The 'Indiana Jones' writer also says he had mixed feelings when letting go Lucasfilm, saying, 'It's 40 years of work and it's been my life, but I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things.'
- Nov 5, 2012
AceShowbiz - After selling his company Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company, George Lucas doesn't think about ending his filmmaking career though he has done with the "Star Wars" franchise. Although he once announced his retirement from the blockbuster industry, Lucas still plans to make his "own little personal films" post-"Star Wars".
The "Indiana Jones" series writer opened up about his future plan when attending recent Ebony magazine's Power 100 Gala. During the event, the 68-year-old veteran filmmaker also shared about the future of the upcoming new "Star Wars" trilogy under Walt Disney. Lucas said that he would only serve as a creative consultant and let his longtime collaborator Kathleen Kennedy take control for the rest.
"I've turned it over to a wonderful producer, Kathy Kennedy, and I've known her for years," so the Modesto-born filmmaker stated. He went on saying that he wouldn't involve himself in selecting a director for the new "Star Wars". He reasoned, "She's [Kennedy] more than capable of taking it and making it better than I did."
Of having to let go his company Lucasfilm, the "Willow" helmer said, "It's very sad. It's 40 years of work and it's been my life, but I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things." He continued, "Mostly it will be philanthropy but I'm also going to make my own little personal films."
Lucas' last movie was this year's "Red Tails", in which he served as an executive producer. "I'm going to go further out than that. I barely got 'Red Tails' into the theaters. The ones I'm working on now will never get into the theaters," he said, comparing the Tuskegee film with his next project.
George Lucas grabbed the headline when he decided to sell Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion to Disney on Tuesday, October 30. With the acquisition, Disney plans to make "Star Wars Episode 7" as part of a new trilogy beginning from 2015 with each movie being released every other year.
"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," said Lucas when announcing the acquisition. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime."
