Without George Lucas, Star Wars would never have been as big and iconic as it is today. The franchise is already synonymous with Lucas’ name, being the creator of the epic space opera media franchise that became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. However, in 2012, he sold his production company, Lucasfilm, to The Walt Disney Company and recruited Kathleen Kennedy as Lucasfilm’s new president. Soon after, Lucas officially retired. Fast forward to 2024, Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni discusses Lucas’ possible return to the franchise, though he seems to hint that it’s far from happening.
In an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Filoni understands that Lucas has much on his plate to return to Star Wars. However, if it happens, Lucasfilm’s door will always be open. He will never say no if that day finally comes, especially since he has the keys to the building.
“Would you say no? We rent the building I work in from George, so he has all the keys anyway,” Filoni quipped. “He can come right in; he has the pass.”
As the genius mind behind the franchise, the creator of Star Wars: Ahsoka knows that whatever Lucas comes up with will be different. Filoni has nothing but great admiration for his mentor, revealing Lucas is always the most surprising in everything he does and how he pushes things. He even cited Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker as examples, with the pet names they have for each other.
“Even when it's a simple thing now to people, like Ahsoka calling Anakin 'SkyGuy' or him calling her 'Snips,'” he said. “At first, I was like, 'I don't ... wow, I never saw that in Star Wars. How does that work?' And as it went on, years later, you start to see, 'Oh, this is like big brother, little sister talk.' And so now it pays off for us, all these years later.”
Filoni continuously praised Lucas for his keen insight into the characters and the galaxy he created, which made them real. So, if fans found the Star Wars starships looked worn, the screenwriter revealed they were intentionally worn because they were lived-in.
“He creates a lived-in world because the characters have experience, and they're very knowledgeable of their world,” he continued. “They've lived a life, and that's what he taught us when we worked in animation.”
George Lucas Too Busy to Return to Star Wars
Filoni knows Lucas is too busy to return to Star Wars. The philanthropist still has a museum to finish, which Filoni describes as a “phenomenal experience and project” that everyone needs to see. With Lucas’ great dedication to his work, Filoni can’t help but be amazed at how he gives his all in everything he does.
“Whether it's the jobs we all get to have when he's gone, telling stories in a galaxy he created, or whether it's building a museum so, so many kids can experience art, narrative art, and be inspired by that art and maybe someday tell stories themselves. He's just always giving and so I'm very cautious,” he revealed.
Despite his busy schedule, Lucas is known for dropping by the sets of different Star Wars movies and series. However, his number of suggestions in these projects’ narratives has not been revealed. Filoni claims he has had a lot of mentoring from Lucas himself. But the matter must be important before he seeks help.
“I'm really, very, very respectful of his time,” he continued. “It feels very mythical to go before him and talk. He's the most humble guy.”
Filoni admits that he feels more confident knowing Lucas is there, comparing himself to Anakin and Lucas to Obi-Wan Kenobi for always having his back. But when Lucas is not around, he feels like he’s “flying free down the trench” and figuring things out on his own. He doesn’t know if he will always hit the spot, but he always does his best.
“‘Am I gonna hit that exhaust port?' I don't always know. But we do our best ... we do it, we don't try, we do our best,” he explained.
Lucas may have stopped working on the new Star Wars projects, but he will always be the mind behind the franchise. So, if he ever returns, many will surely celebrate.
