George Lucas on the Pressure of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and How He Considered Selling the Franchise to Fox

It’s been forty years since the second (or fifth) film in the Star Wars universe came along and set the bar against which all future films in the galaxy far, far away would be measured. The Empire Strikes Back was a giant undertaking that took the lore to the next level, and expanded the universe exponentially. So it of course came with an immense amount of pressure on the filmmaker George Lucas, as he had a huge story in mind, and needed a budget to match.

In a recent interview with Empire, Lucas recalls his feelings heading into the venture:

"I was very nervous when I started the second film.

The director was borrowing $15 million from the banks to create this film, and if it hadn’t been a success, it would have bankrupted him and ended his career. The easier route would have been to sell the Star Wars franchise to a studio like Fox that could have bankrolled it on their own, but Lucas was too attached to the story and characters that he created. He said:

"At first I was contemplating selling the whole thing to Fox... I'd just take my percentage and go home and never think about Star Wars again. But the truth of it is, I got captivated by the thing... And I can't help but get upset or excited when something isn't the way it's supposed to be. I can see that world. I know the way the characters live and breathe."

This is a perfect response, but also kind of heartbreaking. If only Lucas had kept control all the way through the end… I wonder what the final three films would have looked like. He had a beautiful vision. But, I digress. What happened 40 years ago was The Empire Strikes Back exploded in the box office, and went on to make over $500 million worldwide, becoming arguably the most beloved Star Wars film in the franchise.

So we can look back and be grateful that Lucas bet on himself and the story he knew he had inside of him. Take a rewatch on this special anniversary, and let us know how you think Star Wars would have ended with Lucas at the helm.