George Lucas Page 3

George Lucas

George Lucas Quick Links

News Pictures Video Film Music Comments Quotes RSS

The Empire Strikes Back: Movie Magazine Names Star Wars V The Best Film Ever


George Lucas Star Wars

Empire Magazine has named Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as the best movie of all time after 250,000 avid film fans adopted their democratic right to vote.

Star Wars

Of course, the conspiracy theorists amongst you will question the timing of this ‘poll’; smack bang in the middle of the Star Wars: Episode VII. Some might say a cynical marketing ploy is afoot, and the completely insane ones might even suggest Empire Magazine naming The Empire Strikes back is no coincidence. 

Continue reading: The Empire Strikes Back: Movie Magazine Names Star Wars V The Best Film Ever

It's Official 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' Is The Greatest Movie Of All Time


George Lucas Harrison Ford

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back has topped a poll conducted by Empire magazine to find 'the greatest movie of all time', as voted for by film fans. The second instalment of George Lucas’s mammoth sci-fi franchise knocked Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather into second place while The Dark Knight rounded off the top three.

George LucasStar Wars creator George Lucas

Speaking to the magazine, Star Wars creator George Lucas said it was a “privilege” to see the film come out on top. “It's soulful, but in a different way from Episode IV. It's a little bit more adult." he said. Adding that he’d “never really planned" Star Wars to be three separate films but when it became so, "it had an interesting effect of each film having its own personality, caused by the plot.”

Continue reading: It's Official 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' Is The Greatest Movie Of All Time

Star Wars Detectives: What Do Production Meeting Images Tell Us About Episode VII?


George Lucas

Since Star Wars: Return of the Jedi was released back in 1983 fans have been left to speculate about what life had left in store for Luke, Leia and Han. Director George Lucas teased Star Wars fans by releasing Episodes 1, 2 and 3 between 1999 and 2005, which focused on the lives of Luke and Leia’s parents, Anakin Skywalker and Padme as well as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, but the much loved original characters were only seen as newborn babies at the very end of Episode 3.

mark hamill star wars It's rumoured Mark Hamill will reprise his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode VII

30 years have now passed since the release of Return of the Jedi and by the end of 2015 the much anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII will finally be released. George Lucas has always been secretive about his plans for the plot of the final three Star Wars movies, although he has been known to occasionally give away the odd indication of what may have happened since that party, where we see that Obi-Wan and Anakin have finally made (spiritual) peace with one another.

Continue reading: Star Wars Detectives: What Do Production Meeting Images Tell Us About Episode VII?

You Luke Beautiful: Rodarte’s NYFW Star Wars Inspired Dresses


New York Fashion Week George Lucas Harrison Ford Mark Hamill Carrie Fisher Cate Blanchett

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...Oh OK, not too long ago, on a catwalk in New York City.Rodarte fashion designer duo, Kate and Laura Mulleavy presented their new collection on Tuesday at New York Fashion, and the grand finale pieces were absolutely out of this world! The Mulleavy sisters founded their fashion line in 2005 and Rodarte has since gone from strength to strength, with celebrity clients including Cate Blanchett and Keira Knightley; however, their Fall 2014 collection is by far their most inventive and show-stopping collection yet.

Rodarte New York Fashion Week The Rodarte sisters were fans of the Star Wars franchise as children

Closing the show, crowds were taken aback to see five fabulous and floaty finale gowns. That’s not so unusual, right? Well, each of the five romantic and silky gowns were printed with images from George Lucas’ super franchise, Star Wars! The stunning gowns wouldn’t have looked out of place on a red carpet or at a stylish do, had each of them not been sporting an image from the iconic sci-fi film. Printed on the sweeping skirts were movie stills of Luke Skywalker, chatterbox C-3PO, Jedi master Yoda and lovable droid, R2-D2. Somehow, the images don’t detract at all from the elegance of the gowns and the colour palette seems perfectly picked in order to compliment the stills. Incidentally, the show came on the same day that casting was confirmed as complete on Star Wars Episode VII, with the intention to shoot in London's Pinewood studios from May till September. 

Continue reading: You Luke Beautiful: Rodarte’s NYFW Star Wars Inspired Dresses

World Of Cinema Mourns The Death Of Academy President Tom Sherak


Tom Sherak George Lucas David Cameron

Today the world of cinema mourns the death of Tom Sherak, studio executive and former Academy president. On Tuesday it was announced that Sherak had succumb to a long battle with prostate cancer and died at his Calabasas, Calif. home.

