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Star Wars Prequels Media Movies Television

George Lucas Struggles to Reinvent Himself 370

Posted by Zonk from the struggling-artist-I'm-sure dept.
GuyMannDude writes "Wired has a lengthy article about what lies ahead for George Lucas. Originally a member of a maverick group of young filmmakers who were at odds with the thinking and methods of the major studios, he has now become the most financially successful director in history by marketing the ultimate popcorn fodder. With the Star Wars saga ending, Lucas now struggles with how to reinvent himself." I imagine it will be hard to get away from Star Wars, given that he's producing television shows set in the fictional universe.
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George Lucas Struggles to Reinvent Himself More

George Lucas Struggles to Reinvent Himself

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  • Clones, Myths and Prizes (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Baldrson ( 78598 ) * on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @02:58PM (#12350650) Homepage Journal
    Lucas now struggles with how to reinvent himself

    and He estimates that he gave two decades of solid work to Star Wars, not including a hiatus to raise three adopted kids as a single father.

    Obviously the time has come for payback from his fans.

    How many young Star Wars couples would be willing to raise their very own George Lucas Love Clone?

    Come on, George. Donate some nuclei. Leave the midichlorian, er, mitochondrian DNA to the egg donor.

    Face it -- its the right thing to do.

    Bit serially, this guy has done a lot for digital cinema and his accumulated capital seems most appropriately put to use cultivating young talent. The academic cinema schools where he and his contemporaries got their start just aren't what they used to be but he could certainly help advance the state of the art in home "home schooled" digital movie production.

    This would get kids in the hinterlands producing movies from their own myths, starting from the same age Spielberg was when he first got a hold of a movie camera.

    Probably the best way to do it would be to get together with someone like John Carmack and define a series of prize awards for technologies that are critical to bringing the cost of movie production down.

    • Re: Clones, Myths and Prizes

      Shouldn't that read, "Clothes, Misses, and Pizzas?" as his wealth increases?

    • Re:Clones, Myths and Prizes (Score:5, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:04PM (#12350723)
      his accumulated capital seems most appropriately put to use cultivating young talent

      Michael Jackson already tried that, and look where it got him.
    • Originally a member of a maverick group of young filmmakers who were at odds with the thinking and methods of the major studios, he has now become the most financially successful director in history by marketing the ultimate popcorn fodder.

      isn't this just the way it goes?

      the counter-culture becomes the over-the-counter culture.

      Maybe we could get those hinterland kids to produce Jar-Jar cups for taco bell, or Obiwan Bobble heads for your car..

    • Re:Clones, Myths and Prizes (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ediron2 ( 246908 ) * on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:27PM (#12350966) Journal
      I disagree.

      Probably the best way to do it would be to get together with someone like John Carmack and define a series of prize awards for technologies that are critical to bringing the cost of movie production down.


      You mean, like a DV camcorder and a PC?! Or custom flash animations? Or Machinima? Or an Intel 'Play' ($100 or less at toy stores everywhere)?

      Seriously, someone emailed me a 1-minute, 20-frame animated gif that made me laugh myself silly (google 'lord-of-the-rings really-really'). Napoleon Dynamite (a so-so flick) cost $60,000. 401-the-movie (or whatever that homebrew flick was called) was done by two guys in a garage. Whether you go gonzo and buy old gear (early video toasters are STUPID cheap on ebay, for the capability they have) or buy new consumer/hobbyist gear (toys or personal gear), you can create stuff easily nowadays. And once done, between burnable discs, torrents and viral marketing and websites, good material can be distributed more easily than ever, too.

      The difference between a damn-funny personal movie and commercial cinema isn't in the creativity (the writing, editing, acting, etc). It's all the details. I judged a regional film fest last year, and the judges instinctively 'cut slack' to beginner projects. If the content is good, everyone tolerates cut corners. But, once there's money to be made, you have to go back and reshoot, paying attention to the details.

      Until the goal is truly going commercial, people can do amazing stuff just using COTS gadgetry and a PC. The capability is there sixteen different ways to sundown. Hell, people can do cool stuff in freakin' Powerpoint, as David Byrne demonstrated last year.

      I'm sure there are technical hardware improvements possible. But they're not the barrier. Competitions or websites giving these airtime/attention, busted copyright laws (it should be legal/cheap (via compulsory licensing?) to co-opt content like LOTR RRSE does) and desire and experience are about the only impediments.

