Star Wars fans are known for being divisive over whichย Star Warsย is the “real”ย Star Wars. There are the original trilogy fans, the prequels defenders, and people who will argue for the Extended Universe until their dying breath. In recent years, however,ย Star Warsย fans have united on one thing: not many of them like the sequels.ย This sentiment isn’t limited to the fans, however, as none other than George Lucas has taken the stage atย Cannes.ย Lucas said thatย a lot ofย what made the original trilogy good was “lost” in the sequel trilogy, for better or worse.
George Lucas Honored at Cannes: In Defense of the Prequels
The 77th Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, and it’s a practical who’s-who of Hollywood legends. Notable names includeย Godfatherย director Francis Ford Coppola, whose newest movieย Megalopolisย got a Cannes premiere,ย along withย Kevin Costner, George Miller, and Greta Gerwig.ย George Lucas showed up this yearย not as a competitor but asย an honoree, receiving a Palme d’Or for his contributions to filmmaking.ย After accepting his award, Lucas sat down withย The Hollywood Reporterย to discuss his methodology, the secrets to his success, and how he feels aboutย Star Warsย now that Disney has the reins.
One hot topic was, of course, the often debated prequel trilogy. In defending the prequels, Lucas argued that a lot of the hate aimed at them was from critics who’d lost sightย of the factย thatย Star Warsย was meant to be a kid’s movie,ย speciallyย aimed at children who hadn’t figured out the world yet.
“It was supposed to be a kidโs movie for 12-year-olds that were going through puberty, who donโt know what theyโre doing, and are asking all the big questions: What should I be worried about? Whatโs important in life?And Star Wars has all those things in there. Theyโre buried in there but you definitely get it, especially if youโre young.โ
George Lucas via The Hollywood Reporter
But, you may be arguing to yourself, the prequels were still annoying! What aboutย Jar-Jar Binks? He was annoying outside of it being a kid’s movie! Well, Lucas said that the hate aimed at Jar-Jar afterย The Phantom Menaceย was the same as the hate originally aimed at C-3PO, then atย the Ewoks, and all of it is still because he says critics are complaining about a movie that’s not aimed at them.
“Everybody said the same thing about 3-PO, that he was irritating and we should get rid of him…When I did the third one it was the Ewoks: โThose are little teddy bears. This is a kidโs movie, we donโt want to see a kidsโ movie. I said: โIt is a kidsโ movie. Itโs always been a kidsโ movie.’โ
George Lucas via The Hollywood Reporter
Will We See The Original Star Wars in 4K? George Lucas Says No, And He’s Not Budging
One of George Lucas’s other talking points wasย the question of whether or notย he’ll ever release the originalย Star Warsย trilogy from the 70s in 4K.ย It’s a fair question, given how manyย remakes and rebootsย are floating around these days. Lucasย himselfย has even gotten some flak for using modern filmmaking and CGI to make the originals look better than they would have upon release. The new versions of the original trilogy are available onย Disney+, but when it comes to releasing theย originalย originalย trilogy in 4K? Lucas says that’s never going to happen.
โIโm a stubborn guy and I didnโt want people to tell me how to make my movies…Iโm a firm believer that the director, or the writer, or the filmmaker should have a right to have his movie be the way he wants it…We did release the original one on laserdisc and everybody got really mad, they said, โIt looks terrible.โ And I said, โYeah, I know it did.’ That is what it looked like.โ
George Lucas via The Hollywood Reporter
While fans mourn the loss of seeing the original trilogy in crisp HD, Lucas’s continued insistence on making his movies the way he wants to raises some interestingย questions,ย like if he was so stubborn, then why did he sellย Star Warsย to Disney? And, now that Disney’s at the helm for the sequels, how does Lucas feel about whereย Star Warsย has gone without him?
The answer is…not great.
George Lucas: “I Was The Only One Who Really Knew What Star Wars Was”
When asked about theย Star Warsย prequels, which were made after he soldย Lucasfilmsย to Disney, George Lucas toldย The Hollywood Reporterย at Cannes that the sequelsย are missingย what makesย Star Warsย feel likeย Star Wars.ย It’s a sentiment that a lot ofย fans agree with, though no one’s quite sure if the missing thing is the original actors, the practical effects, or just a vague sense of nostalgia.
Lucas,ย in the face of the same question, might have told you that the missing part is him and all of the original trilogy ideas that have failed to carry over.
“I was the one who really knew what Star Wars was โฆ who actually knew this world, because thereโs a lot to it. The Force, for example, nobody understood the Force…When they started other ones after I sold the company, a lot of the ideas that were in [the original] sort of got lost.”
George Lucas via The Hollywood Reporter
Of course, there’s no going back now, and good luck getting Disney to give upย Star Warsย when it’s making as much money as it does. Thankfully, George Lucas, who’s now 80, isn’t plotting some grand scheme to get his company back and recognizes that he’s got to live with his decision, saying that “that’s the way it is…you give it up.”
All of the Star Wars films are currently available to stream on Disney+.
