George Lucas has always been blunt - even about his own work - so I wasn’t surprised to hear he has less-than-glorifying thoughts on focus groups. We all know how he feels about certain Star Wars topics, so when the director sat down for an interview discussing the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (which is now in its final stages) I knew we were in for a delightful verbal treat.

What got the director started during his conversation with A Rabbit’s Foot: was his stance that “art is in the eye of the beholder,” but less so when the beholders are focus group members. It turns out his dislike for the group-based approach goes back to his famous friend group. Lucas name-dropped icons Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola while revealing why he really hates movie focus groups. In his words:

His answer didn’t surprise me at all. Everyone he named - including himself - is known for their filmmaking talents and experimental movies. But they’re also known for being direct about their opinions regarding films in general. This has been especially true when it comes to the Marvel Universe. Just ask Francis Ford Coppola, who has been blunt about the superhero films, but showed much love to Black Panther director Ryan Coogler's horror epic by penning a love letter to Sinners. Scorsese has also shared such opinions, but maybe he'll be into the DCU's Clayface, since he's already made a body horror film himself.

In any case, the last director that Lucas name-dropped, Spielberg, is one that every generation knows, and is another that also doesn't ever seem bothered by negative critiques. (Most recently, he faced mixed reactions to his film Disclosure Day.) And I can understand that after speaking with some of the best filmmakers on the planet about one's movie ideas, it's a bit of a drop-off to then hear the opinions from random people. Lucas shared this blunt take on the matter:

I think we all know what Lucas is referring to when he says that. Every Star Wars trilogy and spinoff has sparked mixed reactions from the most passionate fans, specifically from those who thought Jar Jar Binks was terrible. Lucas certainly went into that movie knowing fans would be "picky" about the prequels, but no one could ever know how much.

But what shocked me the most was learning that people wanted the director to get rid of C-3PO and even the Ewoks at one time. I couldn’t imagine if those people had gotten there way. What is a Star Wars universe without the humorous duo of C-3PO and R-2? The director feels that studios allow the audience to be too involved in making modern movies, rather than viewing their opinions as just that. In his words:

Can you imagine what classics like Citizen Kane and Casablanca would have been like had they been guided by focus groups? How would they have changed Alfred Hitchock's Psycho had that been as big a part of the studio process at the time?

While George Lucas doesn’t have any current movies in the works, he is overseeing the completion of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art after installing himself as lead curator in the wake of the second curator quitting. The passion project houses 35 galleries and a collection that has more than 100,000 works, from infamous works to African American cinema artifacts.

This unique project serves as a commentary on “disposable art of the 20th century,” which Lucas feels “belongs at the center of its culture.” It seems the director and his wife, who is co-founding the project, want to focus primarily on art that “had never been considered art.”

I wonder if any artifacts from his director friends will be in the museum? After all, they are part of cinema history.

George Lucas has spent more than 25 years hearing what fans think went wrong with the Star Wars prequels. Jar Jar Binks became shorthand for the Star Wars prequel trilogy’s sillier instincts, while the Ewoks and C-3PO had already faced similar criticism during the original trilogy. The director however, still does not sound especially persuaded by the argument that those characters were mistakes. The iconic director gets real about fan blowback over the sequels.

Speaking with A Rabbit’s Foot in a wide-ranging interview about filmmaking, technology and the upcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Lucas pushed back on the idea that creators should shape their work around fan demands. He said audiences can offer useful feedback, but studios often make the mistake of letting that feedback dictate the movie itself. That led him directly back to the prequel backlash and one of its most infamous targets. He explained:

George Lucas’ impression is pointed, but it also fits with something Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid recently said about the filmmaker’s expectations for the prequels. According to him, the director knew that adults raised on the original trilogy might be “picky,” while younger viewers would likely connect more easily with the newer movies. This is a similar phenomenon we are seeing with the sequel trilogy.

That prediction looks fairly accurate in hindsight. The kids who grew up with Darth Maul, podracing and Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker are now adults, and many of them defend the prequel trilogy with the same intensity older fans once reserved for Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.

Lucas also argued that Jar Jar was hardly the first Star Wars character older viewers wanted removed. He continued:

The comparison will probably irritate some fans. C-3PO may be anxious, talkative and frequently annoying to those around him, but he never became the cultural punching bag that Jar Jar did after The Phantom Menace. The Ewoks are a closer match, since they were accused of making Return of the Jedi too childish and too easy to merchandise.

Lucas’ point is less about proving that every joke worked and more about reminding fans that Star Wars was never designed solely for adults who wanted the franchise to mature alongside them. When asked why his later films did not connect with grown viewers the same way, he gave a blunt answer. Finally, he added:

That response lines up with the way Lucas has discussed the entire Star Wars saga for years. Star Wars can contain war, betrayal and political collapse, but it still introduces those ideas through fairy-tale heroes, comic-relief droids and creatures designed to make children laugh.

The cycle has already repeated with the sequel trilogy, with some rumors even suggesting they may be retconned. Older fans criticized Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren and BB-8, while a younger generation entered the galaxy through those characters. In another decade or two, some of those viewers may be the ones defending the sequels against whatever comes next.

Lucas may not have convinced everyone that Jar Jar Binks is secretly great, or convinced fans of all ages that Episodes 1-3 belong on everyone’s list of the best prequels of all time. But he seems confident that the character belonged in the movie he wanted to make, even if fans who grew up with the original trilogy wanted something else. And you know what? Fair enough.

No matter your age, if you're a fan of the Galaxy far, far away, you can revisit all trilogies, spin-offs, and upcoming television series with your Disney+ subscription.

The Star Wars prequels occupy a fascinating place in pop culture. When The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith first arrived, reactions from longtime fans were, let's just say, spirited. Jar Jar Binks became a punching bag, midichlorians sparked endless debates, and plenty of viewers who grew up with Luke Skywalker and Han Solo weren't shy about voicing their disappointment. As it turns out, George Lucas apparently saw some of that coming.

During a panel at Spacecon 2026 (via Popverse), (somehow) Emperor Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid returned and recalled the filmmaker's mindset. According to the actor, Lucas understood that the generation raised on the original SW trilogy might be difficult to win over. McDiarmid explained:

McDiarmid continued by revealing what Lucas considered his real measure of success. He continued:

As a middle-aged millennial raised on the prequel trilogy, I think that makes a lot of sense. Looking back, it’s remarkable how much the conversation around those movies has changed. They may not land on everyone’s list of the best prequels of all time or even on their favorite Star Wars films, but the kids who watched The Phantom Menace in 1999 are adults now. Those of us who loved Darth Maul, podracing and Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi grew up to become some of the loudest defenders of that era.

Suddenly, lines that were once mocked became beloved memes. Hayden Christensen returned to universal applause. Entire generations embraced characters that older fans initially rejected. In other words, Lucas may have understood something many fandoms forget: today's children eventually become tomorrow's nostalgic adults.

The cycle has already started repeating itself. The sequel trilogy received its own share of criticism, much like the prequels before it. Yet there are now young fans whose entry point into the galaxy far, far away was Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren and BB-8.

Twenty years from now, those fans may be having the exact same conversations. One thing Star Wars has consistently proven is that no single generation owns the franchise. And, if we are honest with ourselves, if you cue up any of the many Star Wars films and TV Shows with your Disney+ subscription and watch them in order, you can find something wrong in every installment. But what is the fun in that?

In short, some fans grew up with the Original Trilogy. Others discovered the prequels. Still, others entered through The Clone Wars, The Mandalorian or the sequel trilogy. I think we can all agree that each era brings different heroes, different aesthetics and different emotional attachments. And perhaps that was always George Lucas' goal.

When it comes to certain iconic movie characters, it’s hard to imagine any other actor in that role. Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, Robin Williams as the Genie, and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark are some examples that come to mind. Of course, one of the most universally agreed on is Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, but a key fact is that Tom Selleck had the part before Ford was even a consideration. Raiders of the Lost Ark director Steven Spielberg recently explained why Selleck had to drop one of the biggest movies of the ‘80s, and how they eventually landed on Ford.

Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day, may be premiering this month as part of the 2026 movie schedule, but he recently threw it back to the early movies of his career in a conversation with Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, for their podcast, IMO. Obama asked the Jurassic Park director about his biggest casting karma (or the actors that got away). Harrison Ford has jokingly in the past thanked Selleck for dropping out of Indiana Jones, but Spielberg revealed that wasn’t exactly what happened:

Spielberg told his hosts how good Selleck’s screen test was, so it doesn’t surprise me that the Blue Bloods actor had two era-defining projects fighting over him. Selleck previously discussed his frustration and disappointment in being forced out of Indiana Jones, even though Magnum P.I. ended up being huge for his career.

I mean, speaking of perfect casting, can you imagine any other mustached man wearing that iconic Hawaiian shirt? The Saving Private Ryan director revealed he would have had Selleck shave the iconic stache to play the legendary whip-cracking archaeologist.

Regardless, Selleck’s CBS contract left George Lucas, who created Indiana Jones, and Spielberg back at square one, but it decidedly was the perfect twist of fate. Around the same time, The Fablemans director went to a private pre-screening of The Empire Strikes Back, where he apparently found the man fated to wear the iconic fedora. As Spielberg recalled:

It’s the age-old question when it comes to Harrison Ford’s iconic roles: who’s better, Han Solo or Indiana Jones? I’m sure Lucas was considering the chances of Indiana Jones stealing away his fan-favorite Star Wars renegade but, eventually, he must have decided Ford could handle both franchises, and thank God he did. Spielberg said with Lucas’ blessing, it was pretty much a done deal:

Ford reflected on getting that call from Lucas, with a little more urgency than Spielberg let on. The Blade Runner actor said Lucas called him to let him know he was sending a script over, and asked Ford to read it in an hour. Presumably, based on Spielberg's comments, Lucas called the Spielberg the same day, telling him Ford was accepting the role as Indy.

It almost sounds like Lucas made the decision for the Air Force One actor but, if George Lucas told me to take a movie role, he wouldn’t need to say it twice. In hindsight, it was probably the second best decision Ford ever made, after agreeing to play Han Solo, and the Patriot Games actor has credited Lucas for his early career before.

To be clear, I wholeheartedly trust Steven Spielberg and have no doubt Tom Selleck would have made a great whip-slinging, Nazi-fighting adventurer. However, it wouldn’t be the Indy we’ve come to know and love. Harrison Ford brought a certain scrappy charm to the character, a quality he showed in Han Solo and carried over throughout the entire Indiana Jones franchise. On that note, can relive all Indy’s best adventures with a Disney+ subscription.

The force was strong with San Diego Comic-Con this morning! George Lucas' hold over popular culture remains as we anticipate more and more upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows and Sunday morning at Hall H George Lucas himself just took Hall H. We just attended the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts panel set to start at 11 a.m. PST and update you on everything that happened during Lucas' first time at SDCC.

CinemaBlend has been covering the con throughout the weekend, talking to everyone from the Percy Jackson cast about their advice to the new Harry Potter kids or seeing the first footage of Coyote v. Acme. This was our last panel of the con, and we were so happy to witness this moment in SDCC history. Check out all the updates from the panel below:

We're seated and waiting for the panel to begin in about 20 minutes. Hall H is packed with fans of Star Wars movies and other Lucasfilm creations, as they have packed their lightsabers and brought their best cosplays to the con for Lucas' debut to SDCC. Check back here throughout the next hour for updates on what happens.

Fans are cheering and chanting "LUCAS" as we continue to wait for the panel to begin. The energy is going to be high on this one for sure!

OK, we're getting started with Queen Latifah, who is moderating, Star Wars production designer Doug Chiang, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and George Lucas all on stage. Lucas got a huge standing ovation from the crowd upon his arrival.

We just saw a preview of the the museum, which looks amazing, and so futuristic and sleek. In a video, Lucas called it a "dedication to cultural fantasy" as we saw a sneak peek of just a handful of 40,000 works at the museum. There's going to be everything from comic book art from Jack Kirby to art from Frida Kahlo. Oh, and loads of Star Wars props and ships, of course.

George Lucas said he's been collecting art for decades, starting with comic book art and such. I'm paraphrasing her, but Lucas says that art is anything that means something to you, and if it doesn't than you can simply move on to the next piece. His comments can't help but remind one of how his work on Star Wars has received mixed praise over the years (such as with the prequels).

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who is on the museum's board, and set to release his take on Frankenstein later this year, calls the Lucas museum more so a "lineage of images that have been spoken" rather than simply one man's collection. He also brought up how important it is in this moment in time to look at art over the years not only as a way to express one's self, but make sure dark times in history don't repeat themselves.

Del Toro is speaking about how these days, there are ideas that A.I. can create art, but what's important about art doesn't come "in a fucking app." That got massive applause from the crowd.

Queen Latifah named off some of the special pieces from one display at the museum, which are important to culture. If you visit the museum, you'll be able to see artwork for Flash Gordon, Peanuts, Iron Man and Black Panther originals from 1968.

She asked Lucas to to speak about a group of pieces from Norman Rockwell called the Four Freedoms, which will be on display. He described one depicting a family during Thanksgiving, which he finds especially evocative because "most families are dysfunctional" but they are important because they "keep society together."

Lucas leads "from the heart", according to Chiang. The production designer also says the museum will be a great education for kids and hopes it will inspire the next Norman Rockwell or other great artists.

Latifah has also pointed out how there's no right angles in the museum, and asked George Lucas to talk about the vision of the museum's design. Lucas says that early on he actually wanted to be an architect until he realized there'd be a lot of math involved.

He's talking about how "stories" makes one feel connection to people, and perhaps help one feel better about the unknowns about life. He says: "Humans think they know everything, even though they don't know anything."

Del Toro adds that he and Lucas are both collectors but in his mind he says "I don't own anything", but a brief holder of things that can live on after us. And hopes to share his collection with the world while it's in his possession to do so.

The panel ended at 12 p.m. without any audience questions, nor a date for the opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts. However, it was such a solid first introduction to the upcoming Los Angeles attraction, and we can't wait to see it. That's a wrap on SDCC 2025, and what an epic way to do so.

It's not unusual for directors to star in their own movies. Alfred Hitchcock famously made cameos in almost all of his movies and Quentin Tarantino appears in all of his in one way or another. It's rarer for a director to appear in a fellow director's movie. It's hardly unheard of, as we found plenty of interesting examples. So without further ado, here is our list of directors who appeared on other directors' movies.

Steven Spielberg - The Blues Brothers

Before the tragic accident on the set of The Twilight Zone, John Landis and Steven Spielberg were good friends. So good, in fact, that Spielberg showed up in a cameo in the Landis classic The Blues Brothers. Spielberg plays the Cook Country Accessor at the end of the movie who takes payment from Jake and Elwood.

David Lynch - The Fablemans

In a very meta moment, David Lynch plays another great director, John Ford, in Steven Spielberg's The Fablemans. The late Lynch didn't show up in movies often, even his own, so it's a fun moment in a movie by a legend, starring a legend as a legend.

John Landis - Spider-man 2

John Landis has twice done cameos in Sam Rami movies, both times appearing as a doctor, the most famous of which was in Spider-Man 2 where he plays a doctor killed by Doctor Octopus after performing surgery on the villain. It's a super quick moment and one that is easy to miss.

David Fincher - Being John Malkovich

David Fincher has occasionally popped into his own movies, including playing the voice of John Doe on the telephone so as to not give away the surprise later. He also has shown up in other directors' movies, specifically as a puppet expert in Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich.

Roger Corman - The Silence Of The Lambs

Legendary B-movie director Roger Corman has a habit of showing up in other directors' work. It makes sense as he's a huge hero to many filmmakers who grew up watching his movies. In Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs, Corman plays the FBI director in one scene.

George Lucas - Beverly Hills Cop III

Beverly Hills Cop 3 is a pretty terrible movie, though thankfully the franchise was redeemed decades later with Axel F. Still, there is a pretty funny cameo in the movie when none other than George Lucas pops into the movie as a disgruntled patron of the amusement park that is central to the story.

Tim Burton - Singles

Tim Burton is not a director that shows up on the other side of the camera very often. In fact he has fleetingly few acting roles, but he does appear in Cameron Crowe's Singles. Crowe also has a cameo himself in the film.

Sam Raimi - Miller's Crossing

Sam Raimi is a director with a lot of acting roles on his resume, in his own film and in the movies by friends of his. One such cameo is in Miller's Crossing, a movie by the Coen Brothers. Raimi also has a cameo in another Coen Brothers movie, The Hudsucker Proxy.

Gus Van Sant - The Canyons

Gus Van Sant has a bit more than just a cameo in The Canyons, a movie that flew way under the radar when it was released in 2013, starring Lindsey Lohan. Van Sant plays a psychologist in the movie and has more than a couple lines, unlike many on this list.

Quentin Tarantino - Sleep With Me

Quentin Tarantino is always happy to cast himself in his own movies, but even before he was one of the premiere directors in Hollywood, he was popping up in movies he didn't direct. In Sleep With Me, by director Rory Kelly, which came out a month before Pulp Fiction, Tarantino has a memorable moment as a chatty party guest who breaks down the movie Top Gun in a very unconventional way.

Martin Scorsese - Quiz Show

Martin Scorsese's most famous on screen moment is as a rider in Travis' (Robert De Niro) cab in his own movie, Taxi Driver. He also shows up in Qui Show, directed by Robert Redford.

Tobe Hooper - Sleepwalkers

Tobe Hooper is a horror movie legend for his work directing the slasher classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the 1970s. In 1992 he popped up in a cameo working alongside Stephen King in the adaptation of King's novel Sleepwalkers.

John Waters - Something Wild

Director John Waters has been in many of his own movies, but he occasionally shows up in other movies as well, like Something Wild by director Jonathan Demme in 1986. Waters plays a sketchy car dealer in the movie and is one of the most fun parts of the movie.

Amy Heckerling - Into The Night

1985's Into the Night was John Landis' return to directing after being cleared of manslaughter charges as a result of the on-set tragedy during the filming of The Twilight Zone movie. In the movie, another director, Amy Heckerling, shows up in a cameo as a waitress.

Jonathan Demme - That Thing You Do!

Appropriately Jonathan Demme, who had a number of directors appear in his films, plays a film director in That Thing You Do! It's a brief role, of course, and it is one of the only times the late Demme appeared in another director's film. Into the Night by John Landis being another.

Roger Corman - The Godfather Part II

Roger Corman, one of the most influential directors of all time had a few cameos over his career with one of the most memorable coming in The Godfather II, where he played one of the senators grilling Michael Corlene (Al Pacino) in the Francis Ford Coppola classic.

Spike Jonze - The Game

Before David Fincher returned the favor for Spike Jonze in Being John Malkovich, Jonze appeared in Fincher's The Game, one of the most underrated movies by a big-time director.

Wes Craven - Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back

The late Wes Craven appeared in movies or TV shows as an actor 24 times according to IMDB, though most of his movie appearances were in his own movies. One exception was when he appeared in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back playing a version of himself directing a cartoonish version of Scream.

Frank Oz - Spies Like Us

Frank Oz has appeared as an actor in a bunch of movies, including The Blues Brothers, Trading Places, Knives Out, not to mention all his puppet and voice work over the years. One of his best cameos came in Spies Like Us where he played the proctor of a civil service exam. It's truly a classic and maybe the funniest moment in the movie.