      • The Details (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Baldrson ( 78598 ) *
        It's all the details.

        Well then this seems to be a good starting point.

        I don't expect you to answer this here but the question becomes, "What are the common characteristics of these 'details' that suck up the most time and energy?"

        Computers are good at being indefatigable -- so where can they help with detail work? It seems they could help a lot if you could better characterize it.

        • Re:The Details (Score:5, Informative)

          by ediron2 ( 246908 ) * on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @04:43PM (#12351670) Journal
          The details? I am SO not an expert, but from what I've gleaned from friends that are:

          The *details* are the zillion budget items for a movie: sets, lighting, sound, special effects, costumes, makeup, etc etc etc. They're manpower-intensive, use specialized gear, and perfection in these crafts only comes with experience. Otherwise, the audience will notice.

          Every one of the 200 names that go zinging past at a movie's end represents a category of details important enough that the show hired a specialist. Small, indy films cut corners on these, but that just means people try to do several jobs at once, and at some point the audience will start to notice.

          So, if you wanna do things right, you hire some help. Once you grow beyond a team of a few people, start planning a la Brooks' mythical man-month, where each sixth person needs a manager. That gets fun, because the boss role is split between some guy too distracted to care about half of the details (the director) and people hired to handle these details as transparently as possible. Add in accountants and schedulers and people to round up the crafts needed or get bids for the work being done, etc. Even on a good day, it really starts to look like a wierdass engineering project by the time you're done. Once costs stretch the budget (and they will, whether you're doing Titanic or a documentary) throw in someone obsessed with budget (producer). If you're sadistic, imagine the worst-case of the conflict between director and producer.

          Then, do everything on insane interdependent timelines: sets can take weeks to assemble, and hours to touch up before filming. Makeup often starts at 4am, there's a continual flow of 'plan shot, make adjustments to fit plan, shoot, repeat', so that actors are sometimes only onstage for a few hours total spaced over as much as a 16-hour day, and in addition to the crafts, security, catering, medics, etc. are all needed to help all these people throughout that long day. Add external factors (weather, lost gear, changes in story, disappearing cast members).

          The end result is fairly inefficient, with dozens of people waiting for their next task, but billing for the whole day. Spending rates soar, but each person you remove causes tiny gaps and mistakes or slows things down immensely. A director pausing to review a shot also means everyone else is pausing to wait for him. But not pausing could mean rebuilding the set, flying actors back in, etc. when a shot is deemed unworkable...

          I don't see gadgets *solving* a lot of this. And as they do, new complications are introduced. For example, DV allows better immediate-review capability than film. That saves $$$loads$$$ on film, but increases the chance for delays. Sound gear gets better, but audience expectations increase. Special effects are a never-ending race with audience expectations, too.

      • Re:Clones, Myths and Prizes (Score:5, Funny)

        by pizzaman100 ( 588500 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @04:15PM (#12351402) Journal
        Seriously, someone emailed me a 1-minute, 20-frame animated gif that made me laugh myself silly (google 'lord-of-the-rings really-really').

        For the lazy...lord-of-the-rings really-really" [badnewsonline.com]

    • If you have a show-business career that lasts long enough, the media will eventually describe you as "struggling to reinvent" yourself. The term conjures up an image of an aging hot-babe or obese Elvis whose vehicle to fame has run out of gas, and they're sort of pathetically trying to get attention. I don't think this describes Lucas at all. At this point he is free to do whatever he wants for the rest of his life. If you read the article it sounds like he intends to take advantage of that, returning to th


      • ...returning to the types of films he wanted to make when he started out.

        I fully agree with your summation here. I am doubtful, however, that he'll succeed in this effort. This is the dream of any aged artist. Oh, if Metallica could record another album of the caliber of "Kill 'em All"!! Or if Slayer could create another "Reign in Blood." Or the Beastie Boys could revisit "Paul's Boutique" again.

        They can't. Maturity and success has fogged their third eye. It's only a very rare breed of successful arti

  • New outlet (Score:5, Funny)

    by nizo ( 81281 ) * on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @02:59PM (#12350656) Homepage Journal
    Now that his first group of fans has grown up, there is a whole new area of filmmaking that he hasn't explored yet: Star Wars porn. I mean who wouldn't pay good money to see a wookie getting it on with a bunch of ewoks?