Tom Sherak, Dinner Of Champions
Sherak died as one of the most respected men in Hollywood.

Sherak had a long and fruitful career at 20th Century Fox, followed by a few years at Revolution Studios. However, his career peaked when he was elected President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences in 2009, for two consecutive terms. On September 26, 2013, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Tom Sherak as director of the newly created Mayor's Entertainment Industry and Production Office.

Continue reading: World Of Cinema Mourns The Death Of Academy President Tom Sherak

Disney Secures Full Rights To 'Indiana Jones' - Future Movies Could Be On Their Way


Harrison Ford George Lucas Steven Spielberg INDIANA JONES Disney

In a move that has terrified fans the world over, Disney have acquired the full rights to the INDIANA JONES movies series, meaning they are now free to film future Indie titles as and when they please. According to Deadline, Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Pictures came to an agreement on Friday, 6 December, that secures marketing and distribution privileges for the Indiana Jones franchise.

Harrison Ford
Will Harrison Ford be appearing in another adventure?

The deal between the two picture houses comes a year after Disney took their first steps towards securing the rights to the Indiana Jones series, when the company purchased Lucasfilms in a multi-billion-dollar deal last October. The new deal gives Disney marketing and distribution rights to any future Indie films and also means that Lucasfilm retains the ownership rights to all the Indiana Jones films. Essentially, the deal means that Disney are now the sole owners of the Indiana Jones movie franchise and have full authority to do whatever they please with it.

Continue reading: Disney Secures Full Rights To 'Indiana Jones' - Future Movies Could Be On Their Way

Milius Review


Very Good

A biography of iconic filmmaker John Milius, this engaging documentary features some of the biggest stars of all time talking about their friend who changed the movies forever. And he's got such a huge presence that we love listening to his stories almost as much as we've loved watching his films over the decades. This movie also explores his controversial image as a right-wing gun lover, but the salient fact is that his friends and colleagues clearly love him dearly.

John Milius has always been a man's man. His asthma prevented him from joining the military, so he instead went to film school in the 1960s with a group that included Lucas, Spielberg, Coppola and Scorsese. And these young turks were exactly what cinema needed as the studio system ended. Milius' uncredited screenplay for Dirty Harry got him work as a writer and director, and his crowning achievement remains the screenplay for Apocalypse Now. He's also proud of his passion project Big Wednesday, an iconic surfing film that vanished without a trace when the studio abandoned it. But everything changed with Red Dawn, the teen fantasy that gave him his pro-gun reputation as a pariah. He's been less busy since, but is still working on his long-gestating epic about Genghis Khan, even though he has spent the past few years recovering from a debilitating stroke.

Like Milius himself, this is a beefy, jovial movie that zips along at a fast pace, observing telling details everywhere without any real criticism. Milius calls himself a "zen anarchist" rather than a conservative, and it's fascinating to see his life-loving personality emerge in the clips. Meanwhile, we see all of the iconic lines he's written and cinema-changing moments he's had a hand in, from writing Robert Shaw's amazing USS Indianapolis speech in Jaws to teaching Arnold Schwarzenegger how to hold a sword for Conan.

Continue reading: Milius Review

What Do We Know About 'Star Wars: Episode 7' So Far?


Star Wars George Lucas Jj Abrams Harrison Ford Mark Hamill Carrie Fisher Disney

Star Wars: Episode 7, is a phrase that either strike fear into the hearts of Star Wars fans the world over, or instil a sense of reluctant optimism in others. No matter how you feel about the rebooting of George Lucas' genre-defining sci-fi series, it is happening and there is nothing we can do about it. What we can do though is mull over every little rumor and tidbit that Disney have managed to let sneak on to the internet, and try to understand exactly where the movie's makers are in the filmmaking process.

George LucasJJ Abrams
Lucas is handing the baton over to Abrams

We do have some concrete facts about the movie so far; that Jj Abrams is directing it, or at least we're pretty sure that he still is anyway. During the summer there were rumors that the Lost creator was on the verge of stepping down from the project amidst creative differences with Disney. Having initially declined the invitation to direct the next instalment of the Star Wars franchise, his commitment to the project had always seemed somewhat in doubt, but as the months have gone by it does look as though he is committed to the job. Abrams is a pretty competent director and his involvement in the project is a promising one, providing that he doesn't go overboard with the lens flare like he did on Star Trek.

Continue reading: What Do We Know About 'Star Wars: Episode 7' So Far?