Cameron Crowe - Minority Report

Cameron Crowe has a very brief cameo as a man on riding public transportation in Minority Report by director Steven Spielberg. If you blink - or aren't sure what he looks like - you're sure to miss the moment, but it's there. In fact, another Cameron, Cameron Diaz, is in the background of the same scene.

Robert Downey, Sr. - Boogie Nights

In his day, Robert Downey Sr. was pretty famous. Of course, that fame has been eclipsed by his son, but that doesn't mean he did carry a lot of respect within the industry even late in his life. Like when Paul Thomas Anderson worked him into a cameo in Boogie Nights.

Frank Darabont - King Kong

For many, The Shawshank Redemption is the best movie of the 1990s. It's director, Frank Darabont, doesn't make a cameo in Shawshank or any of his other movies, but he is very briefly in Peter Jackson's King Kong. It's another "blink-and-you-will-miss-it" kind of role.

Lawrence Kasdan - As Good As It Gets

Writer and director Lawrence Kasdan is most famous for writing both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He's also directed movies like Grand Canyon, The Big Chill, and Silverado. On rare occasions, he's taken acting roles like he did in As Good As It Gets, by director James L. Brooks of Simpsons fame. Kasdan plays a psychologist in the movie.

James Cameron - The Muse

The Muse, directed by Albert Brooks, features a handful of cameos by famous directors including Martin Scorsese and Rob Reiner. In a rare appearance on the other side camera is also director James Cameron, who only has a few acting credits to his name.

Mel Brooks - The Muppet Movie

it's certainly not surprising to see Mel Brooks on the big screen, but it is rare to see in a movie that he didn't write and direct. That's part of what makes his cameo in The Muppet Movie so much fun. The legendary EGOT winner plays the evil Professor Krassman who is working to control the minds of frogs. It's worth noting that despite his delightful performance, it's not one that contributed to his EGOT.

Eli Roth - Inglourious Basterds

Eli Roth is as much an actor as he is a director, though in recent years he's concentrated on the latter. Sure he appears in his own films, but he's also been a collaborator with Quentin Tarantino a couple of times, first in Death Proof and then in a more prominent role in Inglourious Basterds.

Jim Jarmusch - Sling Blade

Director Jim Jarmusch has a unique style as a director and so it makes sense he would appear in a movie with its own unique angle, Sling Blade, by director and actor Billy Bob Thornton. Jarmusch plays the server at a food truck in the movie, serving up French fried potaters.

David Cronenberg - Jason X

David Cronenberg has a long history with the Friday The 13th franchise, having directed an episode of Friday the 13th: The Series in 1988. He shows up in a cameo in Jason X.

John Sayles - Malcolm X

John Sayles has directed some great movies over the years including Eight Men Out and Passion Fish. He's also occasionally done a bit of acting, mostly in cameos like as a memorable FBI agent in Spike Lee's classic Malcolm X.

Werner Herzog - Jack Reacher

German director is never shy about being in front of the camera as he often appears in his own films and occasionally acts in other stuff, like playing a wonderful role on The Mandalorian on Disney Plus. He also makes a great cameo in the Tom Cruise-led Jack Reacher from 2012.

Martin Brest - Fast Times At Ridgemont High

Before Martin Brest hit the big time as a director of such '80s classics as Beverly Hills Cop and the criminally underrated Midnight Run, he scored a small acting role as a coroner in Fast Times At Ridgemont High by director Amy Heckerling.

Orson Welles - The Muppet Movie

Mel Brooks has a fairly substantial role in The Muppet Movie, but he's not the only director to appear in the movie. Hollywood legend Orson Welles also appears in the movie. Welles was a huge fan of Jim Henson and the Muppets and worked with them on more than one occassion as well.

While some movie musicals have won the Best Picture Oscar, a number of entries to the subgenre failed to impress. Rather than an offbeat musical, the latest entry was the first Wicked movie, which was wildly successful and scored Golden Globe nominations. The movie has been getting all sorts of praise; George Lucas is the latest director to see Wicked and his response is A+. Let's break it all down.

What we know about Wicked: For Good is limited, but it's expected to arrive in November and adapt the musical's second act. It sounds like George Lucas will be in theaters when it arrives, as he really enjoyed the first film. While appearing on CBS Mornings, director Jon M. Chu revealed that the Star Wars legend reached out to him, saying:

He's not wrong. Wicked was a huge undertaking, with the film full of massive practical sets, millions of planted flowers, and extensive wire work for Cynthia Erivo. All of the elements came together in the end, which is seems to be what impressed George Lucas so much. After all, he broke the mold with his work on the original Star Wars trilogy (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription).

Bringing such a beloved musical to the big screen was a big ask, but luckily Jon M. Chu was just the filmmaker for the job. He proved his ability to work within this genre with In The Heights, which unfortunately didn't make nearly as much money as the first Wicked film. But he used the same sense of movie magic and reverence for musical theater to make each adaptation a thoroughly enjoyable moviegoing experience.

While the pressure was on for Wicked to stick the landing, the first movie did just that. Critical response for Wicked was overwhelmingly positive, and it ended up breaking records at the box office. As such, the odds of the second film being similarly successful are way higher; moviegoers are eager to see how this take on the story plays out.

There are plenty of questions about the second film, especially related to its music. While two new songs are being debuted, Jon M. Chu hinted that fan favorite tracks like "The Wicked Witch of The East" will finally get their due. Fingers crossed.

All will be revealed when Wicked: For Good hits theaters on November 21st. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.

In the 1980s, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas introduced audiences to a character who will forever be remembered as one of the greatest cinematic heroes of all time. Between Raiders Of The Lost Ark, 1984’s Temple Of Doom and 1989’s The Last Crusade, Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones was established as an indelible figure in pop culture history, and his legacy has lived on into the 21st century with two modern sequels.

But looking back on the classic trilogy, what are the lines and the scenes that made Indiana Jones a true legend? It’s exactly that question that will be addressed in this feature.

Stopping An Assassin With A Quick Crack Of His Whip

It takes just a matter of seconds in Raiders Of The Lost Ark for Indiana Jones to establish himself as a special hero. When a man quietly reveals a gun to try and take a shot at him in the movie’s opening sequence, Indy doesn’t take him down by firing off a gun of his own or showcasing some martial arts skills; he takes out his whip and disarms the assassin in seconds with a single crack.

Finding The Booby Trapped Stones In The Temple

Indiana Jones isn’t just any archeologist/treasure hunter; he is an exceptionally smart and adept archeologist/treasure hunter. Raiders Of The Lost Ark teaches us this very early on by showing instead of telling – with Indy brilliantly sniffing out booby traps in the Peruvian temple by pressing on a rigged stone with a staff.

“I Hate Snakes, Jock! I Hate 'Em!”

We love our heroes to be tough and brave in the face of adversity, but we’re also fond of when they have weaknesses and fears just like any of us. For Indiana Jones, this is where snakes come in, and it becomes a vital part of the character in the rest of the franchise.

The Reunion With Marion

Steven Spielberg makes phenomenal use of silhouette and shadow in all of his Indiana Jones films, but arguably the greatest of them all is the character’s reunion with Marion Ravenwood. The hero, with his iconic fedora on, appears larger than life when he arrives at the bar in Nepal – a perfect illustration of who he has become in pop culture in the decades since Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

Gun Beats Sword

If you’re in need of any one scene that quickly sums up the awesome attitude of Indiana Jones, there is no better choice than his showdown with a sword-wielding attacker in Raiders Of The Lost Ark. The would-be killer clearly has skills, and he would unquestionably be a threat in a fair fight where both sides are carrying matching weapons… but those aren’t the circumstances. Indy gives him a very specific lesson in the idiom “Never bring a knife to a gunfight.”

Using The Staff Of Ra To Find The Location Of The Ark

It’s always amazing when Indiana Jones brings legend to life (even when it’s fictional), and one is filled with a sense of awe when he uses the properly assembled Staff of Ra to find the true location of the Well of Souls.

Digging Right Under The Noses Of The Nazis

Indiana Jones pulls off some super bold moves in the original trilogy, and a highlight is him digging in the proper place and discovering the Well Of Souls within walking distance of the site where the Nazis are looking.

Facing His Greatest Fear To Protect The Ark

Raiders Of The Lost Ark does a fantastic job of foreshadowing by establishing Indiana Jones’ most powerful fear in an early scene, and it speaks a great deal to his character that he doesn’t let his terror stop him from getting the job done. When he sees that the Well of Souls is full of serpents, he doesn’t just dust off his hands and turn tail. Instead, he commits himself to the betterment of the world by attempting to protect the Ark Of The Covenant.

Knocking Down A Temple Statue To Bust Down A Wall

I get the sense that Indiana Jones would be crazy good at escape rooms, and the scene where he breaks himself and Marion out of the Well Of Souls is pure proof. While putting aside his greatest phobia, he figures out a way to avoid certain death by using a giant statue to bust down a wall. It’s unfortunate that he has to destroy some ancient artifacts and ends up disrupting a burial ground, but his heart is in the right place as he tries to stop the Nazis from acquiring supernatural power.

Indiana vs. The Nazi Mechanic

We love an extended mano a mano fight, don’t we, folks? One of cinema’s greatest is the showdown between Indiana Jones and the unnamed Nazi mechanic in Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Indy is physically outmatched in the conflict, but he is much better able to use his surroundings to his advantage. As the two men fight around the wheels and wings of a plane, only our protagonist has the situational awareness to avoid being slaughtered by an active propeller.

Going Under And Back Into A Truck As It Drives

This is perhaps the ultimate Indiana Jones action movement. He gets kicked out of the windshield of an in-motion truck, clings to the grill, ends up crawling underneath the vehicle, uses his whip to get dragged behind it, and then climbs back into the cab so that he can take out the driver. The cherry on top? The driver tries to pull off the same move as Indy, but he isn’t Indiana, so he just ends up dying.

“It's Not The Years, Honey; It's The Mileage.”

Given the longevity of the Indiana Jones franchise, it’s funny that the very first movie includes a line about his age and being worn down by his adventures – but it also sums up the ethos of the protagonist as a forever champion of history and ancient artifacts.

“Marion, Don't Look At It. Shut Your Eyes, Marion. Don't Look At It, No Matter What Happens!”

How does Indiana Jones know that not looking at the opened Ark Of The Covenant will allow him and Marion to survive the horrors that are unleashed? That isn’t ever made totally clear, but it says something about the reputation of the character that we fully accept it. Given his intellectual prowess and passion, it’s easy to believe that there was a point in his life when he read a special translation in an old book that warned him about the face-melting danger we watch unfold.

Hiding Behind The Rolling Gong To Avoid Gunfire And Jumping Out A Window Through A Number Of Canopies

Indiana Jones knows how to accept gifts from the universe when they are given, and he and Willie Scott get a bunch of them in the first scene of Temple Of Doom. First, Indy is protected from machine gun fire by a massive, rolling gong, and then, when he and Willie have to jump out of a window, their fall is softened by a series of canopies.

Jumps Out Of A Crashing Plane On An Emergency Raft And Slides Down A Mountain Into A River

Things don’t start off easy for Indiana Jones in Temple Of Doom, first he is poisoned and shot at, and then he has to improvise an escape from a pilotless plane – which he does with aplomb thanks to some nifty thinking with an emergency raft.

Risking His Arm To Save His Hat

It’s impossible to imagine Indiana Jones without his iconic fedora, but that would have been the case in both Raiders Of The Lost Ark and The Last Crusade had the adventurer not rescued the hat in the prequel Temple Of Doom.

“It's Okay, Kid. It's Me.”

It hurts one’s soul to see Indiana Jones under the thrall of Mola Ram and preparing Willie for sacrifice in Temple Of Doom, but everything becomes better in an instant when Indy quietly confesses to Short Round that he has his mind back – and he successfully uses duplicity to help win the day.

The Mining Belt Battle

Indiana Jones is a fighter who knows how to best take advantage of his environment, and he puts that skill to good use while dealing with a muscly opponent in Mola Ram’s army. Intelligent use of a pair of buckets leads to the guy dying like a Looney Tunes character.

Indiana Jones: Expert Mining Cart Driver

Most of us would probably act a lot like Willie Scott (which is to say mindlessly screaming) while the heroes try and make their great escape in the third act of Temple Of Doom, but Indiana Jones not only keeps his cool, but exposes a special skill: he’s really good at piloting a mining cart.

“Mola Ram! Prepare To Meet Kali... In Hell!”

In most situations, cutting down a rope bridge that you are presently standing on is a truly terrible idea, but Indiana Jones is a character you can trust when he takes extreme action – and he has the wherewithal to deliver a badass line in the process.

Boy Scout Indy Tries To Protect An Artifact

The Indiana Jones movie series primarily focuses on the eponymous character’s adventures as an adult, but the opening sequence of The Last Crusade shows that he has been a hero for history almost his entire life. Even as a kid he was trying to protect artifacts from those who don’t deserve to have them.

“It Belongs In A Museum!”

This line from The Last Crusade has become a meme/the subject of satire, but it is wonderfully emblematic of Indiana Jones’ ethics. He doesn’t seek personal fortune and fame; he simply wants artifacts of historical significance to be in the hands of people who can properly study them in order to achieve a greater understanding of their existence.

Finding The Catacomb Beneath The Library In Venice

Robert Langdon has nothing on Indiana Jones. In this particular sequence from The Last Crusade, he admittedly gets a leg up thanks to notes by his father, but he does a wonderful bit of puzzle-solving to discover the catacomb beneath the library in Venice, Italy.

“Don’t Call Me Junior!”

We can all get a bit indignant when our parents treat us like children, but a very small number get the opportunity to demonstrate their personal value and capability by gunning down a troop of Nazis while rejecting an infantilizing nickname.

Motorcycle Jousting

Indiana Jones has a lot of cool tricks up his sleeve (as I’ve highlighted in this feature), but this is arguably his most fun. Involved in a chase with a bunch of Nazis on motorcycles, Indy gets creative and uses a flagpole as a jousting lance. One would think that he would do quite well if he were to ever time travel back to the age of King Arthur.

“No ticket!”

Improvisational acting isn’t one of Indiana Jones’ greatest skills (see: his failing undercover act while invading the Nazi castle in The Last Crusade), but he certainly does a beautiful job covering after he throws Walter Donovan from a zeppelin window – as evidenced by everyone quickly presenting their ticket to him.

Stealing A Nazi Plane From A Nazi Zeppelin

It takes a lot of guts to sneak aboard a Nazi Zeppelin, but it takes even more guts to then join your father in stealing a plane that’s hitched to the vessel. That’s a thing that legends do, and Indiana Jones is most definitely a legend.

Races A Luftwaffe Plane Through A Tunnel

Long before Ethan Hunt battled with a helicopter atop a train in a tunnel in Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones was being awesome and racing a car against a diving Luftwaffe plane in The Last Crusade. He shows some serious handling skills.

Winning In A Battle Of Horse Vs. Tank

On paper, a matchup between a guy on horseback and a bunch of Nazis in a tank shouldn’t register as a fair fight, but the equation changes when the guy on horseback is Indiana Jones. He uses not just nimbleness and speed to his advantage, but even executes some cartoon-like moves jamming the barrel of a gun with a rock.

Surviving A Tank As It Goes Over A Cliff

For a moment in The Last Crusade, it appears as though Indiana Jones might have died while atop a Nazi tank as it went off a cliff… but to actually think that is to underestimate the character’s awesomeness. Of course he survives by leaping off at the last second and climbing back up the cliff!

The Leap Of Faith

Throughout his adventures, Indiana Jones witnesses a lot of magical, unnatural things – so he arguably has a bit of an advantage in the temple of the Holy Grail in The Last Crusade. After all, he can believe that even though he doesn’t see a bridge that will let him proceed, it might be there. He still has to have serious intestinal fortitude to actually take the step, however, and he demonstrates it.

“That’s The Cup Of A Carpenter”

Cinema history is full of great puzzle-solvers, from Sherlock Holmes to Batman, and Indiana Jones is very much a guy you want to have working with you if you are dealing with a life-or-death brainteaser. He gets his big brain working when he has to pick out the Holy Grail from a sea of cups, and he ends up choosing correctly.

There are popular franchises, and then there's Star Wars. Generations grew up on the galaxy far far away, seeing projects in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While the Star Wars movies have inspired countless projects that followed, the franchise's success wasn't always a guarantee. Case in point: Francis Ford Coppola recalled seeing an early cut of George Lucas’ A New Hope and explains why it was so "terrible."

While fans are looking forward to the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, information about the original trilogy is still coming out. A New Hope was a game changer for the industry, but there were some concerns. Steven Spielberg has been open about his worries, and now the great Francis Ford Coppola has also spoken out. During an interview with Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused, the Godfather icon shared what was happening with Lucas and Star Wars before the first movie hit theaters. As he put it:

There you have it. Much of the magic of Star Wars comes in the post-production phase, where visual effects, music, and sound design transport us into the beloved galaxy. And when those bells and whistles weren't working in tandem when folks like Coppola and Spielberg saw an early version of A New Hope.

The feelings of concern from George Lucas' peers makes a great deal of sense when you consider the context of A New Hope's release. Not only did the movie introduce the world to that galaxy far, far away, but it also featured cutting edge visual effects. And when the elements weren't completed, who knows how wild the movie looked?

Trying to imagine Star Wars without music is definitely a struggle. The legendary John Williams famously wrote the beloved score of George Lucas' movie, which adds a sense of scale, magic, and stakes to the world. So who can blame Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg for not immediately falling in love with A New Hope?

In the end, we all know how things ultimately worked out. A New Hope became a huge hit, kickstarting a franchise that would extend across movies, TV, theme parks, and more. The concerns about the movie might seem silly now, but it's fun to hear the BTS process of the film. And besides, sometimes you have to tell your friends the truth... even if it's George Lucas.

The Star Wars franchise is streaming on Disney+. Be sure to check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year.

Harrison Ford is arguably one of the most beloved actors in the history of cinema, having endeared himself through his performances in countless films and more recently, TV shows. While his performances in the Indiana Jones franchise, Witness, Air Force One and more are lauded, many revere him for playing Han Solo in the Star Wars movies. It’s hard to imagine anyone else portraying the lovable space smuggler, yet he almost didn't land the job. There’s an interesting story behind Ford’s casting, and it involves a carpenter gig.

There are plenty of fun facts about Harrison Ford that fans should know about, but I’d argue that the situation that led to him landing the role of Han Solo is one of the best. Of course, before we dive right into that, some context needs to be provided. More specifically, we need to discuss just how the Blade Runner icon found his way onto George Lucas’ radar in the first place. So let’s jump in and discuss the origins behind one of the greatest film collaborations of all time and one of the best casting choices ever made.

Harrison Ford And George Lucas First Worked Together On A Beloved Period Piece

Several years before the public knew what a Jedi was or could even conceive of the concept of the Force, Mr. Lucas made American Graffiti. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola, the 1973 film was set in 1962 and centered on a group of recent high school graduates during the last night of their summer vacation. Lucas’ nostalgic movie was critical and financial success while also paving the way for future high school movies. It also bolstered the careers of rising actors of the time, such as Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard and Mackenzie Phillips.

