There are a couple of major signs that George Lucas won’t return to the “Star Wars” franchise in the future. First and foremost is the fact that the last time he brought “Star Wars” movies to theaters, fan and critic reception was absolutely atrocious. The prequel trilogy was torn apart from all directions, with Lucas and his crew of actors being bombarded by vitriol from even the biggest “Star Wars” fans. Why would anyone, much less someone who had established themselves in pop culture and made plenty of money to live comfortably, want to go back to that?
Additionally, Lucas had his personal life in mind when he chose to let “Star Wars” go. “In 2012 I was 69… So the question was am I going to keep doing this the rest of my life? Do I want to go through this again? Finally, I decided I’d rather raise my daughter and enjoy life for a while,” he said in the book “The Star Wars Archives 1999-2005.” In 2012 and beyond, Lucas has only served as an executive producer on such film projects as “Red Tails,” “Strange Magic,” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” He has done the same for television efforts “Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airmen at War” and “Manifest Destiny.”
With all of this, and the fact he hasn’t directed anything since 2005 – the best of the prequel trilogy, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” – in mind, odds are George Lucas isn’t going to suddenly come out of retirement to lead an upcoming “Star Wars” production. As great as it would be for him to return, all signs point to his time with the franchise being over.