George Lucas Talks Future of ‘Star Wars’ and Lucasfilm
After Disney acquired Lucasfilm last October, Star Wars creator and Lucasfilm founder George Lucas and president Kathleen Kennedy sat down for a series of interviews on the future of the sci-fi universe and franchise. The fifth and final part surfaced today, but the pair let slip revealing news as early as the first segment in October. Lucas has already worked out treatments for Episodes Seven, Eight and Nine, with plans for more.
“We are absolutely going to make [more] Star Wars movies, and we’re in the midst of the really fun part of the process, which is we’re sitting down with a couple of writers, and we’re starting to discuss ideas, and we’re starting to talk about what those stories might be,” said Kennedy, noting, “The main thing is to protect these characters.”
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Lucas said he sold the franchise to help insure its longevity. “I’m doing this so that the films will have a longer life, so that more fans and people can enjoy them in the future,” he said. “It’s a very big universe I’ve created and there’s a lot of stories in there.”
He cited another benefit to giving up control, too. “I get to be a fan now . . . and I sort of look forward to it,” Lucas said. “It’s a lot more fun.”
In part two, Lucas and Kennedy dug deeper into the creative process, and talked about how they’ll be choosing a director. “Enthusiasm. Obviously, having a sense of how to tell stories within complex worlds like this,” said Kennedy. “There are many people who sprang to mind — writers and directors — that I’ve worked with in the past that I’m really excited to bring into the fold on this. I think we have a unique opportunity to go after some incredibly talented people.”
The lasting legacy of the series means the chance to work with a whole new crop of directors who’ve grown up with Star Wars their entire lives. “It’s really exciting because there’s a whole generation of filmmakers that have been inspired by George and Star Wars and they’re absolutely thrilled, excited and daunted at the prospect of possibly being able to step in and carry the mantle of making these movies,” said Kennedy.
The full five-part series is up on YouTube. The next Star Wars film is expected in 2015, and sreenwriter Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine) has been enlisted for the screenplay.