Among that youthful ensemble was also a performer by the name of Harrison Ford, who’d only appeared in a handful of movies by that time (and even went uncredited in a few of those). Ford played the role of Bob Falfa, a street racer who had his sights set on a one-on-one match with fellow driver John Milner. While Ford didn’t appear in the film long, his role was indeed memorable and did bring the fresh-faced actor some notoriety.

However, that major opportunity nearly had a negative impact on his professional trajectory. That’s because it nearly stood in the way of him being able to join the galaxy far, far away.

How Exactly Was Harrison Ford Cast In Star Wars?

By 1976, George Lucas had begun pre-production on his second ambitious sci-fi motion picture, which fans now know as Star Wars. The filmmaker seemed to have a very distinct vision for the flick, which extended to his method of casting the characters. With that, he apparently had one rule – he wouldn’t cast anyone that he’d worked with before. While speaking with Vanity Fair (in a video shared to YouTube) in 2020, Harrison Ford recalled his experience being cast as Han Solo and emphasized the decision Lucas had come to:

The door definitely seemed to be closed for the then-up-and-coming actor at that point, but another one opened (figuratively and literally). During the early years of his career, the Working Girl alum worked as a carpenter to support himself. And, as fate would have it, he was hired to complete a job that put him in proximity to the casting work that was being done for Han Solo. As he further explained to VF:

At this point, you’re probably wondering: “so how did the carpenter/rising actor manage to nab his role as one of the best Star Wars characters?” Well, that good fortune was initiated by what the Patriot Games star referred to as “a favor” while speaking with Esquire:

The rest is, as they say, movie history! No one could’ve predicted just how Harrison Ford would fare in what would become one of the most influential of George Lucas’ movies. Of course, it’s reasonable to say everything turned out just fine.

Harrison Ford’s Han Solo Can Be Shifty But His Legacy As The Character Isn’t

Following Star Wars' release in 1977, Harrison Ford as well as his co-stars received considerable attention. The success of the now-seminal sci-fi film would spawn two sequels – 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983’s Return of the Jedi. Ford would reprise his role as Han Solo in both sequels. And, of course, he’d play Solo on the big screen again in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which hit theaters in 2015. That film would fulfil Ford’s wish to have Solo die, though the character would posthumously return briefly in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.

It goes without saying that Mr. Ford has more than cemented himself within the history of cinema, and that’s in great part due to his performance as Han. Even now, it’s wild to think that his casting began not simply with his involvement in American Graffiti but in earnest, with a carpentry job. That’s an amazing story – and one that those who currently enjoy Ford’s work (and will in the future) should always appreciate.

Harrison Ford’s performances as Han Solo are available to stream with a Disney+ subscription. Fans out there should also be sure to remain in the know when it comes to upcoming Star Wars movies.

Hollywood sadly lost another beloved legend this week, as Star Wars and Field of Dreams vet James Earl Jones died at 93. With a career that kicked off on the theater stage in the 1950s before his film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s excellent satire Dr. Strangelove, Jones was a prolific and dedicated talent who worked with some of the best in the business, and many of his former co-stars and longtime fans paid tribute following his death.

As one of the relative few EGOT-earning celebrities out there, James Earl Jones has been an inspirational force to plenty of actors young and old within the entertainment industry, and judging by the outpouring of love and appreciation, it’s clear his impact was widespread and likely won’t be fading away anytime soon. (Darth Vader, he was not.) Let's look at some of the loving messages shared on social media.

Mark Hamill

Arguably the most famous of all of his roles, James Earl Jones voiced all-time great movie villain Darth Vader across several Star Wars films and more (sometimes aided by tech wizardry). And while he wasn't the actual physical performer under Vader's helmet, the actor still made quite an impact on his younger co-star Mark Hamill, who shared the following message:

To be sure, Mark Hamill definitely wasn't the only Star Wars vet who shared the love.

Billy Dee Williams

Having starred as Lando Calrissian across three Star Wars films, Billy Dee Williams is a beloved sci-fi icon who was lucky enough to call James Earl Jones a friend. Here's how he paid his respects via Instagram:

That booming voice was known for more than just Darth Vader, of course, with millions of Disney fanatics out there having long adored him for voicing The Lion King's Mufasa.

George Lucas

The spearheader behind all things Star Wars, at least in the early years before Disney took over, George Lucas helped turn Jones into a globally renowned superstar, even if the actor wasn't initially credited for his voicework as Darth Vader. (That came later.) Here's the filmmaker's statement, as shared on the Star Wars Instagram:

True to his words, many of James Earl Jones' most effective roles, even the villainous and scary ones — The Sandlot's Mr. Mertle among them — were made all the more effective because of the humanity that remained intact behind the performances.

Kevin Costner

Outside of the world of Star Wars, one of James Earl Jones' best movies was a feel-good baseball flick that everyone loves. No, I'm not talking about The Sandlot again, but rather 1989's Field of Dreams, co-starring Kevin Costner, who shared his own tribute to the late legend.

Sure, it's possible that another actor could have stepped into the role of Terence Mann and made it work opposite Costner's Ray Kinsella, but it wouldn't have been the grand slam performance that James Earl Jones delivered to the heartwarming drama.

Debbie Allen

The always wonderful Debbie Allen, who'd previously cast James Earl Jones in her Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, took to Instagram to share her own tribute to the late, great actor.

The EGOT status was already a sign of his GOAT nature, but having Debbie Allen say it only solidifies the notion.

Octavia Spencer, Steve Toussaint, Josh Gad And More

There are probably too many celebs paying tribute to James Earl Jones to provide a comprehensive rundown of all the kind words being shared in his name, here's a smattering of R.I.P. posts from his adoring fans and occasional co-stars.

• Jurnee Smollett: Today we lost a giant. James Earl Jones was more than a legendary actor - he was a voice that carried strength, dignity, and grace. From his iconic roles to his profound impact on the arts, he paved the way for so many of us. His legacy will continue to inspire generations. Rest in power, King 🖤 #JamesEarlJones
• Octavia Spencer: I’m incredibly saddened to learn of #JamesEarlJones’ passing today. Legendary doesn’t even begin to describe his iconic roles and impact on cinema forever. His voice and talent will be remembered always. Sending love to his family, friends and countless fans in all the galaxies, far, far away. 🤍🕊️
• Michael Beach: I got to work with Mr. James Earl Jones 3 times. The first time I was only out of college for a few years and it was on his show Gabriel’s Fire. The last time was as his son and #robertduvall nephew in a film called #afamilything … I felt nervous and lucky everyday on set with two super actors!…I knew him as a quiet and kind man. But he was a giant to me in many ways and each time I was in his presence I just felt like I was learning and clearly making great career choices!…Thank you Mr. Jones! Respect and appreciation to you and condolences to your family. #ripjamesearljones #aclassic #alegend #moviedad
• Jason Alexander: James Earl Jones was as powerful and profound as he was gentle and grace-filled. His voice could command or move men to tears. His work, all those amazing characters, will remain in my heart and memory all my days. I knew him very briefly and he was everything you’d hoped he would be. May he rest well. #RIPJamesEarlJones

Gabriel's Fire isn't a movie that often comes up when discussing Jones' biggest hits, but it obviously holds a special place in The Perfect Couple star Michael Beach's heart. And some of the actor's other fan-faves like Coming to America and Claudine get namechecked by Josh Gad and House of the Dragon's Steve Toussaint in the posts below:

• Josh Gad: Shattered. There are icons and then there is this man. How do you remember someone who gave us some of the greatest stage and screen performances of all time? For so many of us, you defined our childhoods from Star Wars to Lion King, from Field of Dreams to The Sandlot, from Coming to America to Dr. Strangelove. Thank you James for giving your life to art and filling our lifetimes with some of the best performances of any resume ever. It was an honor to know you and and an even bigger honor to get perform in a theater with your namesake. 💔 #ripjamesearljones
• Omar Epps: Thank you for gifting us with dignity, grace, and resilience. A peaceful warrior who inspired many by exemplifying truths. Though your smile was disarming, the strength of your presence was felt by any who had a chance to share space with you. Being one of those fortune few, I salute you for having persevered, and flourished through it all. Blessings to your family, and may you dance with the angels now!🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾#RIPJamesEarlJones
• Steve Toussaint: So, just heard the news of this master's passing. What a legend. What a colossus! What a voice! Obviously there was that "Star Wars" thing he did, but, there was also "Great White Hope", there was "Claudine", there was "Field Of Dreams"; I could go on... I won't. Was lucky enough to meet him very briefly backstage after he performed in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" as Big Daddy. A kind and charming man, he made my year! #ripjamesearljones

While there will no doubt be another actor who attempts the Darth Vader voice for upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, there will never be another Hollywood icon quite like James Earl Jones, from his persona to his acting ability to his unmistakable voice. It's been a great ride.

We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of James Earl Jones during their time of mourning.

Without George Lucas, there would be no Luke Skywalker, no Death Star, no Boba Fett, no Baby Yoda, and the collection of great movies on Disney+ would look vastly different. However, while Lucas is responsible for creating the massively popular franchise set in a galaxy far, far away, there are a handful of others whose names are listed as director for some of the best Star Wars movies.

With the property being as popular as ever, and a few high-profile upcoming Star Wars movies on the way, we decided to take a step back and look at all of the directors who have helped shape the franchise into what we know it as today. With all three sequels from the “Skywalker Saga” and every released standalone movie included, we’ve put together a rather robust list sorted by release date.

George Lucas, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

When he sat behind the camera for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, George Lucas was a talented yet relatively unknown director who only had two credits to his name: THX 1138 and American Graffiti. That would soon change upon the May 1977 release of the franchise starter, which propelled Lucas and the film’s cast into superstardom and made him a household name, a distinction that has remained true for nearly 50 years.

Irvin Kershner, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Though very much involved with the story, production, and everything else surrounding Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas passed on the opportunity to direct the film due to not wanting to relive the stress from the first film, per the New York Times. He took a risk and selected Irvin Kershner, best known for films like The Hoodlum Priest, Up the Sandbox, and S*P*Y*S, and it ultimately paid off and gave us one of the best sequels of all time. However, it wasn’t all pleasant for everyone, as Mark Hamill butted heads with Kershner during his first and only Star Wars movie.

Richard Marquand, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi (1983)

When it came to closing the Star Wars trilogy, Lucas selected Richard Marquand to direct Return of the Jedi, who beat out names like Steven Spielberg, David Lynch, and David Cronenberg, per Collider. Marquand would close out the first phase of the franchise with a divisive finale that seems to get much more praise as the years go on.

George Lucas, Star Wars: Episode I – Phantom Menace (1999)

When it came time for Star Wars to return to the big screen with the long-awaited prequels, George Lucas returned to the director’s chair 20 years after taking a more behind-the-scenes role with The Empire Strikes Back. The result of his return was 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menance, a movie that is not without its shortcomings but also one that gave us the iconic “Duel of the Fates” lightsaber battle.

George Lucas, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack Of The Clones (2002)

The filmmaker stuck around for the second installment in the “Prequel Trilogy” Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Though fans have started to appreciate the prequels, including the middle chapter, in recent years, this 2002 movie remains a low point for the franchise.

George Lucas, Star Wars: Episode III -  Revenge Of The Sith (2005)

The “Prequel Trilogy” came to an end in 2005 with Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which was once again directed by Lucas. Conversations surrounding the film’s legacy have gone in every direction in the nearly 20 years since its release, but there’s no denying that Lucas directed the hell out of the Mustafar duel.

Dave Filoni, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

Dave Filoni has gone on to be one of the driving forces behind the brand over the years, and it all started with him directing the 2008 animated movie, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The beloved film, which would lead into the the TV series of the same name, took place not long after the events of Attack of the Clones and further expanded the story of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, while also introducing fan-favorites like Ahsoka Tano.

J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

In December 2015, three years after Disney acquired Lucasfilm, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens was released into theaters around the world and became a massive box office hit. J.J. Abrams, who became one of the major stakeholders in the property following the acquisition, directed the first live-action Star Wars movie in a decade and kicked off the “Sequel Trilogy” in the process.

Gareth Edwards, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

One year after The Force Awakens made beaucoup money at the box office, Disney released its first anthology film with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Directed by Gareth Edwards, who was hot off of the release of Godzilla two years earlier, told the story of the rebel spies who secured the secret Death Star plans and chronicled the sacrifices they made to save the galaxy.

Rian Johnson, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)

Either the most daring or divisive Star Wars movie depending on who you ask, Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi broke from the status quo and offered a fresh take for the galaxy far, far away. There has been talk of Johnson returning to the franchise at some point in the future, but he has been rather busy the past few years with the Knives Out series, including his upcoming Wake Up Dead Man.

Ron Howard, Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

More than 40 years after working with Lucas in American Graffiti, Ron Howard joined the franchise with 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, replacing Phil Lord and Chris Miller in the process. The movie, which saw Alden Ehrenreich take on the role of a young Han Solo, wasn’t well received and is currently the final Star Wars anthology film. 

J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Colin Trevorrow was supposed to direct the final installment of the “Sequel Trilogy,” which at one point had the working title of Duel of the Fates, but J.J. Abrams ultimately returned to wrap up the Skywalker Saga with The Rise of Skywalker. Though the lowest-ranked live-action Star Wars movie on Rotten Tomatoes, TROS still made a ton of cash at the box office, though there hasn’t been a new theatrical release since its December 2019 debut.

Though there aren’t any Star Wars movies on the 2024 movie schedule, there are some promising series set in the galaxy on the 2024 TV calendar that should hold fans’ attention while we wait. 

To say that the Star Wars movies were massively successful would be an understatement. With so many upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows lined up, it’s a relief that A New Hope did so well in 1977 considering many people were predicting it would flop. Franchise creator George Lucas looked back at the time when he first noticed his space opera became a hit, and it involves the memory of his fellow filmmaker pal, Steven Spielberg.

While speaking at the Cannes Film Festival to receive his honorary Palme d'Or, George Lucas explained that studios had no faith that Star Wars would work as a movie since they weren’t fans of Lucas’ previous films he directed, like THX 1138 and American Graffiti. This caused the studio to release the movie in only 32 theaters. However, he told the head of 20th Century Fox to have faith in the sci-fi genre Star Wars: A New Hope fit under. As the filmmaker recalled:

George Lucas was right. He and his wife were having dinner at a local hamburger place when they realized the streets were filled with traffic, with people waiting in long lines on the sidewalk for Star Wars! He forgot that the first of many future movies was released at the movie theater near the burger joint and saw how quickly word-of-mouth reached audiences young and old. It proves Lucas was a movie genius in making a cinematic story that could reach kids and teenagers, whereas studios told him that a young demographic wouldn’t have any interest.

Steven Spielberg, known for contributing to the best sci-fi movies of all time, is good friends with George Lucas. In fact, he was with him when he discovered just how much of a hit Star Wars was. Lucas continued:

Who would have thought the moment you saw the Star Wars phenomenon on the news would be when you were making sandcastles with Steven Spielberg? It’s nice the two filmmakers who would shake the world of cinema were together when the Star Wars phenomenon was coming into play.

Just when so many thought A New Hope would flop, it actually became the second-highest-grossing film in North America and the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time. It even managed to surpass Steven Spielberg’s Jaws!

However, George Lucas was actually hoping Star Wars wouldn’t outperform Close Encounters of the Third Kind due to a dumb bet made between him and Steven Spielberg. If Close Encounters made more at the box office, the Schindler’s List director owed the Lucasfilm head 2.5% of the film’s share. Lucas made the same deal if Star Wars outperformed Spielberg’s movie which unfortunately for Lucas caused him to lose millions to Spielberg. The E.T. director clearly had faith in Star Wars to take on that bet and is said to still receive profit shares from the sci-fi film.

It took George Lucas to see lines wrapped around the block for Star Wars to realize what a massive hit his creation was. Steven Spielberg can even say he was there when that moment came into full circle making sandcastles with his friend. It’s a good thing that Lucas didn’t back out of the franchise after Empire Strikes Back, or the franchise wouldn’t nearly have become the pop-culture sensation it is now. You can watch all of the Star Wars movies with your Disney+ subscription.

Chronologically-speaking, The Phantom Menace is the first of the Star Wars movies in order, but in real life, it was the space opera’s fourth theatrical entry, arriving 16 years after Return of the Jedi concluded the Original Trilogy. Although Episode I was an overwhelming financial success, making over $924 million worldwide during its initial theatrical release, it was met with mixed reviews, with one of the major criticisms being its more juvenile tone compared to its predecessors. This has prompted years of discourse over this aspect of the movie, and now the 80-year-old George Lucas, the man who created the Star Wars universe, has come to the defense of The Phantom Menace’s tone.

The first Prequel Trilogy installment marked the first time that Lucas was the director and sole writer behind a Star Wars movie since the original, now known as A New Hope, was released in 1977, and he did the same on Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Although Lucas hasn’t been involved with the Star Wars franchise since selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012 (aside from naming a character from The Mandalorian), naturally it’ll always be considered his crowning professional achievement. So while taking part in a discussion about his career at the Cannes Film Festival, where he was awarded with a Palme d’Or, there was a fair amount of Star Wars discussion, including him defending The Phantom Menace with the following (via THR):

George Lucas went on to argue that those who gave The Phantom Menace bad reviews (it has a 53% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes and 56% Audience Score) were “critics and fans who had been 10 years old when they saw the first one” and didn’t want to watch a children’s movie. Coming out of The Phantom Menace, Jar Jar Banks earned an especially big thrashing from audiences and arguably serves as the best representation of the movie’s juvenile side, though the backlash sadly led to actor Ahmed Best nearly dying by suicide. The negative reaction to Jar Jar reminded Lucas of similar complaints that emerged from A New Hope and Return of the Jedi:

While the amount of people who rank The Phantom Menace high up on the ranking of Star Wars movies is few and far between, it still has some good moments, like Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s fight against Darth Maul, which we ranked #2 of the best lightsaber duels. For his part, George Lucas doesn’t regret targeting Episode I towards a younger demographic rather than trying to deliver something more mature simply to appeal to those who’d grown up on the Original Trilogy. With Star Wars, it’s a fine balance of both appealing to existing fans and drawing in new ones, something that resumed on the theatrical side once the Sequel Trilogy launched in 2015.

You can revisit The Phantom Menace and all the other Star Wars movies and tie-in TV shows with a Disney+ subscription. If you’d rather look to the future, then our guide of the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows has you covered on what’s slated for the coming years.

If it wasn’t for the vision of creator George Lucas, the world of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows might not have ever existed. As his 1977 film changed the world of blockbuster cinema, which easily landed it among the best sci-fi movies of all time, it’s a feat still celebrated to this day.

So when actor Mark Hamill chose to pay tribute to the director of his big movie break, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, the results were quite touching. Taking to his social media presence, including Instagram, Hamill highlighted the Star Wars mastermind with a selection of photos from throughout his life. Putting it all together with a touching message, here’s the finished product of Hamill’s birthday message to George Lucas:

It never fails to amaze when thinking back to how Star Wars became a mega-hit sensation, and all in a pretty recent proximity to its modern history. Looking back on things like Mark Hamill’s audition with Harrison Ford, it’s still amazing to see their early steps into this then new world.

