Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: George Lucas to Retire?

This is topic George Lucas to Retire? in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=006692

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 06-04-2012, 03:31 PM:

Oh great, now he's going to make Art films. And boy, doesn't he sound thin skinned?

quote:
George Lucas talks of retirement, making "hobby" films

Reuters
11:48 a.m. CDT, May 31, 2012

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Phantom Menace" haters won't have George Lucas to kick around anymore.

The man who captivated generations of youngsters with his "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" films - only to see many of those same fans revolt after he returned to those franchises in recent years with critically derided new installments - is hanging it up.

Lucas tells Empire Magazine this month that he is retiring to make more personal "hobby" movies.

"I've always wanted to make movies that were more experimental in nature, and not have to worry about them showing in movie theaters," Lucas said.

He implies that he will also be less active in LucasFilm, the special effects and production company he founded.

"I'm moving away from the company, I'm moving away from all my businesses, I'm finishing all my obligations and I'm going to retire to my garage with my saw and hammer and build hobby movies," Lucas said.

It is not the first time that Lucas has hinted publicly that he is ready to step away from the commercial filmmaking that forms the spine of his career.

While promoting his World War II aviation drama "Red Tails" last winter, Lucas told The New York Times that he was finished with "Star Wars."

"Why would I make any more, when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?" Lucas said.

He did hold out some hope for his admirers, saying he might be persuaded to make another "Indiana Jones" film.

If that doesn't come to pass and if Lucas ever gets bored with his garage, he can always join fellow filmmaking retiree Steven Soderbergh for bingo.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-04-2012, 03:56 PM:

Retirement versus Cameron and a career of Titanic? Which is worse? Which is better? Louis

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 06-04-2012, 04:38 PM:

Lucas just never seemed to grasp that Star Wars fans who had been in love with those films for a generation did not appreciate the constant tinkering. Furthermore, Lucas' talent is not in the story telling and dialog, but in the visual effects. He should have handed the treatments for the prequels over to a better screenwriter.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-04-2012, 08:19 PM:

He always sees his tinkering as "improvements." Fans don't agree. But who owns the work...the guy who made it or the people who paid for it? But, that topic has been argued to death on this and countless other sites.

He's a smart moviemaker -- if he sees a good idea come along, he'll jump back into the game just like, say, Clint Eastwood does. I can't say I blame him for wanting to leave his "beloved" properties behind...but if a cool new idea presents itself, it'd be awful hard to resist the temptation to make another "big" movie.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 06-04-2012, 08:22 PM:

IMHO, his best screenwriter was his wife who wrote his best films before they divorced.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 06-05-2012, 12:11 AM:

After the last 3 Star Wars turds it's clear that he's completely out of ideas. Good Bye and Good Riddance, George, please go.

Posted by Jim Henk (Member # 3628) on 06-05-2012, 03:51 AM:

Well, I liked those last three films, but I will agree that his tinkering with the originals and fighting to have the original versions wiped off the face of the Earth to be incredibly self-centered.

What he forgot (and I have no idea how he missed this...) was that he was messing with people's memories of really good times. People want to hang onto those things. And to have even the original person walk in and mutz with those memories will *always* produce heavy resentment, whether the mods were good *or* bad. When you do that, you're (insert favorite expletive here) around with their youth. And that takes an unimaginable lack of awareness.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-05-2012, 06:13 AM:

I'm with Sam. Whatever became of her? She was the artist behind the dreamer. She made it work.

(A smart person would track her down and make great films. Heaven knows we are overdue for one about now.) Louis

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 06-05-2012, 06:59 AM:

Ralph McQuarrie did more to make Star Wars great the first time than George Lucas in my opinion. He and maybe Ben Burtt.

I'm also in 100% agreement with Jim.

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 06-05-2012, 10:01 AM:

I don't think people resent him as much for the prequels as they do for the special editions of IV-VI.

Personally, maybe this retirement will be good for him and he'll make some low budget shlock that will rock. Anything is better than what he's doing now.

AJG

Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 06-05-2012, 10:23 AM:

With Empire and Jedi his strength was writing the treatments and letting others write the screenplays.
Hiring the right directors and then acting as producer with the last word.
It's almost like he resents Empire and Jedi because he didn't direct them so he wanted to then direct the last one's himself to prove he directs Star Wars better.
He was on fire with the first 3 films but then waiting 16 years to come back to continue the series...why change the formula?
Then messing around with the special editions?
Major miss steps.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-05-2012, 11:28 AM:

I agree with the criticisms about tinkering with the STAR WARS movies, and for cheapening the whole franchise by making the first 2 of the prequels. (And I also disliked Indy 3 and 4.)

But enough people are weighing in on the subject of "what's not to like," so there's no real need to beat a dead horse.

I'd like to say that I still love him for what he did in terms of (a) inspiring me as a kid to get into this business; (b) everything he did to improve production and exhibition technologies; and (c) donating so generously to USC on numerous occasions.

quote: Sam D. Chavez
IMHO, his best screenwriter was his wife who wrote his best films before they divorced.

No doubt, Marcia helped shape his stories in post, but was she really a writer?? I honestly don't know, so please clarify.

No matter, really. I'd still argue that we should give the crown to Leigh Brackett, who wrote George's best film, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (and Irvin Kershner, who directed).

