Lucas On ‘Star Wars’: ‘White Slavers’ Comment ‘Inappropriate’
Star Wars creator George Lucas, who founded the legendary Lucasfilm Ltd. and Skywalker Sound in addition to establishing a franchise that has lasted nearly four decades, said in a recent interview that he had sold his rights to the franchise and his company to the “white slavers.” It would seem that perhaps the legendary George Lucas should consider what thoughts on Star Wars he is expressing before he jumps into a sit-down interview.
Forbes said that Lucas’ thoughts on Star Wars, which were expressed during his recent interview with Charlie Rose on his eponymous talk show, may be a case of the director feeling bitter about having sold the franchise that he built to Disney, or that he was generally unhappy with the overall product that was Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Certainly, Lucas’ views on Star Wars do not echo what was perceived as his previous apparent relief at having sold it to Disney in 2012.
Lucas has since said that part of his views on Star Wars were “inappropriate” and that he “misspoke.” Lucas’ legacy was celebrated during the Kennedy Center Honors earlier in December. He admitted, according to the Washington Post, that the decision to sell Lucasfilm Ltd. and its properties, which included Star Wars and the IndianaJones series of films, became sort of a “divorce.”
“You’re either the dictator or you’re not. And to do that would never work, so I said ‘I’m going to get divorced,'” Lucas said. “I knew that I couldn’t be involved. All I’d do is make them miserable. I’d make myself miserable. It would probably ruin a vision — J.J. has a vision, and it’s his vision.”
It would seem that Lucas is not a fan of director J.J. Abrams’ vision, as Lucas has voiced his proprietary concerns over the line of Star Wars films, even going so far as to express his distaste for the “retro” feel of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Between that and Lucas’ views on Star Wars, the director is currently experiencing a backlash of sorts that he may not have anticipated.
“I think the fans are going to love it. It’s very much the kind of movie they’ve been looking for,” he said, and pundits have since stated that Lucas’ current thoughts on Star Wars was something of a backhanded compliment.
In stating that he had sold his “children” to “white slavers,” Lucas also said that he felt that filmmakers in Russia had more freedom when it came to making films. He believed that Hollywood studios supported profit over storytelling and were effectively requiring directors to stick to commercialism instead of their desires to effectively share stories with an audience.
Lucas’ views on Star Wars went further than just comments about his apparent belief that he sold the franchise to “white slavers.” He also criticized the producers and writers of Star Wars: The Force Awakens for their decision to emphasize the more familiar facets of the original trilogy, films which he said “had issues.”
“They looked at the stories and said, ‘We want to make something for the fans,'” he said. “All I wanted to do was tell a story of what happened. It started here, and it went there.”
He said in a statement to several trade publications, including Deadline, that he had made a mistake in using the analogy that he had in his Charlie Rose interview.
“I misspoke and used a very inappropriate analogy and for that I apologize,” Lucas said about his views on Star Wars. “I rarely go out with statements to clarify my feelings but I feel it is important to make it clear that I am thrilled that Disney has the franchise and is moving it in such exciting directions in film, television and the parks. Most of all I’m blown away with the record breaking blockbuster success of the new movie and am very proud of JJ and Kathy.”
Lucas’ views on Star Wars can be heard in the Charlie Rose interview.
[Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images Entertainment]