It’s even more unbelievable to think about who could have been up for roles like that of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. That's even wilder to behold when reading the story about how fellow Solo auditioner Robert Englund helped Hamill’s Star Wars journey happen in the first place.

Of course, one can say that easily after over 45 years of Star Wars history have ingrained this world, and its characters, into pop culture history. But it’s not like George Lucas has merely sat back and enjoyed his retirement. As he still engages in philanthropic efforts such as the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a new chapter of his legacy has been playing out for all to see.

Though from time to time, Lucas pops into the Star Wars universe to do something, like randomly name a Mandalorian character. While he may not be at the wheel anymore, George Lucas’ influence is still felt in this galaxy far, far away.

As long as Lucas continues to remind the world why his creation was so iconic in the first place, fellow contributors like Mark Hamill will always be there to tip their lightsaber to thank the maker. To borrow the words of the man himself, straight from George Lucas' defense of Disney CEO Bob Iger, "Creating magic is not for amateurs," and it is an honor to pay homage to that fact on this magician's 80th birthday.

If you’re looking to celebrate George Lucas’ birthday in your own way, you can easily revisit the world of Star Wars through streaming. So long as you have access to a Disney+ subscription, you’ll be able to take off to Tatooine, Naboo and any other world that Mr. Lucas and his creation have helped dream up.

A great deal has been made about Disney’s struggles at the box office of late, but those battles have become a possible war for The Walt Disney Company as the entertainment giant is fighting a proxy war on two fronts. Two different investment firms are making plays for seats on the Disney board, the most significant, Nelson Peltz’s Trian Group, has the support of former Marvel Entertainment head Ike Perlmutter, but Bog Iger and Disney just solidified a major ally in George Lucas.

This morning the man who sold Lucasfilm to Bob Iger and Disney in 2012 for $4 billion, and in doing so became a significant Disney shareholder, released a statement (via Deadline) in support of the current CEO, and urging all Disney shareholders to vote for the board of directors supported by Disney. In the statement, Lucas says that he has “full faith and confidence” in Disney under Iger. Lucas’ statement reads…

Needless to say, this is a pretty big deal for Disney and Bob Iger. George Lucas has remained largely quiet since he sold Lucasfilm to Disney. We know he occasionally visits the sets of Star Wars projects but he rarely does so with much fanfare. In fact, some comments Lucas has made in the past have indicated that he’s perhaps less than happy with the direction Star Wars has taken under Disney, but if anything a statement this much in favor of Bob Iger and Disney may hold even more weight because of that.

George Lucas’ words here are chosen carefully, the campaign started by Trian Group to argue that Nelson Peltz and former Disney executive Jay Rasulo should be added to the Disney board has gone under the name “Save the Magic.” Lucas’ opening line here seems to be a reference to that, saying that “the magic” is not something for those who don’t know what to do with it. Disney’s primary argument against Trian Group has been that Nelson Peltz has no experience in the various areas of Disney’s business, and is thus unsuitable for Disney’s board. 

The Trian Group first made a play for a seat on the Disney Board a year ago but ended its fight early after Bob Iger returned as CEO and instituted a massive cost-cutting plan that resulted in thousands of Disney Cast Member layoffs and billions of dollars saved. However, Nelson Peltz now says Disney has not done enough, and that shareholder value is suffering due to poor decisions by Iger and the current Board of Directors.

Disney's Shareholders Meeting is set for April 3. On that day we'll know whether The 100-year-old Walt Disney Company will continue forward on its current path, or make a major change. George Lucas' support may very well sway some of those on the fence to support Disney and Lucas' shares will certainly help as well.

Star Wars and beer tend to be a bad mix with Lucasfilm’s George Lucas. Back in 2014, he sued a brewery for naming one of its bock lagers “Strikes bock.” But long before that, in 2004, Lucas wasn’t a fan of Chile inserting beer ads in Star Wars movies, so he took legal action against it.

In December 2003, Chile’s Channel 13 displayed an unconventional advertising plan to combine several of the Star Wars movies with Chile’s most popular beer brand, Cerveza Cristal. However, they were sneaky with these ads by cleverly inserting 30-second commercials into the movies compared to traditional ad breaks. According to BNN, George Lucas wasn’t exactly happy about this collaboration. After all, these ads weren’t created with Lucasfilm’s permission, which means copyright infringement.

In 2004, George Lucas decided to do something about protecting these heavy hitters among the best sci-fi movies of all time by filing a grievance with the Chilean Council for Self-Regulation and Advertising Ethics. A judgment was ruled in Lucasfilm’s favor, with orders that these commercials were not to be aired again. While Cerveza Cristal stayed away from the epic space opera series, the company still incorporated its beer into popular movies like American Beauty, Gladiator and Notting Hill. Now I’m curious if any of these movies had the same problem with that. 

If you’re curious about what exactly happened in these commercials, Cerveza Cristal found smart ways to alter well-known Star Wars scenes by editing beer into the ads. For example, this X video presents the scene in A New Hope when Obi-Wan wanted to show Luke something his father wanted him to have when he was old enough. Only it wasn’t a lightsaber like in the original version. What was a chest in one scene transitioned into an icebox in another that revealed inside none other than Cerveza Cristal bottles with its tuneful jingle. Take a look at the hilariously edited commercial below, and I dare you not to laugh:

It was a bit cringe, wasn’t it? Still, I think it was creatively done and really funny, and I wasn’t the only one who got a kick out of these commercials. Just when fans entertained themselves with Star Wars memes suited for any occasion, the resurfacing of these Chilean beer commercials got their attention recently. According to MovieWeb, fans couldn’t help but find hilarity in these classic commercials and haven’t been holding back their reactions through various X posts. 

Originally, fans didn’t believe these commercials were real until the news of George Lucas’ lawsuit came out. If anything, fans are now wishing these beer ads were incorporated into the remastered version of the award-winning sci-fi series. Wouldn’t that be a trip!

George Lucas wasn’t happy at all seeing his Star Wars movies being tampered with Chilean beer commercials live on TV. It’s a good lesson for all advertising companies to respect the original works of filmmakers by seeking their permission first before placing product ads in their movies. 

You can watch all of the films from the successful sci-fi franchise with your Disney+ subscription. Feel free to keep yourself up-to-date on upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows here on CinemaBlend to continue being part of Lucasfilm’s legacy.

If one were to look back on the Star Wars movies (in order or not), they would see that plenty of actors have given some incredible performances by way of the franchise. There’s Harrison Ford’s cocky yet commanding portrayal of Han Solo and Rosario Dawson’s balanced and noble portrayal of Ahsoka Tano, just to name a few. Much praise should also go to Ian McDiarmid, who famously played the villainous Emperor Sheev Palpatine (who is widely known). The actor truly got to sink his teeth into the role in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. Now, McDiarmid has revealed a note he received from George Lucas while filming the threequel’s “absolute power” scene, and it makes so much sense to me.

The scene in question involves the fateful duel between Ian McDiarmid’s Palpatine and Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu, who has discovered that the politician is actually a Sith Lord. As Mace prepares to finish off the evil, old man, the corrupted Anakin Skywalker intervenes and disarms (no pun intended) his former Jedi ally. Palpatine then looks on in delight and proceeds to use Force Lightning on Mace, before pushing him from the window in his office to his death. It’s a dramatic scene and one that proves to be pivotal in Skywalker’s descent into the Dark Side of the Force. 

Ian McDiarmid seems to remember shooting all that quite vividly and shared his recollections with Empire Magazine while marking the 25th anniversary of the start of the prequel trilogy. He specifically discussed what it was like collaborating with writer/director George Lucas during that moment. According to the Scottish performer, Lucas advised that he not hold back when saying his famous line (which was actually “unlimited power” in the movie): 

So that one piece of feedback fully explains to me just why the scene is so over-the-top. I mean, the Sleepy Hollow actor really hammed it up in a major way – but in the best way, of course. Let’s be honest, that line wouldn’t have hit as hard if the seasoned star had held back when it came to his delivery.

Additionally, while I’m not sure if the production was shot in sequence, this would also explain why the now-79-year-old star is so boisterous during other sequences, including the Emperor's showdown with Yoda (who later hid from Palpatine on Dagobah.) The “power” line definitely worked and is iconic amongst fans, especially those who grew up with the prequels like myself. And, as the star explained, there’s another piece of dialogue from ROTS that his admirers eat up: 

That love is one of the reasons why so many people were excited about Palpatine’s return in The Rise of Skywalker. After that, many were left wondering whether McDiarmid might return after his comeback in the J.J. Abrams’ 2019 capper to the Skywalker Saga. He eventually reprised Palpatine again in The Bad Batch and Tales of the Jedi, which are both animated series, and briefly popped up in the live-action show Obi-Wan Kenobi.

If there was a story that makes sense, I wouldn’t mind seeing Ian McDiarmid don his Sith robes once more to play Palpatine in a live-action production. It’s hard not to get taken in by his wicked charms while he’s in character. And, yes, it would be great to see him give another bombastic performance that rivals what he did in the final installment of the prequel trilogy. 

To see that scene and the film as a whole, stream Revenge of the Sith using a Disney+ subscription. Do yourself a favor and also check out the list of upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.

Hayden Christensen has made a real comeback in the Star Wars universe, with key roles both in last year's Obi-Wan Kenobi and the 2023 TV schedule's Ahsoka. It was a big return for the actor, who hadn't appeared in a project associated with the franchise since 2005's Revenge of the Sith. Back then, George Lucas was running the show, and seeing as that's no longer the case, some might be curious about how the actor felt returning without the creator in charge. Now, he's opened up about what it was like reprising his role as Anakin without Lucas.

Is working for Dave Filoni similar to working with George Lucas? Hayden Christensen is one of the few people who could speak to that, and he sat down with EW to talk about what it was like returning without the Star Wars creator at the helm. The actor gave his honest thoughts on the transition and how it felt a bit odd at first: 

If it wasn't evident by the fact that George Lucas showed up on the set of The Mandalorian, the creator's influence and input will forever be with Star Wars. As long as Dave Filoni is making Star Wars shows for those with a Disney+ subscription, one would imagine that's how it's going to be for a long time. Lucas effectively handed down his knowledge to Filoni about the universe, so it's not surprising that Hayden Christensen had this perception while filming Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka.

It's also evident that George Lucas' influence is felt in Ahsoka, given the moments Hayden Christensen shared with others while on the set. Director Peter Ramsey reportedly gave the actor a sweet note regarding Anakin and Ahsoka's reunion, and the video of the actor practicing the lightsaber battle with Ariana Greenblatt is just awesome. Hopefully, there's room for more of Christensen in upcoming Star Wars projects, assuming it makes sense because clearly, he loves working on them. 

There are patches of uncharted territory in Star Wars where Hayden Christensen could return as Darth Vader, but it's unclear whether or not they'll be adapted to live-action. Dave Filoni did say his Star Wars movie would have Revenge of the Sith vibes, but I doubt he meant anything like resurrecting Vader was in his plans. Then again, this is the same franchise that brought Emperor Palpatine back, so anything is possible.

We'll have to wait and see what the plans are, if any, for Hayden Christensen and Star Wars going forward. In the meantime, check out all the movies and shows he's been in -- including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka -- over on Disney+, and look forward to the next project on the way!

Charlie Hunnam has had quite the career and has carved out a solid lane for himself within the entertainment industry. While he’s been able to take on some great roles, he – like many other actors – has a few notable gigs that got away. He even turned down DC's Green Arrow. the latest he recalled was that of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars movies and possibly beyond. Hunnam apparently got close to landing the part, which eventually went to Hayden Christensen. So close that he actually had the opportunity to meet with George Lucas but, as the actor recalled, he ended up having a “very awkward” meeting with the sci-fi guru. 

George Lucas was actually looking at a few notable stars before he tapped Canadian actor Hayden Christsensen to play the Jedi destined to become Darth Vader. Leonardo DiCaprio and Paul Walker were reportedly a couple of the big names the filmmaker had on his list. One would think that at the time, Charlie Hunnam may have been anxious to be in the running for such a massive job. Today, however, he admitted that he can’t remember all that much about the casting process: 

That’s understandable, given it was so long ago, and the Pacific Rim star has had various casting experiences since then. While his memory is somewhat fuzzy on a lot of the specific details, he does remember sitting down with George Lucas to discuss the part. The leading man explained during his interview with ET that it was a “very awkward” meeting. With that, it seems like he knew even at the time that he wouldn’t get the opportunity to wield a lightsaber on camera: 

“Vibes” can definitely be important when it comes to situations like that. While it’s interesting to wonder how Charlie Hunnam would’ve performed as Skywalker, I think everything turned out just fine. Years later, he landed the role of Jax Teller on the acclaimed FX drama Sons of Anarchy. He also has notable flicks like Children of Men, Crimson Peak, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and The Gentlemen under his belt. On the other hand, while Hayden Christensen’s performance as Anakin was originally met with tepid responses, his work has been better received by contemporary audiences. Fans even wished Christensen a happy birthday ahead of his return as Darth Vader on 2022’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. All in all, I don’t think Hunnam can really complain over his good fortune.

The British star is currently part of the Rebel Moon cast and, with that, he actually gets to enter the world of science fiction as seen through the lens of filmmaker Zack Snyder. The actor explained that he relished the opportunity to join Snyder’s budding franchise. He may not get to wield the Force, thanks to that awkward meeting with George Lucas, he’ll at least get in on some serious action through this entry on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases. 

Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire will be available for Netflix subscribers starting on December 22. Fans of Star Wars can also check out Hayden Christensen’s work as Anakin Skywalker using a Disney+ subscription.

When you go to Walt Disney World, there are certainly a few celebrities that you’re hoping to meet, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, maybe Cinderella if you’re lucky. But one family that visited Magic Kingdom back in 2005 appears to have very nearly had a run in with an even bigger star, Star Wars creator George Lucas. 

A viral tweet from @markvchase shows the picture, taken at Disney World in 2005, which includes a man sitting on a bench in the background, who looks an awful lot like George Lucas. Apparently, it was something of a family joke that the guy in the background was Lucas, but now it looks like the joke is on them, as this is almost certainly him. 

Disney World publicity photos at the time confirm that, at the end of February 2005 when this photo was taken, George Lucas was at Disney World. It was just a few months before Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith hit theaters, and while Disney was almost a decade away from buying Lucasfilm (and bringing lots of Star Wars to Disney World) Star Wars already had a presence at the then Disney/MGM Studios in the form of the Star Tours attraction. And Lucas even took pictures with a Jedi Mickey Mouse. 

At this point, post-production on Sith was likely done, or very close to it. And honestly, if you had just completed a major movie trilogy that had taken up years of your life, you’d want to go on vacation to Disney World too. The wildest thing about this picture is that it looks like Lucas is alone, and doesn’t have a plaid Cast Member waiting on him, which is a bit surprising, but also sort of cool. 

While the color of the two pictures is off, the man in the back of the family photo appears to be wearing a darker shirt and lighter jeans than Lucas in the Mickey photo, which can be chalked up to lighting conditions and camera settings. The general look of the two men, including the sneakers, is nearly identical. If this isn’t Lucas in the background of the family photo, it’s one of the most random coincidences in history.

George Lucas has a long history with Disney Parks. He grew up in Southern California and says he attended Disneyland’s second day of operation (which was technically its first day open to the public). When then Disney CEO Michael Eisner approached him with the idea of bringing Star Wars and Indiana Jones to Disneyland, Lucas reportedly jumped at the chance, and together they created iconic attractions that are still among the most popular in Disney’s Parks around the world.

In 2005 Star Tours would have still been running the original version of the attraction, which saw the robot pilot, voiced by Paul Reubens, take guests inside a comet and on the Death Star trench run. A Few years later the ride would be retooled and the prequel trilogy, which Lucas would help promote here, would become a major part of the ride.

Star Wars is invading the NASCAR Championship Cup series in Phoenix, and while designing cars to look like X-Wings and TIE Fighters may feel like a random decision, it's actually connected to the franchise on a deep level. While checking out Columbia's X-Wing Pilot winter collection that is coming this December, I learned about a connection George Lucas has to the world of racing that really makes this collaboration all the more special. 

George Lucas is a prolific director, known for bringing the world some of the most popular Hollywood franchises out there, and giving Harrison Ford a "wonderful career." With that said there is an alternate universe where people couldn't stream Star Wars with a Disney+ subscription, or see it period. Lucas had different career plans in his youth to be a professional race car driver, and if that had happened he would've never made it to the world of filmmaking. 

George Lucas Had Serious Ambition To Be A Professional Driver

Per George Lucas: A Life, the acclaimed filmmaker originally did all he could to put himself on the path towards professional racecar driving (via Biography.com). With a souped-up Autobianchi Bianchina, Lucas entered regional races in the Modesto, California, area, and he allegedly won a good deal of events. 

Lucas had such a passion and drive for racing that it began to impact his grades, and he struggled to pass some classes. The endeavor also caused tension with his father, who would've preferred his son take on the family stationery business. Lucas would remain as dedicated to his goal as Emperor Palpatine was to return to rule the galaxy, but the dream would be dashed in what would be a tragic moment in the director's life. 

A Devastating Car Accident Switched Him Over To Filmmaking

On a list of things Star Wars fans may not know about George Lucas, the fact he almost died in a freak car accident might shock a few. While turning into his home, Lucas was blindsided by another driver and ejected from the vehicle. The ejection ultimately left him with several broken ribs and bruised lungs but spared him from the impact of his car colliding with a large walnut tree. 

Lucas saw the moment as a wake-up call that professional driving wasn't for him, and he decided to dedicate his schooling to social sciences. Obviously, he took another detour after that and began to pursue filmmaking, and thus, the Star Wars franchise was eventually born. 

So, in a roundabout way, the passion for professional racing birthed the Star Wars franchise. Granted, it's more of a "Butterfly Effect" situation, and it's more that George Lucas realized professional racing wasn't for him when this happened. Thankfully, there are other racers like Bubba Wallace to get pep talks from Mark Hamill and do the franchise proud on the racetrack. 

Tune in for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship on NBC on Sunday, November 5th, beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on the 2023 TV schedule. Those with streaming can also enjoy the fun by tuning in with their Peacock subscription to see some high-stakes racing. 

For much of Star Wars’ history, George Lucas oversaw the direction of the sprawling franchise he created decades ago. The veteran filmmaker hasn’t been quite as involved with it in recent years, however, especially since he sold Lucasfilm film to The Walt Disney Company in 2012. Since then, other figureheads like Kathleen Kennedy and Jon Favreau have helped steer the (star)ship, so to speak. A person who’s been particularly impactful on that front is Dave Filoni, who has a firm understanding of Lucas’ mythology. He’s been quite successful since joining the company in the 2000s, and there’s a funny story about his hiring, which includes a moment Filoni thought was a prank. 

