George Lucas Was Going to Direct STAR WARS: EPISODE VII Before Disney Bought Lucasfilm
In a new interview with USA Today, Star Wars creator George Lucas revealed that before he sold Lucasfilm to Disney, he was looking to direct Star Wars: Episode VII for a May 2015 release. His original plan was to direct the film, then afterwards put Lucasfilm up for sale and walk away. This makes a lot of sense as Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher previously talked about having meetings with Lucas regarding them coming back for Episode VII before Disney jumped into the picture.
Lucas ultimately decided that that plan wasn't going to be the right move for him. It would be hard for him to walk away after making the film, and then that would be another 10-year commitment. He just felt spending more time with his family was more important, so he ended up just selling Lucasfilm before he started anything new. He explains:
"It’s better for me to get out at the beginning of a new thing and I can just remove myself. The time is more important to me than the money."
I'm glad that he let the franchise go. I love that he created Star Wars, and I love what he did with the original trilogy. But I don't think I would have been as excited as I am for The Force Awakens because of what Lucas did with the prequel trilogy. Lucas doesn't seem to have any regrets about leaving it behind him either. He just seems excited to get to watch the new Star Wars movies just like the rest of us!
"The only thing I really regret about Star Wars is the fact I never got to see it — I never got to be blown out of my seat when the ship came over the screen. The next one, I'll be able to enjoy it like anybody else."
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set to be released on December 18th, 2015. I'll be curious to know what Lucas thinks of the movie after he watches it.