    • Re:New outlet (Score:2, Funny)

      by Winckle ( 870180 )
      Jesus, you must have karma to burn!

    • Re:New outlet (Score:5, Funny)

      by Ford Prefect ( 8777 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:02PM (#12350705) Homepage
      From epoch-making films to, erm, ewok-mating films?

      Eww.
    • Some of us would pay good money not to see something like that.

      Still, there are possibilities [netfunny.com]...

      • Re:New outlet (Score:3, Funny)

        by nizo ( 81281 ) *
        See? This idea is solid gold from a marketing perspective. I bet you can't get the whole wookie/ewok thing out of your head for the rest of the day!

    • Re:New outlet (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Seumas ( 6865 )
      Since when has the star wars saga come to an end? He's working on two new series for television, based on Star Wars. The third film isn't even out yet - and there's still the possibility of episodes seven, eigh and nine. Not to mention the various release versions that will come out over the next decade to make money off of the morons who buy everything with the words "star wars" on them.

      If Lucas is stuck in a rut, it's his own doing. He's put out so much crap based on his original three pieces of crap alm
      • I can't remember the last thing Lucas made that I enjoyed.

        Visited here [scummvm.org] lately?

      • During his interview with 60 Minutes a couple weeks or so ago, he flat out said that he would not be making 7,8, & 9. Not only that, he doesn't see anyone carrying that torch either.

        You may claim you can take it or leave it, but you really do project a sort of disappointed wistfulness about the subject. Maybe you just expected too much?

        As far as his vanishing goes - all in good time. To my knowledge, we all die sometime. Till then, we may as well have some options. New talent will emerge with the
        • During his interview with 60 Minutes a couple weeks or so ago, he flat out said that he would not be making 7,8, & 9.

          I, for one, will believe that statement well after he's:

          released the E1-E3 DVD Box Set

          released the E1-E3 Collector DVD Box Set

          released the E1-E6 Super Collector DVD Box Set

          released the Remastered E1-E6 Super Collector DVD Box Set

          released the E1-E6 Ultimate-Jedi DVD Box Set with Extra Wookie

          dead and buried

          Even then, I would hesitate to purchase a box set on account of him screwin

      • George: Tell Smaller Stories (Score:5, Insightful)

        by jfengel ( 409917 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:38PM (#12351068) Homepage Journal
        Well, he's been doing mostly Star Wars for the last decade or so. But before that he helped write Indiana Jones, and a lot of people thought that was pretty good. He also did the story for Willow, which a lot of people liked.

        And as another poster mentioned American Graffiti was quite good, with the very, very young Harrison Ford. Maybe what he needs to do is rewatch American Graffiti, which is a very different movie from everything else he's done. That's a whole non-scifi/fantasy career track he abanandoned 30+ years ago he could revisit. Perhaps he should stop trying to tell big stories and tell little ones instead.
    • And what about that Princess Lay-Ya?

      And I don't want to talk about Empress Amigdala. (You do kno where your amigdala is located, dontcha?)

      Too bad Han's solo...

    • Re:New outlet (Score:3, Funny)

      by lheal ( 86013 )
      • wookie ... with a bunch of ewoks?

      That's just wrong. You need to get some therapy quick, cuz ... damn!

      But I know there were some deleted scenes between Jabba and the Princess.

      You know what they say, "Once you go Hut, you never", uh, never mind.

      My appointment is at 4.

      • ...deleted scenes between Jabba and the Princess.

        Wasn't Jabba played by Sally Strothers?
        That would make it a lesbian sex fest!
        But I doubt few here would complain.

        • Re:New outlet (Score:3, Funny)

          by hawk ( 1151 )
          >Wasn't Jabba played by Sally Strothers?

          Really? I thought it was either Elizabeth Taylor or Oprah Winfrey. I suppose I could figure it out if I'd look up the different sizes of Jabba and googled a bit . . .

          :)

          hawk

    • Re:New outlet (Score:5, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:16PM (#12350857)
      If the Ewoks were underaged, then we'd REALLY see the Chewbacca Defense in court...
    • wow, slashdot has moved to a new level of nerdom when slave leia is left out and replaced with wookies and ewoks.
    • I don't know... Watching Episode I was probably about as bad as being raped by a Wookie. My wallet certainly got screwed.

  • Not for the first time, either (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ford Prefect ( 8777 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @02:59PM (#12350657) Homepage
    Must ... Reinvent ... Self ... [imdb.com] ;-)
  • He should start his own space-flight company.

