Why Lucas Slammed Disney as ‘White Slavers’
The liberal mind behind the space saga cashed a $4 billion check but still isn't satisfied
George Lucas should be a very happy man after coaxing Team Disney to buy up his beloved “Star Wars” property.
Not quite, apparently.
The filmmaker’s anger flared this week when he referred to Disney as “white slavers.” Lucas stopped before he could say more.
He already said plenty.
“Star Wars” sits atop the pop culture mountain this month thanks to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” The film is shattering all the records analysts expected it to shatter. Even as the inevitable backlash begins, most fans don’t care. Nor will the film’s plot holes prevent them from seeing it again. And again.
They adore the film, its myriad shout outs and the fact that the franchise is back in full, ahem, force.
Only Lucas had nothing creatively to do with that. And, apparently, he seethes over that.
It didn’t have to be this way. Lucas could have announced a seventh film in the “Star Wars” saga back in 2012 instead of selling the franchise to Disney for $4 billion. He might have written Han, Luke and Leia into the story once more, picking up 30 years after the events in “Return of the Jedi.”
We’re Not ‘White Slavers,’ George
Fans, still angry over the failed promise of the prequels, would have cheered the nostalgic touch. They would have lined up, just as they did prior to the current film’s Dec. 18 release, to see if Lucas could rekindle the magic. They wanted to believe he still had that in him. And they’d memory hole all the slights he gave them over the years.
Lucas had all the money needed to finance the seventh film himself. His fortune from keeping the franchise’s marketing rights is legendary.
RELATED: A Peek into the Mind of George Lucas
Only he wouldn’t need to open his wallet once. Any studio would kill to put that movie in its lineup. He just had to ask. He didn’t. Why?
Here’s betting he knew deep down he couldn’t do his own saga justice.
Lucas’s anger at the franchise’s fans is palpable even if they’ve given him all the fame and riches anyone could crave. He still believes on some level they’re right about the prequels. Deep down, he knows he lacks the creativity to deliver a seventh “Star Wars” film to change his new, imperfect legacy.
Those prequels were all Lucas. He commandeered the stories’ vision, directed and wrote all three episodes and turned a future Oscar-winner like Natalie Portman into a wooden puppet.
Compare that to the original trilogy which relied more heavily on great talents like screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and director Irvin Kershner, all nourished by Lucas’ vision.
Could he hand over the reigns to his fellow filmmakers for an Episode VII? Probably not. His addiction to detail wouldn’t let him, most likely.
So now Lucas is making the interview rounds, trying to act nice but routinely letting his anger appear. Blasting the company that wrote him a $4 billion check as “White slavers” is the height of silliness.
When you’re a filmmaker who sold a beloved franchise because you no longer can do it justice it starts to make sense.
A question for Lucas: As I recall, George, it was YOU who sold Lucasfilm to Disney. If they’re “white slavers” then WHAT DOES THAT MAKE *YOU*?!?