Disney Announce Plans To Release One Star Wars Film Each Year, Beginning In 2015


George Lucas Star Wars

Whilst many of us are still sat on the fence over the acquisition of the Star Wars brand, Disney executive CFO Jay Rasulo revealed this week that we at least won't have to wait too long to see the films. Speaking at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference, the Disney chief was keen to discuss the studio's plans for the recently acquired franchise, discussing plans to release one Star Wars film per year starting in 2015, when the first film from the soon-to-be-launched franchise is released.

George Lucas
George Lucas sold his stake in Lucasfilms to Disney in January this year

The studio are planning on releasing both an originally-penned trilogy to follow on from George Lucas' beloved trilogy, picking up some time after the events of Return of the Jedi, and may also be planning on releasing a string of origin films to look at the backstory of some of the major and minor characters from the franchise, including Yoda, Boba Fett and Han Solo. Since the $4 billion purchase of Lucasfilms earlier this year, this is the only bit of information we've been given about the films, which has been a frustrating state of affairs for the ardent fans of the movie series. This all changed over the week as Rasulo spoke extensively about the plans Disney has for Star Wars, whilst a rival studio Warner Bros. discussed the studio's plans for the Superman/Batman movie as well as plans for more Harry Potter-related films at the same conference.

Continue reading: Disney Announce Plans To Release One Star Wars Film Each Year, Beginning In 2015

I Am Your Father: George Lucas And Wife Mellody Hobson Are Parents


George Lucas

George Lucas has become a father for the fourth time, and for the first time with his new wife Mellody Hobson, with their daughter on was born on Friday 9 August. Everest Hobson Lucas was born via surrogate, the Skywalker Ranch confirmed to various news outlets on Monday (12 August), and the baby is said to be in a healthy condition.

George Lucas Mellody Hobson
Congratulations George Lucas and Mellody Hobson!

The newlyweds, who married in June this year, made no prior announcement that they were expecting a child, with the announcement from Lucas' representatives being the first word that a youngster was on it's way. Lucas also has two other daughters; Amanda, 32 and Katie, 25 as well as a 20-year-old son, Jett.

Continue reading: I Am Your Father: George Lucas And Wife Mellody Hobson Are Parents

Fans Disappointed As Disney Keeps Quiet About Episode VII At D23


George Lucas

If Star Wars fans weren’t already a bit restless about the upcoming Episode VII, Disney’s D23 Expo this weekend was definitely enough of a teaser. Not because any footage was revealed, in fact quite the opposite – at the beginning of the expo, company president Bob Iger stood before the crowd to make the disappointing announcement: "Now we’re just as excited as you are about Star Wars: Episode VII. In fact, we’re speechless. At least we’re going to be somewhat speechless at this Expo because we aren’t ready to share some of the details with you just yet."

Harrison Ford, Paranoia Premiere
Harrison Ford will return as Han Solo, but we won't get a glimpse of that for a while.

"But trust me, it’s going to be fantastic,” Iger continued, according to The Verge. “Come on, Star Wars and Disney together. How could it not be fantastic?"

Continue reading: Fans Disappointed As Disney Keeps Quiet About Episode VII At D23

Can We Look Forward To A Tangible Star Wars Episode VII?


Jj Abrams Harrison Ford George Lucas Star Wars

From the jerky horrors that made Jason’s life a misery, the flesh eating shark that terrorized the small island of Amity to the world’s biggest cruise liner falling victim to an iceberg, special effects and CGI have been married to film for as long as it has existed. The very act of filming something was once considered a special effect, as the audience of L'arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat would almost certainly attest to.

George LucasEpisodes IV, V and VI - great. I, II and III - not so good

Nowadays, films Pacific Rim and Avatar lead the way with blue screen CGI techniques, designed to make the unreal, real. The tiger, Richard Parker, in Ang Lee’s Life of Pi was so believable, it won the special effects team an Oscar.

Continue reading: Can We Look Forward To A Tangible Star Wars Episode VII?

John Williams Confirms His Place On Upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII


John Williams Jj Abrams George Lucas Mark Hamill Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher

Last Saturday (27 July), John Williams became the latest name to be tied down to the upcoming re-boot of the beloved Star Wars franchise. The composer, who has written the score for all six of the movies so far, was confirmed as a contributor by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy during a Star Wars fan convention in Essen, Germany, with an interview with Williams emerging online soon after on the oficial Star Wars YouTube page.