  • re-invent (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @02:59PM (#12350663)
    He could always reinvent his movies.

    • Re:re-invent (Score:2, Insightful)

      by skaeight ( 653904 )
      How long until Episodes 1-3 are re-released in theaters digitally remastered with new scenes and completely recut so that his original vision comes through?

    • From TFA: (Score:3, Informative)

      by GuyMannDude ( 574364 )

      He could always reinvent his movies.

      And Lucas isn't quite done fiddling with Star Wars. Two more TV spinoffs are in the works - one a live-action series, the other in the vein of Cartoon Network's Clone Wars - plus he's overseeing yet another rerelease of all six films, this time digitally remastered in 3-D.

      Looks like you'll get your wish! Greedo firing first in 3D! Maybe the new version will have Solo dodging the shot in Matrix-esque bullet time!

      GMD

    • Definition of reinvent
      1. To make over completely
      2. To bring back into existence or use
      3. To completely screw over

  • Shooting... first or second? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Junior J. Junior III ( 192702 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @02:59PM (#12350670) Homepage
    Will the new George Lucas shoot first still? Or will he dodge and return fire?

  • What!? (Score:2, Funny)

    by darth_MALL ( 657218 )
    "given that he's producing television shows set in the fictional universe."

    GL is working for Fox News?!

  • More Sequels (Score:5, Funny)

    by Flwyd ( 607088 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:00PM (#12350677) Homepage
    Personally, I'm waiting for a sequel, video games, and action figues for American Graffiti.
    • ... why hasn't Lucas cashed in on the current cultural hardon for fantasy with a cleaned up re-release of WILLOW [imdb.com]?

      Seriously. Take the pre-composite footage of the confrontation with Bavmorda (sp?), replace with current effects technology, re-release. Instant club hit.

      That, or Lucas can do what he did with Star Wars (the best of which he didn't direct) - write and direct a shitty prequel that totally taints the setting?

      Oh, wait. He screwed that one over with a sequel [amazon.com]. In book form, anyway.

    • Re:More Sequels (Score:4, Informative)

      by luguvalium2 ( 466022 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:14PM (#12350831) Homepage
      There was already a sequal: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079576/
    • I'm still waiting for Howard the Duck 2!
    • As several others have pointed out, there's already been a sequel. The solution is obvious: it's prequel time!

      Coming next summer: Clean, American Walls!

      Soon afterwards, we'll see a "re-release" of the original movie. Of course, Ron Howard will drive a flying car in this one because that's really what Lucas wanted all along. And Harrison Ford's bit character will be replaced by a computer-generated, talking duck. And Wolfman will be-- get this-- an actual Wolf-Man! This is going to be great!

  • Its the sad truth (Score:5, Insightful)

    by the_mutha ( 177709 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:01PM (#12350687)
    Lucas should have stuck to what he was good at: having a fertile imagination, having the knack of transferring the detailed worlds he created to the big screen and being a very successfull business man in terms of negotiating with the big studios merchandising rights and so on.

    Unfortunately he made the huge mistake of trying to be director again, instead of just a producer. IMHO, the best Star Wars movies where episodes V and VI, both of which he didn't direct.

    Maybe he could come up with something totally new and awe inspiring with SOME story this time. Gone are the days where eye candy was enough to make a great hit.

    • Re:Its the sad truth (Score:4, Insightful)

      by solios ( 53048 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:15PM (#12350847) Homepage
      Gone are the days where eye candy was enough to make a great hit.


      Bull. Look at how much the "cleaned up" rereleases of IV-VI grossed. Look at what Ep2 grossed and how many people were all OMFG YODA LIGHT SABER FIGHT!!!!!!!!! The mere idea was fanservice. Pure eye candy. Straight up conceptual bullshit.

      Oh, and that fanservice piece of CRAP grossed $649,476,740 worldwide.

      Yeah, that doesn't beat Titanic but I'll be damned if the movie had anything I'd consider "redeeming" from a non eye-candy perspective. And Lucas is still rolling in dough.

    • Re:Its the sad truth (Score:3, Insightful)

      by cens0r ( 655208 )
      IMHO, the best Star Wars movies where episodes V and VI, both of which he didn't direct.

