5 years after George Lucas sold Lucasfilm, Star Wars and all its assets to Walt Disney for a hefty $4 billion dollars, the renown filmmaker still manages to offer suggestions on the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
SEE EW’S EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM THE LAST JEDI
Disney has been moving at a rapid pace ever since the Lucasfilm deal was signed, announcing plans to expand the legendary saga that Lucas has been the steward of for 40 years. Since that time, the Star Wars creator has largely been on the outside looking in, like a kid staring longingly into a candy shop window. The sometimes embattled director has also gone back and forth in the media criticizing Episode VII, calling Force Awakens “too retro” for his tastes and comparing the Walt Disney Company to “white slavers” who had bought his children.
Yikes.
But the Lucas-Disney tensions may finally be settling down, especially after he reportedly, “loved” the latest installment, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While it had been reported numerous times that Disney had discarded Lucas’ original concepts for the sequel trilogy and other stories, it doesn’t appear Lucas has been banished whatsoever.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Lucas’ longtime collaborator and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said that he doesn’t really give suggestions on the franchise, unless it relates to the Jedi.
“Not really,” Kennedy said when askED if Lucas contributes anymore. “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.”
“I think he’s starting to settle into this and just be a fan,” she continues. “It’s taken a while. It’s hard to let go, after 40 years. That’s a lot of expectation and things he thought a lot about. Suddenly that next generation, that whole thematic idea he came up with, is in process.”
Expectations are high for Episode VIII as it’s expected Rey will spend the majority of her time training to become a Jedi with Luke Skywalker. Lucas probably still feels very strongly about how the Jedi mythology is being handled and it’s something the new trilogy hasn’t fully tapped into yet.
It remains to be seen if any of Lucas’ advice for the films will ever be put it into effect, but at the very least it sounds like Disney is still willing to listen to him.
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi opens December 15.