George Lucas is feeling a little like a jilted lover. After selling the Star Wars franchise to The Walt Disney Co. in 2012, he approached the company with story ideas for a new trilogy. Walt Disney pulled a classic "it's not you, it's me," and dumped his plans.
"They decided they didn't want to use those stories, they decided they were gonna do their own thing. They weren't that keen on having me involved anyway," Lucas told CBS. His idea had been to tell the story of the grandchildren of the characters from the original trilogy (and since details are still foggy about the new film, it's unclear if Disney did something else entirely, or simply went about executing the idea in a way different than Lucas had envisioned).
"The issue was, ultimately, they looked at the stories and they said, 'We want to make something for the fans.' So, I said, all I want to do is tell a story of what happened — it started here and went there. It's all about generations, and issues of fathers and sons and grandfathers. It's a family soap opera," Lucas said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He explained that he finally realized he needed to step back. "When you break up with somebody, the first rule is no phone calls. The second rule, you don't go over to their house and drive by to see what they're doing. The third one is you don't show up at their coffee shop and say, 'You are going to burn it...' You just say 'Nope, gone, history, I'm moving forward.'"
But that doesn't mean he's over it. "It's not much fun [when you] go to make a movie and all you do is get criticized," Lucas said. Watch below. Jeva Lange
-
How will the new Repayment Assistance Plan for student loans work?the explainer The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace existing income-driven repayment plans
-
In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
-
Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black KeysFeature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