Back to Marcia -- I never forgot her quote in the "Skywalking" book:

"Getting here was more fun than being here."

I didn't know exactly what she meant when I read it back in the early 1990's -- maybe I still don't -- but it's awfully tempting to "read into it" with hindsight.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 06-05-2012, 12:02 PM:

I believe Marcia really helped shape his pre Star Wars works and helped get him to a "Skywalker" state of mind.

I don't really know her exact role of course.

There was this story around the ranch that Spielberg valued her input regarding "Indy" as much or more than George's, but it's just gossip for sure.

Clearly she was not happy hanging out at the ranch.

I was offered a great job at the ranch as the tech building was being finished, but I always thought it would be a real bore in my role, and way too isolating so I passed. Never had a regret as I had much more fun and influence at Dolby Labs.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-05-2012, 12:06 PM:

Marcia's name was on the Post-Production Building at the 2nd incarnation of USC's film school.

When George (very kindly) donated $195M to tear down the whole school and rebuild the latest incarnation, Marcia's Post-Production "building" was moved to the basement.

Now, THERE'S some gossip! [Eek!]

The other big changes with the new film school -- no more film -- and name changed from "School of Cinema-Television" to "School of Cinematic Arts" -- Spielberg's name moved from the Music Scoring Stage to the South Wing of the new complex (facing the George wing) -- Scoring Stage re-named for John Williams -- Faculty endowments for Music Editing and Dialog Editing.

But, umm....No faculty endowment for Tom Holman. On purpose, or just a mere oversight?

It's really hard NOT to read into these goings-on.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 06-05-2012, 02:11 PM:

Still on the gossip front,

There were some dealings involving a certain "Fritz" that ended with Holman leaving.

Must be a slow news day.

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 06-05-2012, 02:43 PM:

Marcia Lucas was the assistant editor on THX 1138, and the editor of American Graffitti and the first three Star Wars movies, certainly a great contribution. They got divorced in 1983, and she pretty much dropped out of sight. But then, I understand she still gets 50% of everything on those films, so I don't think she's scrounging.

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 06-05-2012, 02:45 PM:

is this a promise or false hope [Wink]

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-05-2012, 03:55 PM:

quote: Sam D. Chavez
Must be a slow news day.

Not anymore, Sam! [Big Grin]

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 06-05-2012, 05:52 PM:

Glad to help.

Posted by Joseph L. Kleiman (Member # 3097) on 06-05-2012, 08:40 PM:

With all this talk about Marcus, it's easy to overlook the fact that Kathleen Kennedy is the new woman in George's life. She's leaving Kennedy/Marshall to become the Co-chair at Lucasfilm.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-06-2012, 08:47 AM:

Kathleen Kennedy produced just almost all of the HUGE Spielberg blockbusters. I'm a fan! [Big Grin]

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 06-09-2012, 08:50 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
He always sees his tinkering as "improvements." Fans don't agree. But who owns the work...the guy who made it or the people who paid for it?

Legally: Lucas. Culturally: All of us.

quote: Sam D. Chavez
IMHO, his best screenwriter was his wife who wrote his best films before they divorced.

quote: Mark J. Marshall
Ralph McQuarrie did more to make Star Wars great the first time than George Lucas in my opinion. He and maybe Ben Burtt.

...and the guy who really gets screwed in accounts such as this: producer Gary Kurtz. He worked on the two movies that most people acknowledge as the best of the series, and he didn't work on the ones that so many people think were terrible. Draw your own conclusion....

quote: Manny Knowles
I'd still argue that we should give the [best screenwriter] crown to Leigh Brackett, who wrote George's best film, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

I think Lawrence Kasdan ought to be given some consideration here. Brackett wrote very little of Empire (if Lucasfilm's The Making of The Empire Strikes Back book is to be believed).

quote: Mark Ogden
Marcia Lucas was the assistant editor on THX 1138, and the editor of American Graffitti and the first three Star Wars movies, certainly a great contribution.

Marcia Lucas was not the sole editor of any of those projects, and, while she has no doubt made some invaluable contributions, I think she may be receiving too much credit perhaps because it has become too easy to dismiss the talents of George. Marcia was one of four editors on the original Star Wars (only three got screen credit) and she left the project before it was completed to work on Martin Scorsese's New York, New York. She's not credited on Empire, and she shared credit with two others on Jedi.

quote: Mark Ogden
They got divorced in 1983, and she pretty much dropped out of sight.

I'm not sure how well known this is, but Marcia reportedly had an affair with a Lucasfilm employee and ended up marrying the guy. So given that scenario, it's not surprising she has disappeared. Of course, the real reason she disappeared may be related to the great Skywalking quote Manny cited.

quote: Mark Ogden
But then, I understand she still gets 50% of everything on those films, so I don't think she's scrounging.

Would Marcia still be receiving 50% of everything to this day? Some have theorized that the real reason Lucas made the Special Edition versions of the original trilogy movies was to get around continuing to pay Marcia. By making enough content changes and re-copyrighting the movies, they became "new" movies that she didn't work on. It's an interesting theory, though I'm not sure if it holds up under scrutiny. The only way to know for sure would be to get a copy of the divorce settlement.