John Williams
John Williams, here with Samanta Wimslow, will compose the next Star Wars film

The film's confirmed director Jj Abrams had already indicated earlier this year that he hoped to have Williams return for the latest reboot of the franchise, which is expected to arrive in cinemas by summer 2015, and now with the weekend's announcement it looks as though Abrams' first wish as director has become reality.

Continue reading: John Williams Confirms His Place On Upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII

George Lucas Admits Star Trek Paved The Way For Star Wars: Agree?


George Lucas Gene Roddenberry Jj Abrams Disney

George Lucas has chucked a massive bucket of cold water on the entire Star Trek/Star Wars rivalry by suggesting Gene Roddenberry's sci-fi television show paved the way for his legendary space franchise. A new documentary titled Trek Nation sees Rod Roddenberry attempt to uncover the importance of his father's TV series, and rivalry producer Lucas is hugely complimentary of the show, reports Yahoo Movies.

"Star Trek softened up the entertainment arena," he explains in the documentary, "so that Star Wars could come along and stand on its shoulders." The filmmaker suggested that Star Trek crucially proved to studios that audiences were hungry for science fiction, "There was an effective group of people in the beginning who accepted it," he said, "That it wasn't that far out. For the studios it was way far out. [They said] 'What is this?' But there was a fan base out there - primarily the Star Trek fan base -who understood science-fiction, understood visual science-fiction, and was ready for something like [Star Wars] to be in the feature arena."

Lucas certainly has plenty to be thankful for, recently selling LucasFilm to Disney for a cool $4 billion, safe in the knowledge that his sci-fi franchise will continue with new movies and TV series. Set to hit theaters in 2015, Star Wars Episode 7 will be directed by Star Trek's Jj Abrams.

Continue reading: George Lucas Admits Star Trek Paved The Way For Star Wars: Agree?

George Lucas' New Wife Mellody Hobson Is A Success In Her Own Right


Mellody Hobson George Lucas Ron Howard Samuel L Jackson

Star Wars creator George Lucas and businesswoman Mellody Hobson tied the knot in a Californian ceremony last weekend that was described as "beautiful" by celeb guests including Samuel L. Jackson and Ron Howard. Hobson did look stunning in a Peter Soronen gown but if you haven't heard of her before, she's more successful businesswoman than arm-candy for 69 year-old Lucas.

The pair met at a business conference in 2006 and dated for seven years until their engagement in January 2013. However, it's a wonder Hobson, 44, managed to fit a wedding into her busy schedule: she's president of Ariel Investments - an investment management firm - whilst she also chairs the board at Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc., and a holds directing positions at Groupon, Inc., Starbucks Corporation and The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. She also has a heart of gold, becoming involved with community outreach projects such as Chicago's 'After School Matters' (a charity that provides constructive after school activities for teenagers) whilst also sitting on the board for The Chicago Public Education Fund.

Despite Hobson's busy schedule, Lucas will have plenty of free time after selling his production company LucasFilm to Disney in October 2012 for a reported $4.05 billion, donating most of this sum to educational philanthropy - a cause that is clearly important to Hobson, the youngest of six children.

Continue reading: George Lucas' New Wife Mellody Hobson Is A Success In Her Own Right

Mellody Hobson Marries George Lucas, But Which Legend Played Live?


Mellody Hobson George Lucas Van Morrison Steven Spielberg Janelle Monae Francis Ford Coppola Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher Mark Hamill

Mellody Hobson has married her long-time partner - Star Wars director George Lucas - at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County. The ceremony went ahead on Saturday afternoon (June 29, 2013), with former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley giving away the bride and George's son Jett serving as the best man. The director and producer's daughters Amanda and Katie served as bridesmaids, according to the movie mogul's spokesperson.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison played live at the reception, with the soulful Janelle Monae also playing a set. Steven Spielberg was also in attendance and director Francis Ford Coppola read a poem by Maya Angelou. That's some guest-list. 

Lucas became engaged to DreamWorks Animation chair Hobson, 43, in January. She is also head of the Chicago-based investment management firm Ariel Investments and chairman of Ariel Mutual Funds. Oh, and she's a director at Estee Lauder, Groupon and Starbucks as well as a regular contributor at CBS - in other words, she's a big player. A huge player. It will be her first marriage, though the second for Lucas, 68.

Continue reading: Mellody Hobson Marries George Lucas, But Which Legend Played Live?