Dave Filoni’s work within the galaxy far, far away began in earnest with the animated series The Clone Wars, which is now revered in some circles. The writer’s work in the animation corner of the franchise also includes Rebels, The Bad Batch and more. The past few years have also seen Filoni try his hand at penning and directing live-action projects, including The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. His most recent endeavor is Ahsoka, and it’s received favorable reviews from critics and fans alike. Unsurprisingly, Filoni is also busy with upcoming Star Wars shows and movies. He’s accomplished so much, which makes the story behind his hiring all the more ironic and chuckle worthy. 

Dave Filoni Had A Lot Of Creative Experience Under His Belt Prior To Being Hired By Lucasfilm 

Before he was tasked with handling the journeys of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano and more, the now-49-year-old producer was a busy animator. He spent years working on a variety of TV shows for different networks. There are adult-oriented credits on his resume, such as King of the Hill and The Oblongs. But he also cut his teeth on kid-centric fare, including Kim Possible, Fillmore! and American Dragon: Jake Long. (Coincidentally, those three shows and a few others he worked on were also produced by Disney.) 

Yet the show that really allowed Dave Filoni to experiment with serialized storytelling and complex action sequences was Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. During an episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian (which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription), Filoni briefly mentioned his time working on the beloved series. He seemed to relish the experience, particularly because he has a “love” for anime and action. Considering the scope and tone of Airbender, Filoni seemed like a perfect fit for Star Wars, which he was already a massive fan of. He, however, didn’t believe anyone, let alone George Lucas, would reach out with an opportunity, though. 

The Animator Received A Phone Call From Lucasfilm That He Believed Was A Prank

Dave Filoni was working on Avatar at Nick during the early 2000s and, while at the studio, his co-workers became well aware of his love for Star Wars. As he explained, his fandom led his colleagues to lightly poke fun at him once in a while. It’s for that reason Filoni was skeptical when he received a phone call from someone claiming to represent the animation branch of Lucasfilm. When explaining why he thought his recruitment was a joke, the writer/director said the following: 

Honestly, given the circumstances, you really can’t blame him for being somewhat untrustworthy at that moment. The inquiry would’ve felt a bit too perfect to me, if I’d been in the Dave the Barbarian alum’s shoes. There were also a few other key reasons he didn’t believe an animated Clone Wars series was in the works at that point. He continued:

But he did indeed buy in (and SW fans are definitely better for him having done it). You can’t help but laugh when you consider his storied tenure at Lucasfilm began with that humorously awkward phone call. Before he could officially land the job though, there was another key step in the hiring process. He had to meet with the enigmatic Mr. Lucas.

What Went Down When Dave Filoni And George Lucas Met For The First Time?

We all know what it’s like to apply for a job, right? You receive communication from a prospective employer, and then you have to go through interviews. That process was no different for Dave Filoni when it came to him joining the Lucasfilm family. He further explained that he had to go through two rounds of meetings before actually sitting down with George Lucas, who had Filoni’s portfolio in front of him during their eventual meet-up. The animator admitted to being nervous during the sit-down, which sounds like it was both intimidating and enlightening: 

At the same time, the Avatar vet found major “validation” due to the fact that he and the filmmaker shared many of the same thoughts on the sci-fi series’ lore. The relatively quick interview eventually ended, of course, and, as it would turn out, the animation vet would get confirmation of his hiring in no time: 

And the rest is, as they say, history. From there, Dave Filoni began working on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, starting with the feature film of the same name (a.k.a. the series’ pilot), which he directed. While he’s mostly entrenched in the TV side of the franchise, Filoni is now set to direct a movie (that’ll utilize cutting-edge technology), and it’ll conclude the overarching story that runs through the TV shows. Not much has been shared about the project, but Filoni did name-drop Revenge of the Sith as a major source of inspiration. Ironically, that’s the same movie he was hyped about around the time Lucasfilm hired him. It’s funny how things work out, and I’m glad Filoni landed where he’s meant to be.

You can check out much of the producer’s contributions to the Star Wars franchise on Disney+.

While there are a lot of very different opinions when it comes to the modern Star Wars universe, there seems to be a strong respect, if not an outright admiration for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Gareth Edwards directed the film, and so one might give him most of the credit for the film, but he says he;’s not the person you should really be thanking, as the credit should go to George Lucas.

Gareth Edwards wasn’t without his issues with Lucasfilm on the set of Rogue One, but he got the movie across the finish line, and it made $1 billion in the process. However, Edwards feels that all the credit belongs to the creator, as he tells Uproxx he was just using the tools that George Lucas created. Edwards explained… 

George Lucas hasn’t been directly involved in the Star Wars projects under Disney but he has had occasion to visit the set and talk with the various filmmakers, and it’s clear they all value his input. In addition to creating Star Wars in general, Edwards likely got some specific tips as well from the creator.

Certainly, everybody who creates a movie or TV show in the world of Star Wars owes George Lucas a great deal. Without him, there would be no galaxy, far, far away and while all of Disney’s Star Wars projects have given us entirely new characters, the fact is they’ve also been dependant on many of those that came before. In the case of Edwards, his iconic Darth Vader scene in Rogue One is something he still gives Lucas all the credit for. He continued… 

 A lot was made of the reshoots that took place as part of Rogue One. While reshoots are standard practice for movies of that scale, those appeared to be more significant than most, but by and large it appears they helped, as the movie was a solid hit. If everybody could play in George Lucas’ sandbox the way Gareth Edwards did, and apparently would again, the fans would all be very happy.  

Edwards is back with his first sci-fi movie in seven years with The Creator. A completely original story, and thus one that Gareth Edwards can take full credit for this time.

Harrison Ford will forever be cemented as a Hollywood icon, largely due to his beloved roles in two George Lucas-created franchises, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. But in the past, the actor has famously spoken a tad ill of Lucas’ creations, virally calling Han Solo a “relatively thin” character whom he wanted to see killed off, and reportedly convinced the filmmakers to do it in the Sequel Trilogy. But as Ford gets ready to say goodbye to Indiana Jones, he’s giving a lot of credit to Lucas for giving him his fruitful career. 

CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb spoke to Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Los Angeles during the press day for Indiana Jones 5. During the interview, McCobb asked the legendary actor what he thinks it is about George Lucas and the iconic characters he created that make them worth revisiting over forty years later. In Ford’s words: 

While Harrison Ford undoubtedly and seamlessly brought Han Solo and Indiana Jones to life in an iconic way that has made him irreplaceable, it all starts on the page, and Ford pointed that out in his response. The 80-year-old actor may have virally shared his feelings on the lack of depth he found in Han Solo, or he made it clear he doesn't care what a Force Ghost is, but he gave credit to Lucas for giving him a huge “gift” with these roles. 

Ford can’t deny how “important” these iconic characters have been to his career and how they’ve ultimately opened doors for him to be the famed figure he is today. While the actor was beginning to gain traction all on his own in the ‘60s in a series of minor roles in TV shows, when he scored an audition with George Lucas for 1973’s American Graffiti, his life and career changed forever. 

The role in the coming-of-age movie led to him landing his roles in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, but historically, he’s seemed to have more of a particular fondness for the latter. The actor originally signed on to more Indiana Jones movies than Star Wars movies and recently shared that he’s “always wanted” to explore the character at the “end of his life,” as he does in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.  

Dial of Destiny premiered at Cannes Film Festival to an emotional moment from Ford, you can see how Indiana Jones’ legacy ends when the upcoming 2023 movie hits theaters on June 30. 

Though he’s long since departed the world of the Star Wars franchise, creator George Lucas’ influence is still very much felt in that galaxy far, far away. In most cases, that force is felt more metaphorically, especially when Disney+ shows like The Mandalorian dip back into the well of classic franchise canon. However, a recent story has Lucas not only visiting the set of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau’s streaming baby, it also revealed that he named a random character in the series’ lineup. 

Actor Simon Kassianides, known to Mandalorian fans as Axe Woves, is the man who has The Maker to thank for his rather awesome name. He learned as much during a fitting for his Season 2 debut, which is part of the story that he told The Holo Files during an interview. Here’s how Kassianides recalls learning this knowledge for the first time: 

It all seems to have worked out in the end, as Axe Woves has been a part of some major happenings in both Seasons 2 and 3 of the Disney streaming hit. As Simon Kassianides could personally attest to, the possibilities for what lies ahead for Axe are great, especially after recalling where The Mandalorian left off with its most recent season finale. So long as this character is still in action, the Lucas legacy still maintains a link to the future of Star Wars that runs deeper than merely creating the building blocks everything currently rests upon. 

While George Lucas is more or less retired from show business, he seems to be perfectly fine popping in on the current stewards of the Star Wars galaxy from time to time and making a contribution. Perhaps stories like this allow for more hope that Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian’s most sought after cameo just might happen after all. Then again, with the recent revelation that Pedro Pascal stopped wearing his Mandalorian armor, perhaps there’s an opportunity to slip Lucas into a couple shots with as much secrecy as possible. 

You can catch all three seasons of The Mandalorian, as well as pretty much anything else in the Star Wars universe, in one convenient streaming home. With access to a Disney+ subscription, you're free to relive the past and jump into the present and future of this franchise. Don’t forget to check out the rundown of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, as the future looks pretty bright for Din Djarin, Grogu and the rest of those beloved characters that inhabit this particular series. 

I'm pretty sure that most long-term Star Wars fans are at least aware that George Lucas was heavily influenced by the Akira Kurosawa movie, The Hidden Fortress, when he wrote Star Wars.  

In fact, when I watched The Hidden Fortress, which we included on our list of the best samurai movies, they even had a brief special with Lucas discussing his feelings on Kurosawa, specifically when it came to The Hidden Fortress.  

And, after watching the movie for myself, I can honestly say that…it's not like Star Wars. Well, I mean, it both is, and it isn't. In fact, I had to really squint to come up with ways in which it was like Star Wars. But, once I did…Well, this is what I uncovered.  

The Hidden Fortress Is Mostly Told From The Perspective Of Two Lowly Characters, Just Like The Two Droids In Star Wars: A New Hope  

When I ranked all six of the movies that George Lucas directed, I didn't think that anybody would contest me on putting Star Wars: A New Hope in the number one spot. That's because it just has it all. There are likable characters in Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewie, and Luke Skywalker, a killer antagonist in Darth Vader, and it’s the perfect blend of both samurai film and western. All set in outer space.    

Besides a few silly moments and blatant mistakes, the movie as a whole feels all but perfect. So much so that one of its biggest characteristics went right over my head, which is the fact that the story is mostly seen from the lowliest of characters in the droids, those being R2D2, and C3PO.    

Yes, A New Hope is Luke's story (which is counterbalanced perfectly in the much later, The Last Jedi), but we see it more from the droids’ perspectives, who are almost always present, instead of directly from Luke. The same could be said of The Hidden Fortress, where the two main characters are not the nobility, but rather, two beggars who go by the names of Matashichi (played by Kamatari Fujiwara) and Tahei (Minoru Chiaki).    

Their quest is one of pure greed, as they will do anything for gold…which even includes leading a princess through hostile territory, which I'll get to later. 

As a Star Wars fan who personally dislikes the Jedi (I'm more of a Rogue One and Andor kind of fan) I actually now like thinking of the original movie through this lens, as it’s not just a story about space wizards, but also an on-the-ground story told from the most overlooked characters. Like Star Wars, The Hidden Fortress pulls that off perfectly. It's actually pretty cool that Lucas was inspired by that element of Kurosawa’s film.    

There Are A Lot Of Wipes To Transition Scenes In The Hidden Fortress

Another thing that I actually noticed instantly when I watched The Hidden Fortress is that Kurosawa employed wipes to move his story along. And, one thing that any Star Wars fan notices is the wipe transition, as Lucas used it a lot.    

Kurosawa certainly wasn't the first director to use this transitioning technique, but it's definitely present in his movie, and by extension, it’s also in Star Wars. You honestly can't miss it.  

A Princess Trying To Get Across Enemy Lines Is A Pivotal Part Of The Plot 

"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." With these words, we were introduced to Princess Leia, who besides commonalities with Raiders of the Lost Arc's Marion, also had something in common with The Hidden Fortress's Misa Uehara, as she also played a Princess. Princess Yuki to be more specific.    

While Princess Leia could definitely handle her own and was certainly more of a badass than The Hidden Fortress's Princess Yuki, she is no slouch, either, as she gets what she wants, and is not ashamed to make demands. She's certainly not demure. 

She also has to be escorted to safety, much like Leia. In a lot of ways, Yuki was the character who really cemented The Hidden Fortress/Star Wars connection for me, but she wouldn't be the last.  

There's A Badass Warrior Character, Not Too Unlike Obi-Wan Who Accompanies Our Heroes On Their Voyage  

Another character who definitely made me think of Star Wars was Princess Yuki's escort, General Makabe Rokurota, played by frequent Kurosawa contributor, Toshiro Mifune. A lot of people will tell you that Star Wars is part samurai film, and part western, and those two influences are definitely pronounced, especially in A New Hope.    

But, while we don't have a Han Solo type character in The Hidden Fortress, we definitely have an Obi-Wan Kenobi character in General Rokurota, who is an expert samurai that people respect and even fear. 

In fact, the general is a lot more intense than Obi-Wan in A New Hope, as he isn't as world-weary as Alec Guinness' portrayal of the character. But, if you're looking for a skilled knight who wields a mean lightsaber, er, I mean sword, then you've got him in Rokurota. 

There Are Many Comedic Elements That Add Levity To The Adventure  

Lastly, one thing that has always separated Star Wars and Star Trek for me is the humor. It's not that Star Trek isn't humorous, as it definitely can be. But, Star Wars has always seemed like it was more for children, and thus, the humor has always been a lot broader and sillier.    

You'll have C-3PO tottering around in the middle of laser fights, cute little Jawas going, "Utini!" in exasperation, and Han Solo cracking wise in the face of danger. 

All this is to say that the element of humor is also deeply felt in The Hidden Fortress, mostly through the two lead characters of Matashichi and Tahei. It's not subtle humor, either, as the comedy is as broad as possible, and very silly, which all feels very Star Wars: A New Hope. 

So, those are all the ways that I could connect The Hidden Fortress with Star Wars, but what do you think? Have you ever seen The Hidden Fortress? For more news on all things Star Wars, make sure to swing around here often.  

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have been friends for a long time. Both were a part of a group of young filmmaker friends in the '70s and '80s called the “Movie Brats" who would help each other with their movie-making ambitions. Along with Lucas and Spielberg, the group included Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Brian De Palma. Oftentimes they would show each other first cuts of films they were working on, and even let the others help with a few directing responsibilities. They were all very supportive of each other, but according to Spielberg, when Lucas showed the group the first cut of Star Wars, it wasn’t received very well, and for good reason. 

In a clip from the docuseries Light and Magic, Spielberg reflected on what it was like watching the first cut of Star Wars and why it wasn’t very good in the beginning. You can check out the clip below.

Clearly there was a disconnect, as the famed director notes. Several questions seemed unanswered, and the effects shots being absent did a great disservice to the material. Spielberg exclaimed in the clip:

It was after this first showing that the movie started to really come together. De Palma, who was infamously critical about the Star Wars sneak peak, ended up giving a lot to the franchise. It was the Scarface director’s idea to include the now iconic opening crawl to contextualize the film. Spielberg, who is no stranger to special effects, saw potential in the idea, according to this clip. Clearly the effects are a massive star of the film, so I understand why it probably felt awkward watching the film unfinished. Star Wars became a massive blockbuster success that sparked a multibillion dollar franchise, so Lucas was definitely on to something.

Steven Spielberg was so supportive of Lucas in his intergalactic endeavors that he was convinced it would make more money than his own film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Lucas wasn’t as confident and ended up losing millions to his old friend when the original Star Wars almost grossed a billion dollars. Their friendship has lasted decades, and they even worked together on the Indiana Jones films. The two seem like a movie-collaborator match made in heaven, and I think plenty of people would love another film from these two bigwigs. 

You can catch the rest of George Lucas’ story in the docuseries Light and Magic with a Disney+ subscription. In addition, Steven Spielberg fans can check out his latest film, The Fabelmans, now playing exclusively in theaters, and he has many other films streaming now. For more information on other projects coming to theaters and streaming this year, make sure to consult our 2022 movie release schedule.

While we've only seen two seasons of The Mandalorian, the 16 episodes that have aired on Disney+ have featured a wild number of cameos and special appearances – with actors like John Leguizamo, Michael Biehn, Titus Welliver, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Mark Hamill popping up in surprise capacities. It's a tradition that we fully expect will continue with Season 3 of the beloved Star Wars show... but there is one particular person whom Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are trying to get in front of the camera, and it's the creator of the entire franchise: George Lucas.

Entertainment Weekly posted a video from an interview with the Mandalorian writers/producers, and the duo was asked about cameos they would like to see in the future of the great Disney+ show. The filmmakers stalled by thinking back on all of the great people who have already been on the show, including Amy Sedaris and Werner Herzog, but eventually Jon Favreau found the right answer:

The answer inspired a laugh from Dave Filoni, who then subtly reminded The Mandalorian's creator that George Lucas has technically already played a character in the Star Wars universe. The writer/director has a cameo in 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (the last movie he directed), and his role has been identified as Baron Papanoida. 

Rolling with Favreau's answer, Filoni suggested that George Lucas could perhaps be a relative of Baron Papanoida – referencing the fact that the events depicted in The Mandalorian are set about 30 years after the events in Revenge Of The Sith. Said Filoni,

Dave Filoni looked starry-eyed even thinking about filming a scene with George Lucas in The Mandalorian, and it was clearly a look that Jon Favreau picked up on, as he started talking about the great relationship that Filoni has with the creator of Star Wars. He said that he has personally had some "great conversations" with the beloved filmmaker, but he recognizes that the bond between Filoni and Lucas is a whole other thing:

Answering, Dave Filoni explained that he has had the chance to work with George Lucas for more than a decade, and he has clearly felt blessed to have had the experience:

Based on the commentary from Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, it doesn't sound like audiences can expect to see George Lucas showing up in an episode of The Mandalorian Season 3, but Favreau confirmed to CinemaBlend at Star Wars Celebration 2022 that Season 4 is in the works, so perhaps the legendary filmmaker can cameo during that run. 

It's been a minute since we last saw a new episode of The Mandalorian – the Season 2 finale airing all the way back on December 18, 2020 – but there are only a few months of waiting left, as Season 3 will be debuting in early 2023. While you wait, you can rewatch all of the adventures that have unfolded so far on the show with a Disney+ subscription, read about the new run with our Mandalorian Season 3 Quick Things guide, and discover the vastness of the franchise with our Star Wars timeline guide.

