{"id":854623,"date":"2026-09-20T19:08:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T19:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/854623\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T19:08:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T19:08:21","slug":"lucas-museum-opens-and-hollywood-showed-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/854623\/","title":{"rendered":"Lucas Museum Opens And Hollywood Showed Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe force is still with him. In Mellody Hobson\u2019s remarks at the Saturday night opening of the Lucas<\/a> Museum of Narrative Arts, the event\u2019s co-host shared her husband George Lucas<\/a>\u2018 anxiety whether A-listers would show up.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cGeorge kept saying, would this person come, do you think this person would come,\u201d Hobson recalled during the ceremony in the lobby of the Los Angeles museum. \u201cI said, they would all come, George.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShe was right \u2014 the opening night felt like the Sun Valley Conference, the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys and a political convention all rolled into one as CEOs, film and TV stars, marquee filmmakers and top California politicians all showed up for the occasion. <\/p>\n

\n\tIt was a momentous one \u2014 as Queen Latifah noted in her opening remarks, it is very rare that an art museum of this caliber opens in one\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMet opened in 1872, I would have to be 150 years old,\u201d she quipped, adding, \u201cParis has the Louvre, New York has the Met, and Los Angeles has the Lucas museum.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t(L-R) Ma Yansong, Lead Architect, LMNA, Lewis Hamilton, Tracey Bates, CEO, LMNA, Mellody Hobson, Founder, LMNA, George Lucas, Founder, LMNA, Steven Spielberg, Julie Bell, Queen Latifah, Pharrell Williams, Guillermo del Toro and JR<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael Kovac\/Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art<\/p>\n

\n\tShe spoke about Lucas growing his collection from a $35 Alley Oop drawing to 40,000 pieces, largely illustrations which many don\u2019t consider real art that belongs in a museum. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMy dear friends Mellody and George did, and they decided to build a museum for these artists that was so monumental that they would be impossible to ignore,\u201d Queen Latifah said. <\/p>\n

\n\tAdded Hobson, \u201cAnd if critics say that a museum of narrative art is too much like a popcorn movie and not enough like an art film, oh, we like popcorn movies in our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLucas, who is behind some of the biggest blockbusters in history, led by Star Wars, echoed the same sentiment. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI believe it wholeheartedly that you get to decide what art is,\u201d he said to a big applause. <\/p>\n

\n\tBoth Lucas and Hobson mentioned the skepticism, pushback and red tape they had to deal with for years until the filmmaker\u2019s vision was finally realized more than a decade after they had started the process. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe did not realize how hard it would be to give a city a museum,\u201d Hobson said to a laugh, adding, \u201cThird time is a charm.\u201d (She and Lucas attempted to set up the museum in San Francisco and Chicago first before settling on Los Angeles after encountering legal hurdles.)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t (L-R) Mellody Hobson and George Lucas <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael Kovac\/Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art<\/p>\n

\n\tLucas, Hobson and Queen Latifah were joined on stage by the event\u2019s co-chairs Guillermo del Toro, Greta Gerwig, Lewis Hamilton, Steven Spielberg, Pharrell Williams, JR and Julie Bell.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe guest list featured buzzy celebrity pairings, including Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian, who walked the red carpet separately but left together, as well as Katy Perry and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who browsed the galleries hand in hand. They were accompanied by the museum\u2019s architect Ma Yansong, who, in his remarks on stage, corrected a popular misconception that the building is made to resemble a spaceship. It actually is modeled after a cloud. (Also at the opening was Perry\u2019s ex-fianc\u00e9, Orlando Bloom.)<\/p>\n

\n\tThere were multi-generational pairs too, Meg Ryan came with her son Jack Quaid, Ron Howard with his daughter Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Tucker with his son Destin Christopher Tucker, Robert Rodriguez with his son Racer Rodriguez, and Camila Alves with her son Levi Alves McConaughey.<\/p>\n

\n\tCelebrity guests spotted taking in the exhibits also included Jon Batiste, who sat behind the piano to perform at the opening ceremony, Jack Black, Nicolas Cage, Francis Ford Coppola, Leonardo DiCaprio, Vin Diesel, Cynthia Erivo, Star Wars OGs Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill \u2014 who hung out in the large area dedicated to the franchise \u2014 Christopher Nolan, David Oyelowo, Keke Palmer, Tyler Perry, Ludwig G\u00f6ransson, Robert de Niro, Woody Harrelson, Al Pacino, Denis Villeneuve, Andy Garcia, Keegan-Michael Key, Alicia Keys, Spike Lee, Eva Longoria, Chuck Lorre, Jon M. Chu, Emma Watson, Kerry Washington, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Frank Marshall & Kathleen Kennedy, Janelle Mon\u00e1e, Takashi Murakami, Zac Posen, Lee Daniels, Law Roach, Helen Hunt, Tracee Ellis Ross, Doja Cat, Diane Warren, Magic Johnson, and Jeffrey Katzenberg.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t(L-R) Robert De Niro and Kim Kardashian<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael Kovac\/Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art<\/p>\n

\n\tCEOs in attendance included Disney\u2019s Josh D\u2019Amaro, YouTube\u2019s Neal Mohan, Netflix\u2019s Ted Sarandos and Snap\u2019s Evan Spiegel, with D\u2019Amaro\u2019s predecessor Bob Iger and former Paramount Pictures CEO Jim Gianopulos also on hand. The occasion saw rivals chatting friendly while taking in the sights, including Mohan, seen deep in a conversation with Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe political contingent was led by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who was getting shout-outs for the latest tax credit bill covering post-production that he officially signed earlier on Saturday, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t(L-R) George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, and Mellody Hobson<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael Kovac\/Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art<\/p>\n

\n\tGiven the caliber of attendees, it is no surprise that the event was held under tight security, with check points and timed entries. <\/p>\n

\n\tAt 9 PM, guests of the opening night were treated to a drone show featuring art pieces from the exhibit, from Star Wars\u2019 R2-D2 and Marvel\u2019s Captain America to Banksy and Frida Kahlo. It was introduced by Oprah Winfrey<\/a> and Samuel L. Jackson<\/a> who narrated the show.<\/p>\n

Star Wars, Marvel, Banksy and more in a drone show for the opening of the Lucas museum of narrative art narrated by Oprah Winfrey and Samuel L. Jackson pic.twitter.com\/99U54y6NRx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Deadline (@DEADLINE) September 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe opening night aftrparty included performances by Taboo, George Pajon, will.i.am, and J. Rey Soul of Black Eyed Peas.<\/p>\n