George Lucas says he loves Rogue One. So is his relationship with Disney’s Star Wars less awkward now?
Reaction of filmmaker who launched Star Wars is very different to his view a year ago of The Force Awakens, seventh instalment of the the space-opera franchise, which he saw as a ‘divorce’
Ahead of each major release, Disney is especially deft at getting the promotional stars to align. And in the case of this week’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the studio has even managed to have George Lucas on board.
What a difference a year and a very respectful spin-off make.
In December 2015, Lucas told The Washington Post that he had to let his creative baby go. Lucas, of course, had sired the entire Star Wars franchise. But ahead of the release of The Force Awakens (which Lucas had not yet seen then), it was reported that according to Lucas, “Disney ‘decided they didn’t like’ the stories he’d outlined for the sequels. It became clear to him that his baby was going its own way, and at light speed.”
Lucas called it a “divorce”, while acknowledging that director J.J. Abrams had his own vision. “You’re either the dictator or you’re not,” said Lucas, adding: “Now I’m faced with this awkward reality, which is fine.”
Fast-forward to Rogue One, the first Star Wars spin-off film ever. Upon the impending release of the Gareth Edwards-directed film – the franchise’s eighth major live-action release – any awkwardness involving Lucas appears to be in the distant rear view.