If you’re in any way a fan of the Star Wars and/or Indiana Jones franchises, you can thank Lawrence Kasdan for a big chunk of their respective successes. Lawrence Kasdan helped kick off Indiana Jones’ adventures as Raiders of the Lost Ark’s screenwriter, while over in the Star Wars world, he took over writing duties on The Empire Strikes Back following Leigh Brackett’s passing, and would work on three more Star Wars movies after that. Regarding Kasdan’s work on those early ‘80s movies, Kasdan recalled with CinemaBled some key advice George Lucas, who created both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, gave him when it came to crafting certain sequences in his head.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Lawrence Kasdan about Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), his six-episode docuseries that tells the story of visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic, which Disney+ subscribers can now stream. Visual effects have come a long way from those early years in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones sagas, and as such, I asked Kasdan if how much these technological limitations were in his head when he was writing sequences that would need to be effects-heavy. He responded:

As Lawrence Kasdan laid out, George Lucas urged for him to not hold back when it came to crafting effects-heavy sequences for for movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Empire Strikes Back. The sky could be the limit for Kasdan, and once his job was done, Lucas was content to figure out how to bring these sequences to life with the people who were working at ILM and other members of these film crews. Like Kasdan said, he admires Lucas for wanting to push the envelope in those early years, which subsequently paved the way for ILM to make great strides in advancing VFX and other areas of filmmaking.

So George Lucas’ advice to Lawrence Kasdan to not let effects limitations dictate what he’d like to bring to the big screen paid off, as not only are The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark among the more beloved entries in their respective franchises, they’re also considered cinematic classics. Looking further into Kasdan’s career, while Raiders of the Lost Ark (a production packed with behind-the-scenes facts) was his only time contributing to the Indiana Jones lore, he returned to the Star Wars mythos to co-write Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens and Solo: A Star Wars Story. While those three movies also earned decent amounts of positive reception, Kasdan shared in 2019 that he felt “the studio blew it” on Solo, a movie that dealt with multiple behind-the-scenes issues. 

You can delve into Lawrence Kasdan’s exploration of ILM’s history and how much the company has changed the filmmaking industry by watching Light & Magic on Disney+. Those of you who’d rather look to the future should browse through our 2022 release schedule and 2023 release schedule.

There are long running movie franchises, and then there’s Star Wars. Generations of moviegoers grew up with the galaxy far, far away, and it’s a dream for even established actors to join a Star Wars movie. That includes the great Gary Oldman, but did he really voice a Star Wars character before George Lucas had to pull his performance?

There have been a few rumors about Gary Oldman’s possible roles in the Star Wars franchise, claiming he almost appeared in both the prequels and J.J. Abrams’ sequels. The acclaimed actor was recently asked by Josh Horowitz about these rumors on his podcast Happy Sad Confused, sharing the clip on Twitter. Oldman responded honestly saying:

Well, there you have it. It looks like we could have had Gary Oldman voicing the villainous General Grievous in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. What’s more, Oldman recorded the droid’s dialogue, but was ultimately removed from Episode II due to an issue with union rules. Talk about FOMO.

Gary Oldman’s comments confirmed a long standing rumor about his possible role in Star Wars. While he was indeed set to voice General Grievous was unable to do so since he was a union actor. Instead that role would end up going to sound editor Matthew Wood.

Not only did he record dialogue for General Grievous, but Gary Oldman actually worked with Star Wars visionary George Lucas to bring the character alive. During the same interview Oldman shared this tidbit of information, while also revealing that he was never up for a role in J.J. Abrams’ sequels. As he put it,

To be a fly on the wall during that recording session. Given Gary Oldmanm’s immense talents, he no doubt would have helped to make Grievous even more iconic. But in the end his performance never made it to the theatrical cut of either Episode II or Episode III. C’mon Lucas, release the unused audio!

The Star Wars franchise continues to expand on the small and silver screens, so perhaps Gary Oldman will get to finally have a role sometime in the future. Live-action shows are constantly being released on Disney+, while there are a few developing movie projects also in the works. Although we shouldn’t hold out hope of him ever stepping into the role of General Grievous; film voice actor Matthew Wood continues to voice him in projects like video games.

The next Star Wars movie expected to hit theaters is Taika Waitti’s project, although he’ll first be focusing on the release of Thor: Love and Thunder. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Mark Hamill may have said goodbye to Luke Skywalker with the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, but the actor still has a lot of love for the franchise. The actor frequently shares throwbacks of himself and his castmates, such as a recent Return of the Jedi throwback with the late Carrie Fisher and connecting with fans about random trivia. Now the actor is back at it again with a fun clip from the making of the original 1977 Star Wars film alongside Harrison Ford and Fisher. 

The actor took to Instagram to share a cute moment where Luke, Leia Organa, Han Solo and Chewbacca are on the Death Star in A New Hope. Check it out:  

During the classic sci-fi/fantasy movie that spawned one of the biggest movie franchises of all time, the foursome are running on the enemy ship when the crew yells cut. Right after the camera stops rolling, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford start shouting “AND?” to find out one of the mics got caught in the frame of the shot. Ford quips “the mic was in picture” as they joke around with writer/director George Lucas. 

In Mark Hamill’s caption, he shared that he had the most fun on the Star Wars sets when he got to work with Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher at the same time. He called the throwback moment an instance when they were “all behaving like total brats” by “ganging up on George & teasing him mercilessly.” Something tells me this wasn’t the first time the mic was in the picture. Hamill said he felt like the cast’s humor would always “cheer” up George Lucas during the making of the films. 

It’s cute to see the original Star Wars trio film such an iconic moment in the franchise, and then proceed to laugh together as soon as “cut” is spoken. I don’t know about you, but I’m suddenly feeling nostalgic about the start of the beloved films. May the 4th is approaching, so might be a good time to revisit A New Hope soon. 

While all of the original trio are no longer alive within the current canon, including the late Carrie Fisher’s Leia after her tragic death in 2016 at the age of 60, Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker did return for The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, but as a younger version that Hamill didn’t even need to record new lines for.

You can revisit Star Wars: A New Hope and the entire Star Wars film lineup with a Disney+ subscription. The next onscreen Star Wars project up is the Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor from the Prequel Trilogy once again as the title Jedi Master alongside Hayden Christensen’s Darth Vader. There’s many more Star Wars movies and TV shows coming down the pipeline as well. 

Ask any casual movie watcher who isn’t a Star Wars fan, and they'll likely tell you that George Lucas directed six Star Wars movies. But the truth is, George Lucas only directed four Star Wars movies, even though he had a major hand in Episodes 1-6. In fact, two of the most beloved Star Wars films ever, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, were actually directed by Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand, respectively. 

That said, George Lucas has, in fact, directed six movies, with two of them being the non-Star Wars films, THX 1138, which came out in 1971, and American Graffiti, which came out in 1973. Both were released before his landmark film, the now retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, which debuted in 1977. But, when it comes to his four Star Wars films, how do those two non-Star Wars films stack up in comparison? Well, you’re about to find out.  

6. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones 

When ranking every Star Wars movie, I think most fans will agree that Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones sits near the very bottom, and for good reason. Even though I have a soft spot for the Star Wars prequels and think they’re better than the sequels, I still can’t get over how uneven Anakin Skywalker feels as a character, or how slow this film moves.     

This is a story about the “Clone Wars,” which was mentioned in the very first Star Wars movie, A New Hope. It introduced us to Jango Fett, and featured the Jedi at maybe their highest moment, but it was just so… so boring! To this day, I’ve “watched” Attack of the Clones four times, and have fallen asleep each time. It just has such terrible pacing. 

And the acting, which is one of a director’s main jobs to control, is probably the weakest of the entire series in this movie. As mentioned, Hayden Christensen, whom I actually like in movies like Shattered Glass and Life As a House, has to deliver terrible lines like, “I hate sand,” and he doesn’t do a very convincing job of it. It’s also just a low point for the entire prequel trilogy, and the one movie that I always groan about when I try to do a Star Wars marathon. I’m not a fan. Like, at all.  

5. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 

Disagree with me all you want, but I think Star Wars is for children. (And that’s okay!) I mean, even George Lucas says that Star Wars is for 12-year-olds, so I’m not far off when I make that comment. In fact, that’s why I once wrote that parents should start with The Phantom Menace when introducing kids to the Saga, and I stick to that argument.     

With all that said, The Phantom Menace definitely feels like it’s for children, which is why, as an adult who saw the movie at 16 when it first came out, it’s hard for me to find much enjoyment out of the film. We’re introduced to a very young Anakin, and we get to see him do some podracing while the older Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jin, need to settle a trade dispute.     

Jar Jar Binks is annoying, sure, but kid Anakin wasn’t all that intriguing as a character, either. Yes, Ewan McGregor was inspired casting, and I’m looking forward to seeing him return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the new Disney+ series, but everything else around him and Darth Maul kind of didn’t work for me as an engaging experience, which is why it lands so low on this list.   

4. American Graffiti  

I mentioned earlier how I saw The Phantom Menace at 16, which means I was only a glimmer in my parents’ eyes when American Graffiti came out in 1973, which was the year my sister was born. The movie is a period piece, and it takes place in 1962, which I have no frame of reference for. It stars Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard as teens who are about to go off to college, and it’s their last night of summer. It’s all supposed to wax nostalgic to a drag race culture that I only know of through movies about the 1950s and '60s, so I’m not its target audience.

But, guess what? It’s pretty good! Even though it came out in the ‘70s, it feels authentic to the movies of the ‘50s, like Blackboard Jungle or The Wild One. It just has that ‘50s/'60s feel to it. Sure, I’d probably appreciate it more if I actually lived through those decades, but as an outsider looking in, it’s a good one, and definitely worthy of your time if you’re a completist like me.  

3. THX 1138 

THX 1138 isn’t a great film on its own two feet, but it’s a fascinating debut sci-fi film from a man who would later create quite possibly the largest sci-fi franchise of all time. It concerns a man named THX 1138 (Robert Duvall) who one day stops taking his mind-numbing meds and starts to have sex with a woman named LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie), which is outlawed in this society. He then goes on the run and escapes his underground dystopia. 

That said, it’s impossible to watch THX 1138 without comparing it to the later Star Wars. Visually, it looks very much of its time, and there are some trippy effects throughout the film, but the movie moves at a pretty brisk pace at only 86 minutes, and it gets the job done. Is it a masterpiece? Not at all, but I’ve definitely seen worse debut pictures.  

2. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith  

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, is some people’s favorite Star Wars movie, and look, I get it. Anakin Skywalker is starting to make the kind of rash decisions that allow us to understand how he could turn to the Dark Side, and we get to see him all buddy-buddy with Chancellor Palpatine. We also get to see him turn on his master and friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and get that boss fight toward the end between them. 

In a lot of ways, Revenge of the Sith is what a lot of Star Wars fans were waiting for when it came to the Star Wars prequels. It felt a lot more mature than the other two films (Though, it’s nowhere near as mature as the Rated-R THX 1138), and it managed to feel like a natural progression of the story even after two extremely lackluster previous movies in the trilogy. Revenge of the Sith feels like a director finally getting serious after goofing off for the past two films, and it really works. I would say it’s Lucas’ best film if not for one other movie. And, come on, you knew it had to be this one.  

1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 

The first true movie in the Star Wars saga, 1977’s Star Wars still holds up today as the foundation to the massive space opera Saga. It’s all here in this first movie — The Galactic Empire, the sci-fi knights, Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi pairing up with the space cowboys Han Solo and Chewbacca, the kickass Princess Leia, and the terrifying Darth Vader. Seriously, this one film right here launched the careers of so many people and left such a deeply felt impression upon the fabric of the world’s cinema, that it’s hard to think of a more important movie, period, let alone a more important George Lucas movie. 

Personally, Rogue One is my favorite Star Wars movie, but there wouldn’t even be a Rogue One, or The Last Jedi, or probably even a Firefly, The Expanse, or any other major sci-fi property outside of Star Trek, without the original Star Wars. For that reason, and many others, it is George Lucas’ best film. By far.   

So here’s the thing: Frank Herbert’s Dune first hit bookshelves back in 1965. Six years later, George Lucas would begin developing Star Wars, influenced in part by the science fiction novel, before making film history with A New Hope in 1977. Over fifty years after Dune first came out, Denis Villeneuve has made a movie adaptation for Herbert’s story that impeccably encompasses the big ideas of the book, finally. But nowadays, considering how iconic and expansive Star Wars is in our pop culture, it would be naive to say that Dune doesn’t remind many of us of Star Wars first and foremost. 

Let’s be honest here, a lot of us didn’t get through all 896 pages of the paperback prior to Denis’ film. If you’re like myself, you grew up watching Star Wars long before even hearing about the book. I tried to watch the David Lynch version after seeing the poster in the background of the main character’s room in Chuck years ago, but was left rather confused. I certainly thought to myself, “Oh, it’s kind of like Star Wars,” but now that we have a truly great version of Star Wars' most direct influence, it’s time to talk about all the times Dune and Star Wars are a lot like one another. 

Paul Atreides And Luke Skywalker Are Reluctant Heroes 

For one, its heroes, Luke Skywalker and Paul Atreides, are incredibly similar. I’ve always thought Luke was kind of a whiny, reluctant hero just trying his best, but he wasn't necessarily the most likable character in Star Wars. Paul shares a lot of these characteristics as well. Yes, he’s a privileged and spoiled prince, but he’s also a young character who is immature in his ability to handle the heroic mission thrust upon him.

Both Luke and Paul don’t necessarily want to step up to the plate, and there’s a number of other characters surrounding them that seem better for the task. Still, there’s something exciting about seeing them step into their power… and, well, let’s say birthright. This dynamic between Dune’s hero and the scope at play had to have been a major aspect it seems George Lucas wanted to bring to screen for Star Wars too. 

The Voice And The Force Surround Us All

At the beginning of Dune, when Paul and his mother Jessica are at the table, we first learn about The Voice, which allows the both of them to control their surroundings, such as moving an object over to them or controlling another person. It’s very much reminiscent of The Force, which Obi Wan Kenobi first introduces to Luke as something that surrounds us all and can be used to do the exact same things. 

Dune’s concept goes a step further because Paul is The Chosen One, who can see the future following generations of bloodlines being crossed, planned by the Bene Gesserit. In addition to having great power, as Part I progresses it’s made clear throughout Arrakis that Paul could be the messiah that they’d been waiting for. Dune has a more sci-fi Jesus element to him, whereas Star Wars’ Luke is more of an everyman. 

A Rustic Desert Planet As A Central Setting 

It’s also hard to ignore that both settings of Dune and Star Wars: A New Hope are basically the same. For Luke, he starts off living in Tattooine before his family is killed, and he’s whisked off into space to save Princess Leia and defeat Darth Vader’s plans. And for Paul, he originally lives on Caladan before moving to the desert planet of Arrakis once House Atreides is chosen to oversee the Spice. 

On the planet of Arrakis, there’s a divide between the natives of the land, the Freman, and the powers that be who harvest the Spice. It feels vastly intentional that Star Wars would have a desert planet, and all these plotlines that are similar. Oh, and let’s not forget the Sarlacc pit is basically one of Dune’s iconic sandworms. 

A Massive Army Of Sardaukar And Stormtroopers

Every powerful emperor needs a great army, and both Star Wars and Dune have similar versions of this. I found the Dune army of the Sardaukar much more terrifying than the more bumbling Stormtroopers as they terrorized House Atreides during the second act of Dune Part 1. They are both covered in large face coverings and have a similar uniformity and tired enormity about them. 

Both armies seem blind and ever devoted to follow the orders of an empire that leaves nothing in its path. Both the Sardaukar and Stormtroopers are devout of actual personality or emotion. It seems as though George Lucas took some elements of the Sardaukar into Darth Vader’s own army. At this point, can we call Star Wars a loose interpretation of Dune? The similarities are stacking up. 

Their Evil Emperors Remains In The Shadows 

Wrapping up, with Dune and Star Wars’ big bad, there is an element of both of them where we are introduced to a scary villain who is doing a lot of the grunt work on the ground, but serving a greater purpose in an emperor lurking in the background. For Star Wars, it was, of course, Darth Vader, who uses the Death Star to destroy planets. In Dune, it’s the Baron who is more slowly and subtly crafting their plan to kill House Atreides and overthrow the land of the Spice. 

As later revealed in The Empire Strikes Back, it’s Emperor Palpatine that remains in the shadows, while Darth Vader serves as the more front-facing villain. It seems as though something similar is going on with Dune, as the Padishah Emperor is revealed in the coming Part 2. I mean, come on, Palpatine and Padishah even have a similar ring to it, don't they?  

There are a lot more similarities we can talk about. There’s some semblance of droids in Dune, the shields they use remind a lot of the hologram tech Leia uses to call out to her “only hope.” The Fremen could be seen as the Jedi, and many of their ships find similarities as well. It’s a bit of an odd situation here, getting to know what was influenced by Star Wars before getting introduced to the source, but either way, it’s great to see Frank Herbert’s novel finally get a movie that truly shows the scale and scope of the science fiction classic. 

The Star Wars prequels are some of the most heavily discussed movies in the iconic series, and that's not always due to positive reasons. Recently, Mark Hamill defended the prequels amid renewed criticism of them. Other franchise veterans have chimed in with their own honest thoughts out the late-'90s/early '00s trilogy. For instance, sound editor Matthew Wood recently discussed George Lucas' explanation for the battle droids getting more "ridiculous" as the movies went on.

Matthew Wood, who's voiced several animated characters in the franchise, appeared alongside fellow actor Dee Bradley Baker at New York City Comic Con's The Voices of Star Wars Animation Panel. During the event, the two discussed voice acting and their work. Wood, who worked in the sound department for Lucasfilm during the prequels, opened up about the stark personality change the battle droids underwent. He explained George Lucas’ thought process, saying:

This is surely something that at least some fans have wondered about over the years. It was a pretty significant change, especially considering how skilled the droids were when they first debuted in 1999's The Phantom Menace. By the time Revenge of the Sith hit theaters in 2005, the robots became real pushovers, especially when dealing with Jedi. 

The explanation does make sense, though. With years of battles and wars, the separatists probably had to cut corners to keep up, and programming was apparently the most cost-effective thing to cut back on. Plus, the droids' somewhat dim-witted nature did make for some comedic moments. These were especially prevalent in the animated Clone Wars series.

The three films did introduce a ton of ideas into the world of Star Wars, despite the fact that not everything landed with viewers. George Lucas also isn't immune to the fact that his productions are viewed as being far from perfect. For instance, he's addressed the corny dialogue (which he wrote) that's littered throughout the first three chapters in the Skywalker Saga.

The prequels recently jumped back into the spotlight recently after George Lucas’ ex-wife, made some brutal comments about the movies, which apparently made her cry. The prequels make up a very polarizing part of the sci-fi phenomenon yet, for all the lackluster elements, they did give us some bright spots. This includes actors like Ewan McGregor, who, despite the fact that he ad trouble with the material at points, is set to return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in his own series on Disney+. 

Regardless of how people feel about those movies, though, this franchise isn’t going anywhere. Recent entries like the anime-infused Star Wars: Visions are proof that the series can experiment and do some really incredible things with the world it's been built over the past decades. There will be plenty of it in the future, which hopefully includes even more interesting stories connected to the prequels. 

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If there’s any aspect of Star Wars that’s generated a fair amount of discussion, it’s George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, consisting of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. There originally seemed to be a general consensus amongst fans that the movies were compared to the original trilogy, though a number of people have now warmed up to them. The franchise’s stars have also shared their thoughts on criticisms aimed at the film and, just recently, Mark Hamill stepped up to defend them.

