Ah, but does he still stand behind his fantasy brainchild 'Willow' as an original work. I think not, my friends. I think not. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAF1NDyyWgs&feature=plcp
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SAN FRANCISCO - Lucasfilm Ltd. today announced that Kathleen Kennedy will become Co-Chair of Lucasfilm. In an effort to move forward with his retirement plans, George Lucas will work with Kathleen Kennedy to transition into her new role. Lucas will become Co-Chairman of the Board of Lucasfilm and continue as CEO. Micheline Chau will remain as President and COO of Lucasfilm, and continue to focus on the day-to-day operations of the business.
That's an actual step being taken. Now, this doesn't mean that George will actually step down as CEO (let alone step down gracefully) in the near future, or even give away control of an iota of the Star Wars franchise to Ms. Kennedy, but it does appear like Big George is actually on his way to really retiring from LucasFilm.
I don't want to get into what George has or hasn't gotten right, but the point is the man gave us Star Wars -- the good as well as the bad -- and I'll always be grateful to him for that. He deserves to be happy, and if that's making crazy art flicks in his garage, well, more power to him. Meanwhile, Ms. Kennedy -- can I talk to you a moment about the potential sales benefits of releasing original, unaltered versions of certain movies in anamorphic widescreen Blu-ray? (Via /Film)
Tags: George Lucas, Star Wars
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109 comments
i wanted to write "his chin retired years ago" but decided not to because that would be mean. see, i'm becoming a better person.
i encourage everyone to Donate a Penny (or ur countries equivilent of 1 cent) if you dont buy this BULLSHIT about him retiring .
This is meaningless corporate shuffling. Lucasfilm is a private company and Lucas is still the CEO and probably the vast majority shareholder. The board at a company like this is toothless because Lucas--the presumable majority shareholder--can replace them all.
Bringing on a co-board chair is essentially estate planning. Lucas is not going to live forever, and there's got to be someone to run the company when he goes.
Does this mean that since Lucas wont be in charge of lucasfilms anymore that they can get people who know what they are doing and make good Star Wars movies? Perhaps a Kotor, New Republic,or Legacy trilogy?Although I doubt it but they could remake the prequels with actual writers now that Lucas isnt here to tell them they cant anymore!
never thought i would see the day when Lucas was going to retire from running his company for good or at least let others do the running. as for if Ms Kennedy will do anything with star wars. it will have to be pride out of Lucas dead hands . though if she wants to put the unedited original version of the trilogy and the infamous star wars holiday special on blue and dvd as her first official act i would not mind.
George Lucas is a man with vision, I'll give him that. He's just piss poor at translating that vision to reality sometimes. Ultimately Lucas' creations are flawed because the man himself is flawed. He still hasn't learned how to let others take the gem he's created and polish it to perfection. He's got to have his way with everything....which would be fine if he were a lot more talented than he actually is. But he's not. And it's this propensity to fiddle and not trust the talented people he's hired do their jobs that ends up spoiling the show.
For all his flaws he did give us Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Industrial Light and Magic.
Licensing and marketing of Star Wars? Brilliant.Industrial Light and Magic? Brilliant.Han Shot first? Jar Jar Binks? The dialogue and editing for the prequels? Not so much.
"He's just piss poor at translating that vision to reality sometimes."
I'm with you on this. I've seen a few interviews of him with both the Prequals and Indy 4, and when he's talking abou tthings, it makes sense - it's just a really poor execution of these.
Most of you people (NOT all) are a bunch of pretentious assholes. You all lined up in droves for the last three Star Wars films and have ceaselessly bitched about them ever since, as if you would have "made them better". The man's successes FAR outweigh any failures, and I wouldn't even count his failures as TRUE failures. Star Wars and Indiana Jones were HIS creations, and his goal was to tell FUN stories and entertain, which he did quite successfully. The bottom line is that none of you could have done any better. You sit back on your couches and negatively judge a creative human being when you haven't done a damned thing notable in your lives. Not even Babe Ruth hit a home run EVERY game.
The "Let's See You Do Better" argument only serves to make you look like an idiot. I don't have to do better than the original Star Wars trilogy to see that the prequels are crap, and I'll bitch about them all I want.By the way, I only saw Phantom Menace in theaters.
As if any of the douchebags on here have ever contributed anything to art or human existence other than being a whining little troll.
"raped my childhood".....what a pathetic notion.