George Lucas Weds Long-Time Sweetheart


George Lucas Mellody Hobson Samuel L Jackson Ron Howard Jj Abrams

George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones tied the knot with his girlfriend of seven years, Mellody Hobson. According to sources speaking with People magazine, the wedding took place on Saturday (22nd June) in California's Marin County at Lucas' 4,700 acre Skywalker Ranch. Amongst other guests, the wedding was attended by fellow director Ron Howard and actor Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Jedi Mace Windu in Lucas' Star Wars franchise.

Both guests publically displayed their excitement for Lucas' wedding, with Howard tweeting "George Lucas Melody Hobson wedding was joy to behold Bill Moyers service was beautiful, nothing short of profound. Congrats Mr&Mrs Lucas" and Jackson similarly enthusing: "Let's give a Galactic shout out to Master George Lucas & his Bride Melodie on This their WEDDING DAY!!"

Engaged since January 2013, Hobson, 44, met Lucas, 69, at a business conference in 2006 and have been dating ever since. She heads Ariel Investments - an investment management firm - whilst also chairing the board at Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc., and a director of Groupon, Inc., Starbucks Corporation and The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Continue reading: George Lucas Weds Long-Time Sweetheart

Star Wars Episode VII Character Casting Descriptions: Would You Fit The Bill?


Jj Abrams George Lucas Star Wars

Comic book blogsite Bleeding Cool has uncovered the main character casting details for the new Star Wars 7 film, where desirable traits for each auditioning actor are outlined.

The list that sounds more like a lonely hearts column than desired characteristics for the new instalment to the action fantasy franchise, includes such terms as "good sense of humour", "witty and smart" and "thirtysomething male intellectual".

The call for two "late-teen" females will add more firepower to existing rumours that believe that the main protagonist will be female, but seeing as the list isn't in billing order this should still be taken with a pinch of salt.

Continue reading: Star Wars Episode VII Character Casting Descriptions: Would You Fit The Bill?

Steven Spielberg On The Future Of The Film Industry: An 'Implosion Is Due'


Steven Spielberg George Lucas Eli Roth

Steven Spielberg talks about the difficulties of showing anything other than big budget, mainstream films in the cinema. He was addressing film students at the opening of the University of South California's School of Cinematic Arts building and warned that an 'implosion' within the film industry is due owing to difficulties with finance.

Spielberg warned USC students it is highly likely that a few big budget films would, within a short period, flop which would alter the industry forever. Spielberg's argument is that studios, fearful of loss, are only willing to make films which will ensure a large profit margin. He commented on how finance fixated the film industry has become claiming 'a studio would rather invest $250m in one film for a real shot at the brass ring than make a whole bunch of really interesting, deeply personal - and even maybe historical - projects'.

Spielberg also warns that the viewing public may have to foot the bill for big budget films. He uses Iron Man 3 and Lincoln as examples whereby cinema-goers would pay more than double ($25) than those seeing Lincoln ($7). This is in proportion with what they cost to make. Production costs for Lincoln were around $65 million whereas Iron Man's came in around $200 million. 

Continue reading: Steven Spielberg On The Future Of The Film Industry: An 'Implosion Is Due'

Will Star Wars Episode 7 Start Filming Next January?


Jj Abrams Kathleen Kennedy George Lucas

Director Jj Abrams has strongly hinted that production for Star Wars VII could begin in early 2014 by revealing that he will be moving his family to London at the end of this year, according to Digital Spy; reporting from the "Produced By" conference (a film production event held in Los Angeles).

Speaking at the conference this weekend, Abrams announced: "We are most likely, if all goes as planned, going to be moving to London at the end of the year for the Star Wars movie."

This comes quickly after May's confirmation that LucasFilm struck a deal with Chancellor George Osborne to shoot the highly anticipated sequel in the U.K, taking advantage of new tax reliefs.

Continue reading: Will Star Wars Episode 7 Start Filming Next January?

It's Here! Lego's Giant X-Wing Model Is Now A Thing That Exists


George Lucas Star Wars

Lego news is usually cool news, and the 23-Ton, 5.3-Million-Brick X-Wing being revealed today (May 24) in Times Square just goes to prove it. Just the number 5 million should give you a clue about the thing’s size, but just so you can conceptualize that better – the star fighter has a wingspan of 44 feet! The model comes complete with an R2 D2, of course, as well as a full range of authentic sounds. A Star Wars nerd’s dream personified. And Star Wars fans definitely deserve something like this, after the release of the cringe-worthy Kinect game, featuring a dancing Han Solo.

