George Lucas has been a writer and director in Hollywood for nearly 50 years now, with such memorable films as American Graffiti, co-writing all four Indiana Jones movies, and more. However, he is most known for creating a franchise that has garnered a massive base of die hard fans, eleven films and counting, spin off cartoons and television series, merchandise out the wazoo, and even theme park attractions across the country. That would be, of course, Star Wars. In 2012, Lucas sold off his rights to this multi-billion dollar franchise to Disney. But why? Why give up this baby that he created? Well, the reason is simple and makes a whole lot of sense.
George Lucas revealed to author Paul Duncan the reason behind his decision. Duncan has written a book on the franchise and it includes an interview with the godfather of the Star Wars Universe. This is what Lucas had to say:
“I’d still be working on Episode IXI(?) 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. I could have not sold LucasFilm and gotten somebody to run the productions, but that isn’t retiring. On The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi I tried to stay out of the way, but I couldn’t. I was there every day. Even though the people were friends of mine and they did great work, it wasn’t the same as me doing it; it was like being once removed, I knew that probably wouldn’t work again, that I’d be frustrated. I’m one of those micromanager guys, and I can’t help it. So, I figured I would forgo that, enjoy what I had, and I was looking forward to raising my daughter. Also, I wanted to build a museum, which I’d always wanted to do, so I was thinking, ‘If I don’t do this now, I’ll never get that done.’ I’ve spent my life creating Star Wars – 40 years- and giving it up was very, very, painful. But it was the right thing to do. I thought I was going to have a little bit more to say about the next three because I’d already started them, but they decided they wanted to do something else. Things don’t always work out the way you want. Life is like that.”
So, there you have it. It was simply a decision of family over work. Lucas has been well known as a family man. He has adopted multiple children, and then had his own child. He knew that this franchise was only going to grow, and that would mean dominating his life even more than it already was doing. So, he made the tough choice to sell LucasFilm to Disney. Ever since the purchase, Disney’s run with the product has been considered up and down, with some of the films not exactly living up expectations from fans, but other parts, like The Mandalorian on Disney Plus, are exceeding perceptions by leaps and bounds.
Fans will always wonder what George Lucas’ version of the last three films could have been, but there is no guarantee they would have been any better. After the prequels came out, fans were calling for Lucas’ head. So, while not mentioned, that backlash could have also played a part in his decision. Regardless, the Star Wars Universe seems to be in good hands, no matter what the toxic fans have to say about it. Hopefully, this interview will put to rest any questions as to why Lucas let his baby go and people can move on and start treating this beloved universe and its fan-base with respect and dignity.
What do you think of George Lucas’ reasoning behind selling LucasFilm to Disney? Let us know in the comments below!