      Are you freaking serious? ROTJ was easily the worst movie of the original trilogy. In fact I'd say it battles it out with TPM for the worst movie in the series. The best thing I can usually say about it is that it resolves the series nicely, and episode III makes it much better.

  • What about re-releases? (Score:5, Funny)

    by syntap ( 242090 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:01PM (#12350690)
    Certainly in five or ten years we'll get new, blu-ray hi-def versions of I thru III, with Lucas saying in interviews "I added the new scenes to get the movie I really wanted, which I didn't get back then."

  • Name something good by Lucas (Score:5, Insightful)

    by njfuzzy ( 734116 ) <ian&ian-x,com> on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:02PM (#12350702) Homepage
    I hate to be so blunt, but he is struggling to invent himself because he has not released a single good movie outside of the Star Wars series. Ever.

    He isn't a great filmmaker. He isn't even a passable mass-market filmmaker. He's a guy who made a cult hit that happened to be a global hit.

    And then he made a series with Spielberg.

  • Bring back Indy!! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Spy der Mann ( 805235 ) <`moc.liamg' `ta' `todhsals.nnamredyps'> on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:06PM (#12350736) Homepage Journal
    For starters, he could make the fourth Indiana Jones movie that the fans have been waiting for years. And he doesn't have much time left, given Harrison Ford's age...

  • Innovation (Score:5, Informative)

    by Kwirl ( 877607 ) <kwirlkarphys@gmail.com> on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:09PM (#12350778)
    George Lucas is backing the development of a 350 million dollar studio that will combine the functionality of movie special effects with the equipment for video game animation and design features. By combining these two very closely related fields into one mega-location, G.L. is going to ultimately have an impact on entertainment that goes well beyond the scope of "Star Wars" - but even with that titanian accomplishment, there is little chance he will be remembered as such. Ultimately, the innovation that gave him his status is the same innovation that will be tagged to his name inside every electronic wikipedia of the future, and he can't do anything to change that. While many of us rightfully bashed Lucas' work on the first and second (fourth and fifth) Star Wars movies, myself included, he deserves the credit he has earned as a producer and financeer of special effects. Jar Jar sucks, but G.L. will always be a hero in my book for the contributions he has made to computer animation and special effects over the course of his career.
  • I would just DIE to see a prequel of America Grafiti. Imagine a series about young Ron Howard and company.
  • when you live at SKYWALKER RANCH.
    Anyway, I think Lucas does have a lot of strengths, it's just that coming up with an emotionally compelling story isn't one of them. What if he teamed up with existing sci fi writers and brought their stories to the screen? He would be a great producer, and then he could help find up-and-coming directors and authors.

  • great movies that no one wants to see (Score:5, Funny)

    by ericmarshall ( 844287 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:13PM (#12350816)
    From TFA:

    "I've earned the right to fail, which means making what I think are really great movies that no one wants to see."

    This is in contrast to his previous strategy of making really bad movies that everyone wants to see.

  • Maverik Filmmaker? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by fm6 ( 162816 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:18PM (#12350877) Homepage Journal
    No, Lucas was a film-school hack who's never made a really imaginative movie. His one claim to serious filmmaking was American Grafitti, which has some technical highpoints, but made no real attempt to tell a story. Then Joseph Campbell taught him how mine the mythological tradition -- which in practice came down to finding cool movies and ripping off their better scenes. The result was Star Wars, which I've always seen as the cinematic equivalent of a theme park ride. Which a lot of people seem to like -- but it's not an achievement that qualifies you as a "Maverik Filmmaker".
    • He's a "maverick" in the sense that aside from the original Star Wars, he made very successful and expensive movies outside of the studio system. Empire and on are essentially independent films.

    • Re:Maverik Filmmaker? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by fm6 ( 162816 )
      OK, I'm a little taken aback to be modded up so quickly. I expected to be flamed and punished for attacking a geek icon. I guess George Lucas lost a lot of fans with Part 1 and Part 2.

  • reinvent a good idea (Score:3, Insightful)

    by digitaldc ( 879047 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:19PM (#12350886)
    Star Wars was/is a great idea, but the Empire Strikes Back was the best movie of the series in my opinion. It was directed by Irvin Kershner, screenplay written with Lawrence Kasdan and produced by Gary Kurtz, Lucas had a lot of creative help in making that film which turned out to be wonderful.
    To reinvent oneself, you have to create yourself in the first place. Star Wars was a culmination of his story ideas with actors and movie techniques that have never been seen before. This is the key to its success.
    Unfortunately, time and time again when directors/actors/musicians get older and have kids, their creativity is geared toward kid-friendly productions that their own kids can watch or sing along with them. This G-rated kid-friendly mindset sometimes kills creativity. He needs to get back to his 1970s mindset where he had to create something that has never been seen/done/heard of before - and not worry about what his audience thinks. (easier said than done) The upcoming 3D Star Wars is a start, but it is still cashing in on an old idea. Anyway, good luck George!