I'm beginning to wonder if there is something more behind this. George Lucas just might be going through some health issues that he's not going to reveal to anyone outside of his sphere of people. I guess that's just the conspiracy theory guy in me rambling............Thank you for your ideas and visions Mr. Lucas. Like everyone in the world you had some misses, but your hits will be remembered and cherished for a lifetime. May you have fun and success with your further career after you rid yourself of the enormous blessing (and mild curse) of one of the most classic and iconic film franchises in history.
I'm always a little shocked and appalled by the insanely bitter reactions fanboys have to Lucas. I was born and raised on Star Wars and I still love it. Yes,the prequels were a disappointment. Yes,the Special Editions were too. Yes,I'm pissed that I cant buy decent copies of the OT on DVD....but for all of Lucas' idiotic decisions,I still dont hate the brand or the man enough to spew venom all over the internet and make wildly inappropriate accusations about having "my childhood raped"(god do I hate that term). I look forward to each new Star Wars endeavor,and if it turns out to be something I dont like(like THE CLONE WARS) I...just...ignore it. The original OT as we know and love it still exists....it will ALWAYS exist,no matter what Lucas does. The more Star Wars material there is,just means theres more to pick and choose from. The Force will be with us....always.
Actually, the OT that we know and love DOESN'T exist anymore, and Lucas has vowed that it never will again. Unless you have a copy of it on VHS or the special edition that had the "updated" and Original discs on it, you'll never see the original unaltered movies in a theater or new format (like Blu-ray) again.
From now on, Han never shot first, Jabba will be a CGI turd being bitch-slapped by Han in A New Hope, and the Yub Nub song will be gone forever if Lucas has anything to say about it (and he does)
I agree that the venom and hatred is a bit silly and excessive. And the whole "raped my childhood" rant is definitely ignorant of what true rape is really like. I've always thought of Lucas as a over-rated hack that pretty much stole or ripped-off anything cool he has ever had attributed to him and I didn't like him even before he began running amok changing the movies, but if he wants to ruin his creation and his image, that's his business.
I gotta ask:If he is retiring seriously, how does this affect Star Wars 2-6 3D? Are they canceled? Is KK doing them without his input? HOW!?
I'm curious to hear that as well. Word is,the Phantom Plotline in 3D didnt make nearly as much $$$ as they were expecting....hope we still get to see the OT in 3D one day.....
Decent 3D conversion, $100 mill (at the outside, could be less). Promotion and distribution, $30 mill.
It only has to recoup $130 worldwide in theaters and in home Blu sales to break even. Maybe less. The money is practically guaranteed unless people worldwide stop liking 3Dfx spectacles and/or StarWars.
He's had this horrific "neck flap" for years now. You'd think that with the millions he fleeced off rabid star wars fans that will shell out money for any piece of shit he'll put out, that he could afford to hire a plastic surgeon to make him look a bit less like Jabba the Hutt.
Good or bad, I like that he did Star Wars, without that, Star Trek the Motion Picture might not have been given the green light, our imaginations might not be as enriched as it they are now. Different lightsabers, some company called Pixar <whoever are="" they="">, I'm just grateful someone kept the door open in '77 or else it wouldn't be as widely open as it is now. </whoever>
Well done Rob. There are a lot of people, bloggers really, that would regurgitate the same tired Lucas hate that we're all so tired of. Thank you for saying what many are ACTUALLY feeling. Didn't like the prequels? So what. They're movies. Watch them or don't, makes no impact on how I love the original three. Maybe we can fuckin talk about something else now.
The subject isn't going away because Lucas isn't retiring. This office shuffle is absurd and meaningless.
Oh, guaranteed- if anything the over saturation many have come to loathe will get worse, probably get 46 more seasons of Clone Wars and all the subpar toys that go along with it (giant Super Star Destroyer toy- fucking please?! Come on Hasbro, I'm sick of sifting through shitty Jedi Starfighters and At-Te's or whatever the fuck.)
I just enjoy that Rob can see the silver lining and offer a sweet thank you for the contributions that we DO appreciate. Naturally, nerds will perpetuate the same talking points for decades to come, I just think its cliche and stereotypical to launch that same diatribe - don't get me wrong, I abhor all things non original trilogy, I just don't pay it any mind. And I'd LIKE to think that TR is better than that.
Thank you for doing the opposite of what he did and bringing up the argument anyway. If you don't want to talk about it, don't bring it up.
Riiiiiiiight, because I was the first person on these comments to bring it up. There totally aren't 50+ comments prior doing exactly that, right? It's like I pissed out the Kumbya campfire single handedly.