The model is a king-size version of Star Wars Lego starfighter set #9493 – 42 times bigger, to be precise. It’s even slightly bigger than the real X-Wing (ok, real might not be the right word, but you get the idea). This monstrosity was built at the Lego Model Shop in Khladno, Czech Republic. It took 32 master builders to finish. As a side-note, 'Lego master builder' is possibly the coolest job title anyone could come up with – on par with 'intergalactic robot emperor'. But we digress. Master builder Erik Varszegi spoke to Wired about the model.

“This has been a wild and exciting project for us, and it’s taken an international team of designers, engineers, structural consultants, model builders, and logistics personal over a year to bring this model from a conception to reality,” Varszegi said in an email. “In one respect, designing it was the ‘easy’ part, as we were creating a scaled version of an actual toy construction set.”

Continue reading: It's Here! Lego's Giant X-Wing Model Is Now A Thing That Exists

Disney Plan Animated Star Wars Series To Follow 'Star Wars Rebels' Pilot [Video]


Star Wars George Lucas

The re-Disney-fication of Star Wars continues, with the corporation now planning on bringing an animated series to their flagship television channel. The show, set to be titled Star Wars Rebels, already has a one-hour animated pilot lined up, which expects to see the light of day on the Disney Channel in fall 2014.

The reason behind the long wait is that Disney are also lining up a full series to begin airing on Disney XD straight after, with the subsequent season following on from the pilot. According to Entertainment Weekly, Lucasfilm have begun production on a series that will fall between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, following both of the Skywalker twins in relatively equal measure.

Star Wars
Don't let 'em down Filoni!

Continue reading: Disney Plan Animated Star Wars Series To Follow 'Star Wars Rebels' Pilot [Video]

Star Wars: Clone Wars Being To Be Replaced By New Intergalactic Animated Series?


George Lucas

With all this talk about Star Wars Episode VII, people have sort of forgotten about The Clone Wars. And that’s just as well, considering Lucasfilm are planning to "wind down" the production of the animated spin-off, with a view to something different.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars had five seasons, and while it was popular with a younger audience, die-hard Star Wars fans never took to it, but some of the Clone Wars cast might be returning for their new project. "We are exploring a whole newStar Wars series set in a time period previously untouched in Star Wars films or television programming," reads an announcement on StarWars.com. "We're continuing production on new Clone Wars story arcs that promise to be some of the most thrilling adventures ever seen." Star Wars Detours - a comedy series Lucas and Seth Green – is one of the projects that has been delayed due to Disney’s procurement of Lucasfilm. That one, though, is probably for the best. Star Wars hype has reached fever pitch recently, with Mark Hammil, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher all being (semi) confirmed to make a return as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Lea in the new film, which is set for a 2015 release.

Darth Vader, Stormtroopers and R2-D2 joined morning commuters today in anticipation for the launch of the Kinect Star Wars game on Tuesday 3rd April, exclusively on Xbox 360 London, EnglandStar Wars mania

Continue reading: Star Wars: Clone Wars Being To Be Replaced By New Intergalactic Animated Series?

Stars Wars Episode VII Cast – You Might Just Recognise Them


George Lucas Star Wars

Die-hard Star Wars fans will either me delighted or dismayed with the news that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford are set to reprise the roles that made them famous in the 70’s.

That’s right: Luke Skywalker, Princess Lea and the maverick Han Solo are to be realised again by the folks who first filled their boots. Star Wars creator, George Lucas let the wookie out of the bag intitally, then backtracked, but now it seems nailed on. He said: "We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison, or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation - maybe I'm not supposed to say that. I think they [Disney] want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them." Fisher did in fact confirm herself for the role. When she was asked what her character will be like, she said: "Elderly. She's in an intergalactic old folks' home. I just think she would be just like she was before, only slower and less inclined to be up for the big battle." Hamill too, said he had discussed the return to lightsabredom with Lucas. He added: "I'm assuming, because I haven't talked to the writers, that these movies would be about our offspring."

Darth Vader, Stormtroopers and R2-D2 joined morning commuters today in anticipation for the launch of the Kinect Star Wars game on Tuesday 3rd April, exclusively on Xbox 360 London

Continue reading: Stars Wars Episode VII Cast – You Might Just Recognise Them

Mark Hamill Returning? Star Wars Actor Confirms Talks For Episode 7


Mark Hamill George Lucas Jj Abrams

Mark Hamill returning to the Star Wars franchise for J.J Abrams hugely anticipated Episode 7? Could it be? Looks like sci-fi fans are getting a very early Christmas present this year, with news that Hamill - who played Luke Skywalker in the original movies - is in discussions to return for Disney's new film. "It's all very, very exciting and so unexpected," the actor told Entertainment Tonight, "I think that's the quality I like about it most - it's like getting a pair of pants out of the closet you haven't worn in three years and finding a $20 bill in the pocket. It's just so unexpected."