Mark Hamill rarely engages in Star Wars drama but, when he does chime in, he’s usually honest and direct. The Luke Skywalker actor was one of the franchise alums interviewed for J.W. Rinzler’s final book, Howard Kazanjian: A Producer’s Life, and it was during the chat (via IndieWire) that he discussed the prequels. The star shared praise for the movies and explained why he was actually “impressed” by them:

He does make some fair points. George Lucas, who penned and directed the three installments, took a different approach with these films. As mentioned, they were indeed filled with exposition and moved at a somewhat slower pace than their predecessors. They did, however, mark significant technology achievements for cinema. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy actually believes that the technological advances of that time are what compelled Lucas to make them in the first place.

Of course, Mark Hamill’s mention of the “brutal” social media commentary on the films is also valid. There are plenty of positive and passionate fans out there, but the toxic side of the base is difficult to overlook.

Aside from Mark Hamill, The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has also stepped up to defend the films, calling them “gorgeous” and praising George Lucas for ushering in a new age of visual effects wizardry. Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor has also spoken on the movies and has been candid about why he found it somewhat difficult to work on them. Yet he also seems to be pleased that fans are starting to appreciate them. All nine of the films in the Skywalker Saga can be streamed on Disney+, which you can sign up for using this link.

It’s fair to assume that the public will continue to have varied feelings about Star Wars Episodes I-III. One can only hope that any discussions surrounding them will remain positive and productive.

George Lucas created one of the most influential franchises in movie history in Star Wars, capturing the imagination of a generation of great filmmakers like Dennis Villeneuve. Star War’s impact and legacy are undeniable, but after its original trilogy, the franchise hit some rough patches with the prequel trilogy. George Lucas had more ideas about the world he created and wanted to push the new technology that was developing in filmmaking, resulting in Lucas settling on making the Prequel films. Here is why George Lucas’ Ex-Wife cried after watching Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

Marcia Lucas was the editor for the original Star Wars trilogy, winning an Academy Award for editing Star Wars: A New Hope. She was a crucial part of making the original trilogy as extraordinary and groundbreaking as it. Lucas has some thoughts about where the franchise ultimately headed with the prequel trilogy and everything wrong with it. In a new biography detailing the life of producer Howard Kazanjian, Marcia Lucas explained why she cried after seeing The Phantom Menace, saying:

Marcia Lucas was so disappointed with The Phantom Menace that she cried in her car. She says she didn’t think it was very good at all. Her disappointment seems to stem from the lack of imagination and George Lucas not utilizing such a rich to its full potential, which resulted in a movie that’s a far cry from its predecessors. The amount of potential with such great characters seemed like a no-brainer on paper but, in practice, was lacking. Marcia Lucas would go on to say:

One of the biggest and weirdest problems with The Phantom Menace is the age difference between Anakin, played by Jake Lloyd, who was eight years old, and Padme, played by Natalie Portman, who was double Lloyds age. Marcia Lucas took issue with this choice because the film positions Anakin getting with Padme romantically, which makes no sense and is odd since one actor is a child and the other looks like a grown woman.

George Lucas was in complete control of his vision during the prequel trilogy. There was no one like Marcia Lucas reigning him in. The consistently bland and corny dialogue is a symptom of George Lucas’s control of the prequels. Lucas directed and wrote A New Hope, but the best movie of the franchise, The Empire Strikes Back, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan and directed by Irvin Kershner. The original trilogy benefited from outside views and collaboration from people like Marcia Lucas, and the prequels seemingly lacked.

Lucasfilm may be concerned with Star Wars fatigue, as the number of shows and movies has ballooned to such a large number over the past few years. There are plenty of new Star Wars properties in the works, including the Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan Mcgregor. Star Wars is still one of the most dominant forces in pop culture and shows no signs of slowing down soon.

It's been 20 years since Star Tours received its major update and became Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. In many ways the attraction finally became the thing its creators had always wanted it to be, as it can now be, and has been, updated as new movies are released, making the ride continue to feel fresh and new despite having first launched over three decades ago. The major Star Tours upgrade allowed the ride to do many things that the first version of Star Tours could never do, but the attraction still can't do everything that everybody wanted. Walt Disney Imagineering actually had to say no to one George Lucas request.

The new Disney+ series Behind the Attraction takes fans behind the creation of Star Tours in one episode, and there it's revealed that George Lucas made a request of the Imagineers that they were forced to decline. He wanted to spray water in the faces of the guests, which might not seem like too much to ask, but as Disney Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald explained, given the way Star Tours worked, water was a bad idea to add to the ride. According to Fitzgerald...

Water makes an appearance on many Disney attractions, so it might not seem that George Lucas was asking for a great deal. But when you think about, the places where you do get water sprayed in your face, outside of actual flume rides, is in places that don't have a lot of moving parts. You'll get hit with water while watching a 3D show to enhance the experience, but not so much on a ride.

And as Behind the Attraction shows, the simulator that makes Star Tours work is a pretty high tech and complex piece of machinery. It's the sort of attraction that, because it has a lot of moving parts, has the potential to have its own issues, and thus you don't want to add another variable to it all by adding water that could cause additional damage.

Still, one could imagine the fun that water could add to Star Tours. Perhaps, when going underwater in Naboo, the Starspeeder could have sprung a small leak, causing water to hit the riders. And if they could have sprayed water into the cabin you could be sure they'd find a way to do it in more than one of the random encounters so that more people would be able to experience it.

Still, even without this particular addition, Star Tours is still a great ride even 30 years later. While Star Wars Galaxy's Edge may have become the home for all things Star Wars at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, there do not appear to be any plans to replace the incredibly popular Star Tours.

Brian De Palma’s Mission: Impossible spawned one of the biggest movie franchises ever, and now the first film seems like it’s from a different time and place compared to the newer films. The first Mission: Impossible is one of the most influential spy movies ever, with all its cool behind-the-scenes facts and iconic action set pieces that star Tom Cruise struggled to pull off. It seems some advice De Palma received from his friend George Lucas majorly influenced Tom Cruise’s original Mission: Impossible.

Having other great filmmakers as friends is a good thing when you are a great filmmaker yourself. Brian De Palma and George Lucas have famously weighed in on each others projects and now we've learned Lucas even gave the other director some great advice on Mission: Impossible. In fact, it really impacted the movie resulting in what we eventually got. On the Light the Fuse podcast, De Palma discussed the advice George Lucas gave him after he showed the Star Wars director a cut of the film, saying:

Brian De Palma says he showed George Lucas what he had, and the first thing George said was that he needed to set things up. If you've seen the flick, the setup to the various missions in the film where everything is laid out for the audience is integral and leads to some of the drama and anticipation surrounding the set pieces.

Brian De Palma says the scene that made George Lucas give him the advice is the one featuring Jon Voight’s character being jealous of Tom Cruise getting close to his wife. Following the change, the love triangle theme between Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and Jon Voight’s character is still a big part of the movie, but De Palma says her took the advice and tweaked it after Lucas’s suggestion.

The director says it was for the betterment of the film and resulted in a more precise narrative for the audience to follow. He also noted that over his career he and his director pals have often commented on each others' work and that has led to plenty of changes. De Palma himself famously helped George Lucas to change the Star Wars crawl.

The Mission: Impossible franchise is going stronger than ever, though its story is complicated, and you wouldn't be alone in struggling to keep tabs on it. Luckily, there is a complete rundown of Ethan Hunt’s story from the first film through Fallout. It’s incredible to think of where the franchise started and where it is now, and how the DNA from the first film is still there despite the scope and scale being so much bigger.

The latest film in the franchise, Mission: Impossible 7, had to shut down filming due to Covid-19 protocols and has dealt with some struggles during production, but hopefully, the film isn’t delayed any more than it already has been. Fans will have to wait for more brutal stunts and intense action set pieces, but they can pass the time by rewatching the franchise from its humble beginnings.

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This year marks the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the movie that introduced us to Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones. Accompany Indy on his first cinematic adventure was Karen Allen’s Marion Ravenwood, who, though she may have been captured a few times, did not fall prey to the classic damsel in distress trope. Comparisons can certainly be drawn between Marion and Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia Organa, who debuted four years prior in Star Wars: A New Hope; especially since George Lucas worked on both movies.

Having written the first Star Wars movie and hashed out Raiders of the Lost Ark’s story with Phillip Kaufman, George Lucas is unquestionably qualified to note what Leia and Marion have in common. Here’s what the filmmaker had to say to THR about the key trait the characters share:

Leia and Marion certainly come from two different worlds… figuratively and literally. In one franchise, we had Leia as one of the Rebellion’s top leaders fighting her hardest to overthrow the Empire. In another franchise, we had Marion, who was living in Nepal when she reunited with Indiana Jones and was forced to join his quest to find the Ark of the Covenant after being targeted by the Nazis. But despite their contrasting narrative arcs, both women exuded toughness and strength in the face of danger, which wasn’t as common to see among female protagonists in those days compared to now.

Of course, in Leia Organa’s case, she’s been fleshed out across six movies, along with numerous novels, comic book series, TV shows and video games. Marion Ravenwood, on the other hand, has only appeared in two movies, with Karen Allen reprising the character in 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, though Marion also popped up in various issues of The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones comic book series. Still, with Indiana Jones 5 coming up, there are potential opportunities to continue fleshing out the character, whether it’s by Indy’s side in the immediate aftermath of Raiders of the Lost Ark or even depicting a solo adventure of hers at a time closer to the events of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Speaking of Indiana Jones 5, although Karen Allen expressed interest years back in reprising Marion Ravenwood, there’s been no announcement of her participating in the movie. In fact, so far all the faces joining Harrison Ford on Indiana Jones 5 are new, with the cast including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook and Shaunette Renée Wilson. As for Leia, The Rise of Skywalker concluded her story in 2019, but you can be sure that the character in her younger years will continue to be explored in various stories.

Indiana Jones 5 is set for release on July 29, 2022, while the next Star Wars movie, Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron, will fly into theaters on December 23, 2023. But if you’re looking to rewatch older entries in either franchise, you can get your Star Wars fix over at Disney+ and delve into Indiana Jones’ world on Paramount+.

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Even a franchise as universally beloved as the Indiana Jones movies is not without its polarizing reactions - and no, I am not talking about 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I am, indeed, talking about the second film in the series (and the first, chronologically), 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which puts Harrison Ford’s heroic archaeologist on an adventure so unexpectedly and controversially dark that it would inspire a major change within the film industry. To learn more about that and other secrets of the thrilling sequel/prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, feast your eyes on these behind-the-scenes facts, starting with the truth behind some of its most iconic sequences.

Several Sequences Written For Raiders Wound Up In Temple Of Doom

When challenged with topping a movie like Raiders of the Lost Ark by delivering more exciting wall-to-wall action, all it took was looking at leftovers from the 1981 hit. On a behind-the-scenes featurette included on the Indiana Jones movies Blu-ray collection bonus disc, producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg admit that some of the most iconic sequences from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom were originally planned for the first film. In fact, the process of preparing the sequel actually began with picking out Raiders’ best scrapped sequences before coming up with a story to build around them.

Willie Scott Was Named After Steven Spielberg’s Dog

By now, it is practically common knowledge among any die-hard Indiana Jones fan that the character was named after George Lucas’ dog, an Alaskan Malamute. As Steven Spielberg revealed on the making-of doc, this character naming method would carry over during the making of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as Kate Capshaw’s lounge singer Willie Scott was named after the director’s dog. Furthermore, screenwriters Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz’s dog, Short Round, inspired the name of Ke Huy Quan’s character.

Ke Huy Quan Originally Accompanied His Brother To The Short Round Audition

Vietnamese actor and The Goonies cast member Ke Huy Quan made his film debut as Indy’s orphaned sidekick Short Round - an iconic role he actually landed by accident. It was really his brother who had come in to audition for the part and he was accompanying him for moral support, however Temple of Doom executive producer and future LucasFilm President Kathleen Kennedy claims on the Blu-ray featurette that she and the other producers were more interested in Ke. They eventually convinced him to read for the part and history was made.

Kate Capshaw’s Tight Dress Prevented Her Planned Dance Number

Speaking of making history, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake, one of the most anticipated 2021 movies, will see the filmmaker live out his dream of directing a feature-length musical, despite first getting his feet wet in the genre with the opening dance number from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The only one not really dancing during Kate Capshaw’s Mandarin-language performance of “Anything Goes” is Capshaw herself, despite spending weeks before learning the choreography. Reason being: her sequined dress “fit like a glove” as the actress describes on the making-of doc, preventing her performing the dance she had very much looked forward to doing.

Strict Guidelines From India Forced The Crew To Shoot In Sri Lanka

The crew was very much looking forward to being able to shoot some scenes from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on location in India, which ultimately did not happen, as the behind-the-scenes featurette from Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray set (available on Amazon) reveals. Producer Robert Watts recalls negotiating with the Indian government for permission to film in their country, which was immediately met with demands for many major changes to the script. Not willing to conform to their wishes for the sake of artistic integrity, Watts phone George Lucas with the suggestion of moving the production to Sri Lanka in Southern Asia, which ended up still being a bit of a nightmare for one of the film’s stars.

Kate Capshaw Fearfully Refused To Do A Planned Stunt Involving A Live Snake

Kate Capshaw’s dance number was not the only stunt of hers that would get scrapped from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The actress admits on the featurette that she did not read the script carefully enough to know that a scene was planned which would force her to come into close contact with a live and rather large snake. Steven Spielberg recalled seeing all the color disappear from her face even through her makeup, convincing him to tell her not to worry about completing the scene, but only if she promised to film another famous sequence.

Kate Capshaw Took A Relaxant Pill Before Filming The Bugs Scene

Of course, Kate Capshaw would quickly come to regret agreeing to another scene in which she encounters a swarm of various bugs as she struggles to help Indy and Short Round escape a spike pit. However, she found solace in what she describes on the Temple of Doom featurette as a “relaxant,” which put her in a more positive state of mind before the crew dumped buckets of roaches, centipedes, and all kinds of multi-legged vermin right on top of her. In reality, the one who would soon be in greater need of a relaxant drug was Capshaw’s co-star.

Harrison Ford Suffered A Painful Back Injury On The Temple Of Doom Set

Harrison Ford is an actor with an extensive history of painful accidents, from a hydraulic door closing on his leg on the Star Wars: The Force Awakens set to crash landing an airplane on a Venice, California, golf course, among other aviation mishaps. One of his earliest high-profile injuries occurred while filming his fight with a Thuggee cult member in his Pankot Palace room, resulting in a herniated disc in his spinal cord. To understand the extent of the injury’s pain, hear it from Ford himself on the Temple of Doom making-of doc:

Production on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was shut down while Harrison Ford underwent an experimental papaya enzyme surgery that cured his herniated disc. However, he still needed time to fully recover and get himself back into shape, forcing the actor’s stunt double, Vic Armstrong, to fill in for many of the action sequences you see in the third act. Believe it or not, Ford's injury was not the only one that affected production in some capacity.

Kate Capshaw Suffered A Glaring Black Eye On The Temple Of Doom Set

One moment from Indy, Willie, and Short Round’s escape from the Temple of Doom sees Ke Huy Quan attack a Thuggee with a hunk of balsa wood. Kate Capshaw reveals in the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom featurette that a chunk of the wood flew off and hit her right under the eye, leaving her with a black mark that looked as if someone wiped a dap of makeup right underneath her eye. As a way to make her feel better, the entire crew arrived to set next day with black makeup under their eyes.

The Crew Invented Dummies With Kicking Legs For The Bridge Scene

The crew for the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom set were as creative as they were courteous. Case in point, the famous scene in which Indy takes a machete to a draw bridge, collapsing it and sending the surrounding Thuggees to the bottom of a ravine where they become alligator food. Robert Watts says in the making-of doc that, to create the illusion that live Thuggees were plummeting into the waters, the crew built life-size dummies that would actually “kick” as they fell.

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom Helped Inspire The PG-13 Rating

These days, the sight of what appears to be live human beings falling to their deaths (among other more frightening and brutal subject matter throughout Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) would get an automatic PG-13, at least, but that was not the case in 1984. However, the borderline horror film’s PG rating caused public outrage, especially among parents distraught over subjecting their children to the sight of a man’s still beating heart pulled out of his chest. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Steven Spielberg, who had gone through similar controversy that same year as a producer on Gremlins, called up MPAA head Jack Valenti suggesting a rating between PG and R and, the next thing he knew, PG-13 was born.

George Lucas Cites His And Steven Spielberg’s Romantic Troubles As What Led To Such a Dark Sequel

While some might place it above 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Temple of Doom is one of the lesser liked films in the Indiana Jones movies series for many fans and critics, particularly for being such an aggressively dark transition from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Producer George Lucas expressed to Grantland his own explanation for why the sequel turned out so gloomy:

Well, there you have it: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was ultimately the byproduct of trouble in paradise for its filmmakers. However, for one of them, the experience had a silver lining.

Steven Spielberg Went On To Marry Kate Capshaw

Believe it or not, one of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’s harshest critics is its own director. On the making-of featurette, Steven Spielberg is much more reserved in describing his damning experience with the film and, especially, its reception, mainly because he does have one particularly heartwarming memory to look back on:

I would consider the love story that took place behind the scenes of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom between Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw could be key to helping any viewers overcome its darker moments. Besides, now that Logan director James Mangold has inherited the reigns of the series, just imagine how dark Indiana Jones 5 could get.

2012 was an interesting year. The presidential election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney unfolded, The Avengers marked the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first big crossover event, and there was talk about the world possibly ending before the year was over, based off various ancient beliefs. According to Seth Rogen, George Lucas was among those who ascribed to this doomsday scenario, which threw Rogen for a loop when he first crossed paths with the Star Wars filmmaker.

During his recent visit to the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast, Seth Rogen recounted how in 2012, he and his partner Evan Goldberg had a meeting with Steven Spielberg, and surprisingly, George Lucas was there too. While Spielberg took care of some odds and ends, Rogen and Goldberg started talking with Lucas, which led to the following exchange:

If you think all this sounds weird, there’s more. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg then jokingly asked George Lucas if he had a spaceship in order to flee Earth’s impending destruction, and if they could come aboard. Lucas responded to their inquiry with a blunt “No,” leading Rogen to keep believing that the man who breathed life into the Star Wars franchise wasn’t joking. Conan O’Brien noted had Steven Spielberg been in the room, watching his reaction would have solved the mystery, as he and Lucas are good friends, so Spielberg would have known if Lucas was indeed kidding or being completely serious.

While I am confounded at the idea that George Lucas legitimately believed that the world was going to end in 2012, I don’t doubt that the man has enough money to afford his own spaceship, or at least pay for passage on one. Still, 2012 came and went without apocalyptic destruction, so at least that crossed off one entry on Lucas’ list of worries. I won’t lie, if Seth Rogen ever runs into Lucas again, I’d love to hear how that conversation unfolds, specifically if Rogen tries to amusingly point out how the world didn’t end nearly a full decade ago.

Alas, the chances of that happening seem slim, not just because Seth Rogen and George Lucas run in different circles, but Lucas is also semi-retired. 2012 was also the year that he sold Lucasfilm to Disney, and while he’s been kept in the loop about Star Wars projects being developed, that franchise is now being guided by those whom the Mouse House deems worthy. As for Rogen, he’s working on a variety of things, from joining Steven Spielberg’s movie that’s loosely based on the director’s childhood to being an executive producer and voice on Amazon’s Invincible series. He’s even started his own weed company!