I was happy that ROB took the time to acknowledge the story without the stereotypical childhood-was-raped complaint as most nerd bloggers feel obligated to do, lest their nerd card be revoked. As if I really expect different (or am disturbed by) ANY comments section having that reaction.
But thank YOU for being snarky AND missing the point, you've contributed oh-so-much while multitasking.
You guys sure he isnt just in a drug related haze and did not mean to retire? I mean him retiring does not make any reality based sense.....either that or I cant believe it.
All he did was strip the authority out of the position he had, left all the responsibility, and created a new position from which he can continue to do the same things he's always done without having to attend meetings about it.
No such thing as an anamorphic blu-ray. (Unless you're putting a SD transfer onto a HD disc for some reason). Wouldn't normally point it out, but if we're going to be nerds about it, lets go full-on nerd.
might i suggest the next TR contest be "Things George Lucas is going to Fuck Up during his Retirement"?
Maybe whenever he actually retires which he hasn't actually done.He's still the CEO of Lucasfilm and Co-Chair... that's two jobs. Where as before this he was CEO and Chair... that's also two jobs.I sense a pattern here.
Love him or hate him, you have to admit that few people have changed the face of technology - nay, the world - like George has done with the empire that Star Wars built. He revolutionized Hollywood, invented the summer movie, advanced effects and sound design like no other - and , for good or for evil, changed the way that films are marketed, produced and promoted.
Only Roger Corman has made a bigger splash in Hollywood than George did.
It was the empire that Star Wars and an army of talented skilled people built. Lucas was there too, cashing the checks, not that he contributed anything constructive that anyone can point their finger to.But I guess it's easier to think in terms of "The Big Man" - it simultaneously simplifies recognizing accomplishments and excuses lack of ambition.
"But I guess it's easier to think in terms of "The Big Man" - it simultaneously simplifies recognizing accomplishments and excuses lack of ambition".
Big words coming from a envious slave, who can´t even grasp the concept of filmmaking.
not that he contributed anything constructive that anyone can point their finger to.
What, you mean aside from the script and being the director?
I'm not saying that without Ralph McQuarrie, John Williams, Ben Burtt and John Dykstra the movie would have happened. No, they were wital to the sucess of the movie too. But without Lucas pulling everything together and pushing as hard as he did, if he hadnt been as persistant as he was, the movie would have never happened. Team effort sure, but he was the star quarterback.
Star quarterback is a more reasonable accolade. I'm perfectly willing to give George credit where it's due, for starters he seems to be a dedicated family man who raised a bunch of children - it's a mundane but honorable feat. I have nothing against George just the idolatry thrust upon him for "creating Star Wars" which I hold directly responsible for all of the problems in the prequels. He came up with the idea of a "modernized" '50s sci-fi serial and he put a lot of work into it, and yet it seems George is the only one unhappy with the result - a man who admits he doesn't "get Star Wars"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... Maybe this should be a big red flag for those worshiping at the altar of George that their faith is misplaced and that what fans liked about the film owes little to George. You don't have to dig very deep and you start to see the amazing contributions of others, you can even see talent and skill at work in the prequels (which I liked) master level work that elevates everything around them. Beyond broad titles Georges direct "positive" contributions are much harder to pin point.
I wish he would go away for the sole purpose of never having to endure another whaaah george lucas raped my childhood vs george lucas is a genius who can do what he wants whaaaaaaaaaah comment thread argument. I think i'd rather hear/read people argue about what is more interesting, talking about the weather or watching paint dry.
*sigh*you people realize that his "replacement" is the woman who saw to it that his "vision" for Crystal Skull was implemented the way he wanted. Yup.Lucas didn't bother to argue anything with Spielberg - he just sent over a flunky (Kennedy) who told Spielberg what was what.All this means is that Lucas finally found someone with so little creativity and personality that he can tele-direct through them without having to get out of bed or off the couch. Lucas is still going to have his incompetent little hands in everything.
It's very much like what David Stern is doing with the NBA, in retiring after he has handed off the commissioner reins to someone that he's chosen and groomed to be... Just Like Him.
There have been speculative works written about what we are going through where the wealthy live longer, are able to be productive longer and so cling to their power and positions longer resulting in a stagnation of culture where every old idea is recycled and as a result culture and economics stagnate, wither and eventually fail.The term semi-retirement simply means that they're passing down the responsibility and retaining authority.Dark days.
Imagine being either David Stern's or George Lucas's head resident lackey. And I thought that being Rick "Kiss George's Butt 24/7" McCallum was a stooge.
Does this mean there is a chance for all the star wars movies to be re-re-re-relased without any of the changes that were made to them over the years ?
