Forbes Named A Star Wars Icon The Richest Celebrity Of 2024

Though he was substantially involved in the early development of “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens” (and to a lesser extent with subsequent projects), George Lucas seemed a bit torn on his decision after the first film in the sequel trilogy came out. In a 2015 interview with Charlie Rose, he likened the sale of “Star Wars” to a breakup. “These are my kids,” he said, referring to the original six films (via The Guardian). “They wanted to do a retro movie. I don’t like that.”

Disney’s creative angle with “The Force Awakens” was clearly meant to evoke the original trilogy, avoiding the themes and aesthetics of the prequels due to the ridicule they received from both critics and audiences. In the same interview, Lucas defended the prequels and explained that he prefers to make each project its own thing rather than a throwback. “I worked very hard to make them completely different,” he said, “With different planets, with different spaceships — you know, to make it new.”

In later years, though, Lucas seemed to mellow on Disney’s “Star Wars.” He praised “The Last Jedi” as being “beautifully made” upon its release, perhaps because it dared to do something new in the “Star Wars” universe — something many viewers lambasted it for. In 2024, Lucas has also thrown his substantial weight as a Disney shareholder — weight he gained through the sale of Lucasfilm — behind CEO Bob Iger and the current corporate administration.