Still, should Seth Rogen and George Lucas cross paths again, and one of them talks about it in public (let’s be honest, it would almost certainly be Rogen), we’ll inform you. In the meantime, take a look through our upcoming 2021 movies guide to learn what cinematic entertainment is arriving later in the year.

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Star Wars has become a franchise that many fans take incredibly seriously. There are still real debates among fans over the relative quality of the three trilogies, with many capable of getting quite heated over the problems they have with the various sequels. What's clear is that when George Lucas was creating Star Wars, he never intended it to become quite so serious. And one way that we can be quite sure of that is the fact that Lucas literally wanted the first Star Wars movie to open with a cartoon.

Mark Hamill recently posted on Twitter, confirming that George Lucas originally tried to get the clearance to use the Looney Tunes short Duck Dodgers in the 24th-and-a-half Century before all screenings of the original Star Wars. Hamill explains that George Lucas specifically didn't want to take the movie too seriously, and so he thought opening with the cartoon would help set a proper tone and expectation for the audience.

Duck Dodgers in the 24th-and-a-half Century was originally released in 1953, so it was a classic cartoon already in 1977. And as the original tweet points out, it's one of the more popular animated cartoons ever made. It's a send up of Buck Rodgers that sees Daffy Duck as a spaceman in what's designed to feel like a classic movie serial. It's probably one of the reasons that Lucas was interested in using this particular cartoon. Beyond simply being science fiction in theme, both the cartoon and Star Wars were inspired by the same source material.

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Of course, Looney Tunes belongs to Warner Bros. and Star Wars was being released by 20th Century Fox, which is likely the reason that the deal couldn't be made to put Daffy Duck in front of a Star Wars movie. Getting different studios to work together like that isn't completely unheard of, but it is rare, and one wonders how much either studio really would have wanted to make this happen. It was likely all George Lucas' personal desire, and the director didn't have the pull in Hollywood before the release of Star Wars that he would have after.

In the grand scheme of things, it seems unlikely that sticking a Daffy Duck cartoon in front of Star Wars would have changed anything. It likely still would have become the massive hit that it did, and the cartoon would likely just be a footnote in history. Still, who knows? Maybe that simple decision would have changed the way people considered that movie, and all those that came after. Maybe we wouldn't be taking Star Wars so seriously today if we knew it paired well with a cartoon.

Ronald D. Moore might not be immediately recognizable to you by name, but if you're a lover of science fiction television, you've probably watched his work in the 30 plus years that he's been active as a producer and writer. Moore has helped to bring fans the Star Trek series The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, plus the still beloved (except for that wild ending) Battlestar Galactica reboot on SyFy, as well as the time traveling romance Outlander, and the Apple TV+ show For All Mankind. Now, Moore is opening up about possibly working on a Star Wars TV show, nearly a decade after a failed project with George Lucas.

While Ron Moore clearly has an undeniable connection with some of the most beloved sci-fi / fantasy shows to ever air on the small screen, one big genre nut he was unable to crack was Star Wars. Moore had worked on a project with George Lucas in the years leading up to Disney's eventual purchase of Lucasfilm, which happened in 2012, to try and bring a television show to ABC. Moore recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, and when asked if he still wanted to work on a Star Wars project, especially now that several live action shows are on the air or in the works, Moore said:

If you loved watching any of Ron Moore's shows in the past, and are also a lover of Star Wars, how could this idea not thrill you? It's obvious that Moore is still very much interested in being able to sink his writer's teeth into the wide variety of stories still possible in the world of Star Wars, but he feels like right now, with The Mandalorian already a huge hit and another 10 shows in development, it's just not the right time to try and dive into whatever idea he may have.

However, it does sound like Moore had a lot of fun working on the previously planned ABC series, and considering that he got to write for Darth Vader, it's no wonder. Details on that failed project were always very secretive, but, it was said to have been set between the prequels and the original trilogy, and dealt with "rival families struggling over the control of the seedy underside of the Star Wars universe and the people who live within the subterranean level and air shafts of the metropolis planet Coruscant."

Apparently, the reason why we're not still watching this fantastic idea unfold on TV right now has a lot to do with the overwhelming cost of the potential series, along with Disney not wanting to stretch the franchise too thin prior to the release of the Rey / Finn / Poe sequel trilogy and other films like Rogue One.

For his part, Ron Moore might not be willing to try his Star Wars pitch right now, but he's still very enthusiastic about where the franchise is going, and added:

Neither can we, Ron Moore. Neither. Can. WE. You can watch two seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney+ right now, with shows like Andor starring Diego Luna, a possibly Donald Glover-filled Lando, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka (and many more) coming along in the near-ish future.

In May 1977, George Lucas' life changed forever. Prior to that month he was a director with two feature films under his belt – 1971's THX 1138 and 1973's American Graffiti – but the success of Star Wars was so incredibly massive that it basically became the sun in the universe of Lucas' future work: everything revolved around it. He worked on other projects, such as the Indiana Jones series and Willow, but between 1977 and the day he retired he never directed a movie that wasn't Star Wars related.

Most fans probably don't see an issue with this, as Star Wars is arguably George Lucas' greatest creation and it has brought happiness into the lives of a lot of people – but even recognizing that last part of the equation, legendary director Francis Ford Coppola feels a certain sadness that the franchise very much took over the filmmaker's career.

In the late 1960s, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola became very close, the two men meeting on the set of 1968's Finian's Rainbow and then one year later founding the studio American Zoetrope together. Coppola served as a producer on Lucas' first two directorial efforts, getting a first hand look at what the filmmaker could do while operating on a movie set, and so his feelings about his former protege's missed potential carry some significant weight. The Godfather director was asked for his feelings on Star Wars during a recent interview with Vulture, and he wasn't shy about expressing a mixed opinion:

It's truly the ultimate version of the filmmaker's conundrum in Hollywood. While it's the instinct of any artist is to flex their creativity, finding real success in the movie industry means that a lot of people want you to start doing the same thing over and over again. Obviously George Lucas wasn't forced into the priorities he demonstrated, and clearly it led to him gaining tremendous wealth and a great deal of influence, so it's hard to argue against his choices working within the system and expanding on his most successful idea (plus he spent most of the 1980s working as a producer and supporting the visions of filmmakers like Jim Henson, Ron Howard, Paul Schrader, and Akira Kurosawa).

At the same time, it's not a challenge to understand Francis Ford Coppola's perspective and wonder what Lucas' career would have been like had he, for example, taken a more hands-off approach on The Empire Strikes Back and The Return Of The Jedi. With his mind given some distance from Star Wars, could he have directed an epic western? An intimate romantic comedy? A period drama? We'll never know.

It should additionally be noted that the opinions expressed by Francis Ford Coppola in the aforementioned interview apparently don't exactly differ extremely with what the director has said to George Lucas personally. Coppola was asked if he ever told Lucas directly about his thoughts regarding the filmmaker making smaller projects, and he explained,

While George Lucas has been retired in the years since the sale of Lucasfilm to the Walt Disney Company, Francis Ford Coppola has been active recently doing some rejuvenating work on his past features. Last year he edited a new version of Apocalypse Now that has been dubbed The Final Cut, and this month will see the new assembly of The Godfather: Part III, which is being called Mario Puzo's The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. The movie is now available to rent and purchase from digital retailers.

The Star Wars franchise is a beloved piece of film history, with entire generations brought up on George Lucas' colorful galaxy far, far away. The nine-film Skywalker Saga was released across separate decades, with most of the original installments directed by Lucas himself. And while their legacy is secure, the visionary filmmaker did recently speak to the "corny" nature of some prequel dialogue.

The Star Wars prequels revealed Darth Vader's backstory, including his romantic relationship with Padme Amidala. This union would eventually create franchise heroes Luke and Leia, but the dialogue uttered by Hayden Christiensen has been the butt of countless jokes throughout the years. George Lucas recently admitted some of the lines were "corny", while going on to explain the heightened nature of the franchise in general. As Lucas put it,

Touche. George Lucas obviously knows Star Wars better than anyone, as he's the one who created the beloved franchise and its iconic planets, creatures, and characters. And rather than a gritty, realistic world, the franchise is melodramatic, while also being family-friendly and featuring romance. Although Lucas did relent that Attack of the Clones was particularly over the top at points.

George Lucas' comments come from The Star Wars Archives. 1999–2005 (via Syfy Wire) and show how George Lucas ultimately views the beloved property that he created back with A New Hope. While the property means so much to the fandom, it's Lucas never intended for it to be a perfect adult drama. And when it comes to the prequels, we saw the filmmaker lean into melodrama as well as comedic beats.

The Skywalker Saga is currently available in its entirety on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Hayden Christiensen had a daunting task for his Star Wars role as Anakin Skywalker. After all, he played a younger version of the most iconic character in the franchise's history: Darth Vader. But some of his dialogue has become quotable for all the wrong reasons, including his bit about hating sand. But as George Lucas points out, the melodrama is purposeful and part of the heightened tone of the property.

While George Lucas obviously has strong feelings about what Star Wars is all about, he ultimately hasn't been very involved in the franchise's life for a number of years. Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney years ago, with Kathleen Kennedy and the House of Mouse moving forward with a variety of projects set within the beloved galaxy. This includes the sequel trilogy, standalone movies, and live-action shows like The Mandalorian.

George Lucas' participation in the Star Wars book has led the visionary director to opening up about his decision to sell Lucasfilm. While it was a choice that allowed him to spend time with his family and step away from the arduous work of producing the sequels, the also wasn't able to craft the ending to the nine-film Skywalker Saga. And he no doubt had some big plans for the galaxy far, far away.

The Mandalorian is currently streaming new episodes on Disney+. Be sure to check out our 2021 release list to plan your trips to the movies next year.

It's never easy for any creator to give up control of their creation, and George Lucas learned that lesson first hand in a massive way back in 2012. It was in October of that year that the deal for Lucasfilm to be sold to the Walt Disney Company was closed, and when that happened the filmmaker made the decision to step away and hand creative control of the Star Wars franchise to a new generation. It surely must have been an incredibly difficult decision, as the Skywalker Saga had been a part of his life for multiple decades, but now he's revealed why selling to Disney was the right time to step back, and it's a very good reason: he wanted time to see his soon-to-be-born daughter grow up.

Author Paul Duncan has posted an excerpt from his new book "The Star Wars Archives Episodes I-III" on his Twitter page, and in the interview featured George Lucas discusses why he decided to walk away from the franchise when he did. As he explains, it came down to answering a pair of questions. Said Lucas,

In case it wasn't blatantly obvious, making Star Wars movies is incredibly challenging and taxing work. There are thousands of moving parts that come with navigating one of the most popular franchises of all time and working to create films that are both substantial and commercial, and George Lucas decided that he wasn't mentally ready to go through all of that for the creation of a third trilogy. With more desire to spend time with his family than add to the legacy of the sci-fi universe, he opted to hand over the reigns to Kathleen Kennedy.

As for why George Lucas had to essentially retire from the franchise instead of continuing on as a backseat contributor, the filmmaker also had an answer for that: he doesn't feel he has the capacity to take on a role like that. While it's true that he is only credited as the director of one of the movies in the original Star Wars trilogy, he admits in the interview that not having that specific title was actually a source of frustration for him on the set of the latter two titles. He explained,

George Lucas made that call eight years ago, and since then the Star Wars franchise has continued to flourish and expand. In addition to releasing five big screen features, The Mandalorian has become a huge success as the franchise's first live-action series, and there is plenty more on the way from both departments.

As for Lucas, his daughter was born in August 2013, and while he has been a supporter of the new generation of Star Wars and continued to weigh in on matters involving the franchise's legacy (and visit sets), he has continued to play a hands-off role.

One of the most talked-about moments in Star Wars lore, which comes in the very first hour of Episode IV: A New Hope, centers on Harrison Ford's Han Solo having one final conversation with the bounty hunter Greedo in the Mos Eisley Cantina. You know, before all the shooting started from one particular place or another. In any case, Disney+'s The Mandalorian featured an awesome homage to that particular scene in a recent Season 2 episode, but fans probably missed it if they turned the episode off without watching the credits.

In The Mandalorian Chapter 10, which is titled "The Passenger" but is less formerly known as "The One Where Baby Yoda Ate Frog Lady's Unfertilized Eggs," Mando was still on Tatooine following his krayt dragon battle alongside Cobb Vanth, so he headed to Mos Eisley's iconic Chalmun's Cantina to talk to Amy Sedaris' Peli Motto. The booth that Peli was sitting in looked mi-i-i-i-ighty familiar as she played a game of sabacc with the perfectly named Dr. Mandible, and Star Wars fans' senses definitely perked up during that scene.

While that moment certainly felt like an echo to the Han and Greedo scene from Star Wars: A New Hope, the more definitive reference came during The Mandalorian's always-enjoyable end credits sequence, which showcases concept art throughout. The fourth image, which coincides with Amy Sedaris' credit, is a re-envisioned shot from Peli Motto and Dr. Mandible's card game. And not only does Peli have her boots up on the table, Han Solo-style, the wall behind her features a pretty distinct marking on it. Check out the shot below.

For those who didn't pick up on it yet, the spot on the wall that's up and to her left looks pretty much like what one would expect to see if someone shot it with a blaster while trying to shoot a certain smug smuggler. Namely, it can be assumed by this burn mark that this particular spot on the wall was Greedo's last victim, all things considered.

Now, that doesn't mean The Mandalorian is posing that the Cantina's employees haven't cleaned and repaired the building's walls in years. The mark only shows up in the concept art in the credits, and not during the earlier live-action scene with Mando and Peli, so it's just a fun bit of art for fans to geek out over.

It feels pretty timely that The Mandalorian referenced the "Who Shot First?" scene almost exactly a year after the world first witnessed the latest change-up to Han and Greedo's confrontation, which incorporated a confusing new line of dialogue and not much else. Now, if George Lucas wanted to go back and digitally insert Amy Sedaris' Peli Motto into the background of the Cantina in A New Hope, I would probably be into that with only a minimal number of regrets.

The Mandalorian Season 2 drops new episodes on Disney+ on Fridays at 3:01 a.m. ET. While waiting to see where things are going next – all roads lead to Ahsoka Tano – head to our 2020 Fall TV premiere schedule and our Winter and Spring 2021 premiere guide to see what new and returning shows await you.

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The Star Wars franchise has entertained moviegoers for decades, with the galaxy far, far away being passed down among generations. But regardless of how much the property has changed over the years, there's one debate that continues to plague the fandom. Namely, who shot first? Was it Greedo or Han? This discussion is a deep dive into Harrison Ford's character, and George Lucas himself recently weighed in on the hotly discussed subject.

When Han Solo is first introduced in Star Wars: A New Hope, we see the scruffy looking nerf herder in the Mos Eisley cantina. He ends up having a confrontation with Greedo, where the alien is killed by Han's blaster. Debate has long raged regarding who shot first, as the movie's re-release in the '90s altered the original scene. And in a new book titled The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005, George Lucas offered his own opinion, saying:

Well, there you have it. It looks like George Lucas doesn't believe that Han Solo shot first in that now infamous sequence from Star Wars: A New Hope. Harrison Ford's pilot/rebel doesn't kill for sport, and instead only fires his signature blaster in self-defense. This was an important aspect of the character for the filmmaker, which is why it's his belief that Greedo actually shot first.

The above comments from The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005 (via Polygon), and has the potential to put an end to the long standing debate about Han and Greedo. George Lucas is the man who created both characters, and directed the first two trilogies from the franchise. As a result, he's seemingly the most valued source of information regarding A New Hope and its contents.

The entire Skywalker Saga is currently available on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

While George Lucas has made his thoughts known, there will still be plenty of Star Wars fans who will maintain that Han Solo was the first one to shoot, and kill Greedo in the process. It makes the character a bit more ruthless, and only adds to the fan favorite's overall badassery. And considering how the editing was originally a bit more ambiguous, franchise purists will side with the OG version of the sequence.

George Lucas and company made a variety of changes to the original Star Wars trilogy when the movies were remastered in the 1990's. New creatures were added including a sequence with Jabba in A New Hope, although not all of these changes were well received by the fandom. This is especially true for the fans who saw the original trilogy during its initial theatrical run.

It should be interesting to see what comes next for the Star Wars franchise. With the nine-film Skywalker Saga in the rear view, any future movies have the freedom to be disconnected from the main narrative. And in the meantime, the property continues to grow thanks to live-action series on Disney+.

The Mandalorian is currently in the midst of Season 2 on Disney+. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.

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Star Wars is one of the most popular movie franchises of all time, with entire generations of moviegoers brought up on the galaxy far, far away. George Lucas forever change the film industry with the original trilogy, especially regarding the visual effects and cinematography necessary to capture the beloved space opera. Lucas eventually returned to the director's chair with the prequels, starting with 1999's The Phantom Menace. Unfortunately Episode I was met with a mixed reaction, although the filmmaker knew he was taking a risk by focusing on such a young version of Anakin aka Darth Vader.

The many Star Wars fans out there were thrilled to return to the galaxy with The Phantom Menace, although some aspects of that infamous prequel didn't sit right with the fandom. Chief among them was the character of Anakin Skywalker, who went from villain to a somewhat annoying young kid living on Tatooine. A past interview of George Lucas proved that he knew the fandom might react this way, saying:

Touche. While George Lucas understood that moviegoing audiences would likely respond better if Star Wars: The Phantom Menace focused on older versions of Anakin and Padme, that's not the story he wanted to tell. Mostly because it would have made young Vader's separation from his mother Shmi (Pernilla August) less emotional.

George Lucas' comments to Empire help to peel back the visionary filmmaker's thought process behind his work on The Phantom Menace. The first prequel continues to get a ton of flack from the fandom, because the movie is decidedly more child-friendly than the other thanks to Jake Lloyd's Anakin Skywalker and the infamous inclusion of Jar Jar Binks. But Lucas had a very specific story in mind for his beloved space opera, including a nine year-old version of the franchise's main villain.

The Star Wars franchise is currently streaming in its entirety on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

While George Lucas was steadfast in his beliefs about Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the public's reaction to both Jake Lloyd and Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best was less than kind. Both actors were the subject of extreme backlash, with Lloyd retiring from acting as a result. And while the next two prequels featured an older version of Anakin who was struggling with the Dark Side, Episode I continues to the butt of many jokes.

Hearing how passionate George Lucas was about Star Wars: The Phantom Menace shows how methodically the filmmaker approached the prequel trilogy. As such, it's somewhat surprising that the nine-film Skywalker Saga ended with a new trilogy of movies that Lucas was not involved in. J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson helmed the most recent installments in the property, which played out quite differently than its creator originally planned.

It should be interesting to see how the Star Wars franchise continues to grow on the big screen now that The Rise of Skywalker ended the main story. Any future movie installments will be unconnected from the Skywalker Saga, which should give filmmakers the freedom to craft a new story. But until then, the galaxy will continue to grow thanks to live-action shows on Disney+.

The Mandalorian is currently in the midst of Season 2 over on Disney+. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.