Hamill confirmed "they're talking to us," when asked directly about his involvement in the new film, though interestingly revealed that George Lucas is at the forefront of the casting process. "George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we'd be interested. He did say that if we didn't want to do it, they wouldn't cast another actor in our parts - they would write us out. . I can tell you right away that we haven't signed any contracts." It was thought Lucas would be taking a backseat role in the development of the new movies, though Hamill confirmed the legendary director and producer wants him to meet with writer Michael Arndt and LucasFilm executive Kathleen Kennedy. "Both have had meetings set that were postponed - on their end, not mine. They're more busy than I am," he added. 

Hamill, now 61, says he's intrigued about where the new trilogy could go - as are most Star Wars fans - though concedes he knows little about Episode 7. "I probably learn more from Entertainment Tonight than I do directly from Lucasfilm - like for instance, when George told us he wanted to do the next trilogy, he didn't tell us it was going to be done for Disney. He saved that little nugget, and I read it online like anybody else." News of Hamill's potential involvement comes just days after the Latino Review reported exclusively that Harrison Ford would be joining the movie, reprising his role as Han Solo. "I hope we don't overstay our welcome," joked Hamill.

Continue reading: Mark Hamill Returning? Star Wars Actor Confirms Talks For Episode 7

Harrison Ford Rumor – We’ve Got A Bad Feeling About This


Harrison Ford Star Wars George Lucas

Harrison Ford will dust off the blaster rifle to play Hans Solo again in the new Star Wars films, according to Fox News Latino. He might even feature in one of the planned spin offs.

Okay, so here’s the thing: Ford is 70-years-old. Think you know where we’re going with this? 70 years is too old, surely. We’d love to say he can still do it; still mix it up in the blockbusters, but our Jedi senses tell us otherwise. Does Chewbacca age? Will the cuddly alien have to dye its coat? There are just so many questions. Latino Review’s journalist said, "Back in November, Harrison Ford said he was open to returning as Han Solo. But it's official, Harrison Ford will reprise his role in the new Star Wars movie. He's officially coming back as Han Solo. His deal is done, it's just the formalities. I just know the deal's pretty big and significant."

We must admit, we find this news to be pretty surprising, especially considering Ford’s famous interview in which he stated that Han Solo wasn't a character he particularly liked. He even suggest Solo should have been killed off. “I thought he should have died in the last one to give it some bottom…George [Lucas] didn't think there was any future in dead Han toys,” explained Ford in the 2010 interview.

Harrison Ford To Return As Han Solo In Star Wars Episode VII - Report


Harrison Ford Jj Abrams George Lucas

Harrison Ford has reportedly agreed to return as Han Solo in J.J. Abrams forthcoming movie Star Wars Episode VII, for Disney. Latino Review broke the news when the site's El Mayimbe appeared on Fox News Latino to discuss how the website goes about landing its exclusives. He claimed to have taken an informal Twitter poll on which subjects the website's fans most wanted top secret information on. When Star Wars won out, El Mayimbe went on the hunt for casting news.

Announcing his findings, the journalist said "Back in November, Harrison Ford said he was open to returning as Han Solo. But it's official, Harrison Ford will reprise his role in the new Star Wars movie. He's officially coming back as Han Solo. His deal is done, it's just the formalities. I just know the deal's pretty big and significant." When pressed on reports that Harrison Ford wanted his character killed off in George Lucas' previous movies, Mayimbe said, "I suspect that he may get his wish finally in one of these Star Wars movies, maybe not." Back in November, Ford had indicated that he'd be up for reprising the role, with J.J. Abrams reportedly keen on bringing back the original characters, including Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia.

In many ways, the casting really doesn't make sense, though perhaps Disney are planning to reintroduce the old character with Harrison Ford in Star Wars Episode 7 before having a younger actor playing him in a movie spin-off focusing on his origins?

Continue reading: Harrison Ford To Return As Han Solo In Star Wars Episode VII - Report

Disney To Produce Two Star Wars Spin-offs After Episode VII


George Lucas

If you listen carefully, you might hear the sighs of thousands of annoyed Star Wars fans, carried by the wind, as Disney has announced this week that they are starting work on two spin-offs of the franchise.