  • That's easy! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anita Coney ( 648748 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:19PM (#12350887) Homepage
    Howard the Duck II, Revenge of the Fowl
  • A nice, Star Wars themed funeral, possibly attended by thousands of fans dressed up as Darth Vaders, Obi Wan Kenobis and the like. Afterwards, a Star Wars themed grave or mausoleum to which aforementioned fans would organize pilgrimages.

  • Digitally Remaster Himself (Score:4, Funny)

    by th1ckasabr1ck ( 752151 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:20PM (#12350906)
    He just needs to digitally remaster himself, that's the key to the future right there
  • Quote from the article:

    "I've earned the right to fail, which means making what I think are really great movies that no one wants to see."

    He actually decided to start doing this a few years ago...

  • Here we go, another "Lucas" bitchfest... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by DroopyStonx ( 683090 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:30PM (#12350997)
    blah blah blah, Lucas ruined my childhood, blah blah blah Episode 1 sucked, blah blah blah more money for his Yachts blah blah blah.

    Meanwhile, your hypocritical asses are the FIRST ONES IN LINE to shell out $$ to see the new movies... and you do it multiple times.

  • Maybe... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Transcendent ( 204992 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:34PM (#12351020)
    ...he'll do what he did with all his other characters. Replace himself with a CG model.

    "This is how I always intended to look, but I didn't have the technology back then to make myself 7ft tall and partially translucent."
  • I was checking out the imdb.com post of George Lucas. And all you see are Star Wars and related ( Video games etc ... ). The Star Wars universe is cool and all that but that doesn't make it sustainable. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg got together and created Indiana Jones. Then there is also Howard the Duck, we will not go there. I think George Lucas should try to make an experimental movie not about technology, future or space. Just a movie about nothing with no storyline. That is what makes a good dire

  • Lucas already said what he'll do... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by GPLDAN ( 732269 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:35PM (#12351039)
    In several interviews, although strangely not really mentioned by the Wired reporter, he says he has several ideas for small independant films. Not in the Woody Allen sense indy, but REALLY indy, like a guy with a camera and a couple actors go out and do stuff on budgets of under $1M.

    These would unlikely be sci-fci (his words not mine) and likely be dramas and, again in his own words, have exactly zero mass appeal. So, really niche films that are very unpopular or have radical thoughts or ideas wrapped into the narrative.

    I don't know why he's chosen to do this. Unlike Speilberg and Schindler's List, he has no political or epic historical story to tell. I would say Schnidler's List is not exactly a mass market movie either.

    If small indy film is where he wants to go back to, I think he should do it. He should become a professor at USC's film school. That is really what I think would give him the most happiness. Imagine the wait list for that course.
    • That could be the thing for him to do.

      The comparison to Vader in TFA seems to be an appropriate one. In the movies, Vader can't find redemption until his son comes along. In real life, it may be the heirs to his legacy who can redeem him from high-budget schlock.

      No better way to court heirs to his legacy than by teaching.
  • For one breif, breif second, I read the title as "George Lucas Struggles to Releave Himself".

    My impetus to read the article decreased after I realized my error.

  • Easy way to reinvent himself (Score:4, Funny)

    by nganju ( 821034 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:44PM (#12351123)

    He could fall into some lava and then come back as a mask-wearing, rich and powerful overlord who used to be noble but now only does things for his own personal gain.

    Well, at least the MASK would be new.

  • Imaginative Work (Score:3, Informative)

    by Lucky Kevin ( 305138 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @03:49PM (#12351173) Homepage
    He needs to do more things like the incredible Star Wars: Revelations [lysator.liu.se]

  • Aren't there 9 Star Wars episodes (Score:3, Interesting)

    by wheelbarrow ( 811145 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @04:40PM (#12351650)
    I thought the saga had 9 chapters. We saw 4,5,6,1,2 and soon we'll see 3. What about 7, 8, and 9?

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