Letting go to something you have created which was lasted an entire career over the span of decades is hard to do. George Lucas appears to be having that problem years after selling off Lucasfilm to Disney. With work being done on the next episode in the evolving Star Wars saga, Lucas is still chiming in from time to time with his two cents over how Jedi should be handled on the big screen.
Asked if Lucas still has a say in the creative process for Disney’s new Star Wars films, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told Entertainment Weekly he does not, but he still has words of advice to share.
“Not really,” Kennedy said. “But he’ll whisper in my ear every now and then. Usually it’s something specific or important to him about Jedi training. Things like that.”
It makes sense Lucas would still be on hand for some advice on the Star Wars franchise, seeing as he brainstormed the entire universe from scratch and created the backgrounds for the characters and races the franchise is known for. Disney opted to move in their own direction with the entire Star Wars franchise upon completing the acquisition of Lucasfilm, but proceeding with new films in the Star Wars galaxy is and has been one that has been handled with extreme care out of respect for the origins of the franchise and the fans that have made Star Wars the success it continues to be. Even though Disney is implementing their own take on the direction of the Star Wars galaxy, having Lucas shed some perspective on the roots of the franchise is a handy resource to have available.
Having Lucas share his thoughts about what went into creating a group like the Jedi, which will likely be a primary focus in this year’s The Last Jedi with Mark Hammil reprising his iconic role as Luke Skywalker for the first time (really; The Force Awakens barely counts) since The Return of the Jedi, will be essential in order to keep the entire franchise on the same page. Of course, Lucas himself has been criticized for a lack of continuity at times found throughout the franchise.
Just don’t let Lucas in the editing room to suggest CGI characters and objects that have no reason for existing on the screen, and we should be just fine.
