they remain. No, I do not like Jar Jar! There is always stories that can be set like KOTOR or hundreds of years after ROTJ. But whether or not GL retires, it won't matter if he don't pass on the torch!

 

[IrishJedi]

I'm sure there's someone out there who could carry on the legacy with dignity and respect.

Definitely. But none of them are within Lucasfilm right now. That's the problem.

 

[Khev]

I like how the article addresses the supposed hypocrisy of fans making their own edits after chastising Lucas for doing the same thing.

Come on, that was one dude who made and distributed an alternate SE.

Everyone else just wanted the originals and now we have them thanks to originaltrilogy.com and Harmy. I wonder if *that* was really the last straw for Lucas and if it was, so be it.

 

[6Series]

Definitely. But none of them are within Lucasfilm right now. That's the problem.

The worthy ones are in Bioware!

 

[The Mike]

There are a ton of screenwriters and filmmakers who could do wonders with the Star Wars or Indiana Jones license, make them different and new enough to bring in a new fan and new excitement but still keep the old in a place to be revered and loved by their fans. The problem is that Lucas will never be comfortable giving up that kind of control. Retired or not, he is going to be at the forefront of every decision made with his properties (which as creator is his right) but it will alway handicap real progression past the originals.

Star Wars is forever with us. If Lucas takes it all to the grave with him, it's only a matter of time past that where it becomes one of those niche things that kids say their parents liked. JJ Abrams made Star Trek popular and even trendy again after a string of stale movies and even more stale TV shows because he was allowed free reign. Lucas won't be up for something like that.

 

[IrishJedi]

The worthy ones are in Bioware!

There are surely a few more, but yeah the lead SW writers at BioWare instantly spring to mind. Guys like Drew Karpyshyn. They understand that story and characters have to take priority for this stuff to transcend and connect with people beyond a shallow visceral level.

Hell, the original KOTOR has a droid (HK-47) with more character and personality than the humans in the PT films. That's not only a striking indictment of why the PT fails to connect with many it's also a prime example of how the folks at BioWare "get it".

 

[tOMmy]

surprised.! does this mean he wont mess with his movies anymore??

 

[6Series]

There are surely a few more, but yeah the lead SW writers at BioWare instantly spring to mind. Guys like Drew Karpyshyn. They understand that story and characters have to take priority for this stuff to transcend and connect with people beyond a shallow visceral level.

Hell, the original KOTOR has a droid (HK-47) with more character and personality than the humans in the PT films. That's not only a striking indictment of why the PT fails to connect with many it's also a prime example of how the folks at BioWare "get it".

You are right about HK-47! Imagine the prequels are done by those Bioware guys! I hope against hope that someday, someone like them will be given greenlight to offer us more SW movies. The few minutes of the TOR trailers are far more exciting than all the PT combined. I wonder if Lucas himself saw those trailers?

 

[Khev]

Its interesting that Lucas is so bitter toward the studios that edited his early films and the fans that lament his own changes to the films.

Without studios and fans he would be no one and would have nothing. Take the bad with the good you whiner, we do!

And they really need to drop the derogatory "fanboy" moniker as a sweeping reference to people who wanted the original films. Spielberg, Jackson, Cameron, film historians, preservationists, etc., have all expressed their dismay at Lucas' treatment of Star Wars in one way or another. Its not just a bunch of ungrateful nerds sitting at their computers.

 

[Blackhole]

I'll carry on the legacy! And I'll do it for less pay than all the other guys!

 

[Shropt]

I'll carry on the legacy! And I'll do it for less pay than all the other guys!

I'll do it for $5 less than you. And I've already written notes on my version of Episode 4.

 

[otto]

Good on George Lucas ,i admire everything his done .Bravo

 

[RavenEye]

Well here's a little laugh for you guys/gals.

Notice the Yoda Quote?

 

[Avenger]

Lucas spends his early career railing against the big studios for trying to control his art, and make everything commercial. He becomes the big studio and rails against the fans for trying to protect the integrity of his art, and for trying to not make everything commercial.

May the retirement be with him, and sooner the better.

 

[Scarrack]

I haven't watched it yet, but probably the film that just came out on DVD, "The People vs. George Lucas" has something to do with it.

 

[devilof76]

Desire/appreciation = ownership isn't the brightest argument in the toolshed.