The two films will reportedly focus on Han Solo and Boba Fett, respectively, MTV News reports. Fortunately, the fanboys and fangirls will have a choice of whether to count the new mythology that the films will undoubtedly introduce, as they will not be a part of the franchise, as Disney CEO Bob Iger explained in his announcement on Tuesday: "We are in development of a few standalone films that are not part of the 'Star Wars' saga," he said. "There are now creative entities working on developing scripts for what would be those standalone films." However, the two separate stories will only be released after the upcoming Episode VII, which the studio is gearing for a 2015 release. After the surprise announcement of Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, many have been holding their breath to see where the studio takes the beloved franchise.

According to CNN, the new films will be penned by Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. While Kasdan is a well known player in the franchise, having worked on The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Kinberg’s credentials are a bit more iffy. Mr & Mrs Smith, Sherlock Holmes – those were pretty great to look at, but in terms of script, they weren't really all that memorable. So it’s all up in the air for Star Wars at this point. The Galaxy hangs in the balance and maybe Disney will manage to introduce the beloved series to a whole new generation of fans.

JJ Abrams The Man To Take On The Star Wars Challenge


Jj Abrams George Lucas

Yesterday (Jan 25) it was announced that Jj Abrams would be the man to take over from George Lucas and step behind the camera for the upcoming reboot of the Star Wars franchise, and Lucas believes that Abrams is the man for the job.

"[Star Wars] couldn't be in better hands," Lucas said in an official statement yesterday, adding that Abrams is the "ideal choice" to shoulder the responsibility. Let's hope so!

Abrams had initially ruled himself out of the running, as had a number of other potential directors, including Guillermo del Toro, but is said to have finally caved into the idea after Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy, the new movie's producer, won him over with her pitch, The Hollywood Reporter claims. She said in her official statement, "It’s very exciting to have JJ aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie. JJ is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise."

Continue reading: JJ Abrams The Man To Take On The Star Wars Challenge

Our Top Three Star Wars Contradictions Now That J.J Abrams Is On Board


Jj Abrams George Lucas

 With the speculation over who will direct Star Wars Episode VII laid to rest, we thought it would be fun to reflect on the quotes leading up to it, which, if believed, make it very difficult to believe J. J Abrams is directing a new Star Wars film.

Coming in at third is George Lucas talking to Vanity Fair in 1999. The creator of the now infamous sci fi franchise all but ends speculation of more than 6 films here. "When you see it in six parts, you'll understand," he said. "It really ends at part six." He added, "I never had a story for the sequels, for the later ones."

Second is the current director of Star Wars, J.J Abrams, reaffirming his loyalty to the Star TREK brand, and seemingly turning down the job with Lucasfilm. "There were the very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to Star Trek, and also just being a fan, I wouldn't even want to be involved in the next version of those things. I declined any involvement very early on. I'd rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them." Guess the force was just too strong, eh J.J?

Continue reading: Our Top Three Star Wars Contradictions Now That J.J Abrams Is On Board

George Lucas

George Lucas Quick Links

News Pictures Video Film Music Comments Quotes RSS

George Lucas

Date of birth

14th May, 1944

Occupation

Filmmaker

Sex

Male

Height

1.70


George Lucas Movies

Star Wars: A New Hope Trailer

Star Wars: A New Hope Trailer

The galaxy is in turmoil. A Rebel Alliance is rising up against the villainous Galactic...

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Trailer

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Trailer

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. A trade dispute on the...

Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith Trailer

Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith Trailer

After five long years, the Clone Wars are still raging across the galaxy. Count Dooku...

Star Wars: The Digital Collection - Making The Millenium Falcon Clip Trailer

Star Wars: The Digital Collection - Making The Millenium Falcon Clip Trailer

During the creation of 'Star Wars' in 1977, the now iconic design for the Millennium...

Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones Trailer

Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones Trailer

Discontent is spreading across the galaxy. A separatist movement, led by the fallen Jedi Count...

Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi Trailer

Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi Trailer

The Rebel Alliance has fallen into an incredibly dark time. With the destruction of their...

Star Wars: The Digital Collection Trailer

Star Wars: The Digital Collection Trailer

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. The majestic order of honourable,...

Advertisement
Milius Movie Review

Milius Movie Review

A biography of iconic filmmaker John Milius, this engaging documentary features some of the biggest...

Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews