It’s been almost 15 years since George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney and, with it, all things Star Wars. In the years since, the Star Wars franchise has grown massively with the release of the sequel trilogy and various television series including The Mandalorian and Andor. But while Star Wars has grown, fans had a mixed response to the expansion of the Star Wars universe at times, with some even hoping that Lucas might come back to right what they deem to be wrongs with Disney’s version of the beloved galaxy far far away. Now, however, Lucas is putting in his final word on the matter, and fans aren’t going to like what he has to say.
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal (via IGN), Lucas says he’s moved on from Star Wars. Instead, he’s now focusing on his latest project, The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art which is set to open next year in Los Angeles — a museum that is decidedly not about Star Wars.
“Disney took it over and they gave it their vision. That’s what happens,” Lucas said of Star Wars. “Of course I’ve moved past it. I mean, I’ve got a life. I’m building a museum. A museum is harder than making movies.”
Star Wars Will Be Part of George Lucas’ New Museum, But Only a Small Part
Image Courtesy of LucasFilm
Lucas’ comments about moving on from Star Wars shouldn’t be too much of a surprise for fans of the franchise. Lucas has previously spoken about how some of the ideas from the original Star Wars films, including details about The Force, got lost in the mix when Disney took over and started making their sequel trilogy of films. At the time, Lucas even said that that was simply the way that it was when you give up control of something. This time, however, his comments feel more definitive, particularly when one considers his new museum project. The museum is something he’s been working on since 2018 and spent nearly $1 billion dollars on and while it will feature a little bit of Star Wars, the real focus is on the collection he’s put together over 60 years.
“It’s one gallery out of 33. And I did it grudgingly,” Lucas said about the exhibit that will feature designs of Star Wars vehicles. “I didn’t want people to come to the museum and say, ‘Where’s the Star Wars?’”
Letting Go of Star Wars Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Abandoning the Franchise
Image courtesy of Lucasfilm
While Lucas is clear that his days of having or even wanting to have a guiding hand on the Star Wars universe are over and that his focus is elsewhere now that doesn’t mean he’s fully washed his hands of the franchise. Lucas has been known to pay visits to the sets of Star Wars movies and television series. Back in 2024, Dave Filoni spoke about occasionally asking his advice.
And Lucas’ influence will always remain, even with a hands-off approach. New writers and creators coming into Star Wars still look to Lucas’ work to influence their own., something Star Wars: New Jedi Order writer George Nolfi previously shed light on.
“The way I approach it is, you look at what’s come before you, you look at the broad ideas of what they want to do,” he said. “Meaning: Lucasfilm, Disney, Sharmeen [Obaid-Chinoy], the director, and then you do what a writer does, and try to try and put beats of a story together. Try and imagine characters, and then you present that with an understanding that it needs to honor, obviously, a long, incredible tradition.”
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