That’s right folks. The Star Father is retiring. He’s had enough.
For some fans, it’s a bittersweet moment, especially to those critical of his more recent work in the Star Wars prequels, his perpetual tinkering with the original trilogy, its subsequent home releases as well as the last Indiana Jones movie.
The task of getting Red Tails, a big-budget film chronicling the World War II deeds of the famed, socially-significant Tuskegee Airmen was a difficult one for Lucas, who has always appreciated having the autonomy to do the kind of films that he wants to make, the way that he wants to make them. On Red Tails, studio bigwigs were obstinate on the project, not giving him the time of the day, treating the iconic filmmaker as if he was a b grade director.
By the time, he eventually overcame those obstacles and finally got the film made with director Anthony Hemingway, it looks like he just had enough.
“I’m retiring. I’m moving away from the business, from the company, from all this kind of stuff.”
Lucas has always felt the studios have been ruining his films since the early days with American Graffiti and THX 1138, a process which Lucas describes as “someone keying your car.” Yet, it was not until the success of Star Wars where he had achieved the kind of independence from the studios which he craved.
So, now, with some of his muscle seemingly diminished in the eyes of those bigwigs who make the movies happen, to come full-circle and find himself at their mercy, may not be the way he wants to continue.
The big wigs aren’t the only problem. Lucas is sick of getting constant ugly comments from fan boys.
“Why would I make any more [Star Wars films] when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?”
Their constant criticizing and rewriting of his movies has obviously gotten to him more than he’s let on.
“On the Internet, all those same guys that are complaining I made a change are completely changing the movie [making their own edits]”
“I’m saying: ‘Fine. But my movie, with my name on it, that says I did it, needs to be the way I want it.’ ”
At the end of the day whether you believe Lucas to be a genius that created movies that have entertained generations or whether you believe he’s a greedy money grubbing man, the fact remains…his work has changed humanity for ever. He set the bar for sci-fi so high that none have ever managed to surpass it. I think the haters would even put aside their issue’s and join fans in saying “thanks for everything George.”