‘I Was the Only One Who Knew What Star Wars Was’

George Lucas has been discussing the Star Wars franchise a lot recently, and during an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, he addressed how the space saga became a very different beast once in the control of Disney. As the mastermind behind the story of the Skywalker legacy, Lucas created the lore and mythology of the universe. Once he sold the rights to the Walt Disney Company, any ideas that he had for the future of the saga became moot, and the franchise took off in a different direction.

During an interview with the French publication Brut, Lucas stated that he was the only one who really knew what the Star Wars universe was, because it was something he created and understood. He said:

“I was the one who really knew what Star Wars was…who actually knew this world, because there’s a lot to it. The Force, for example, nobody understood the Force. When they started other ones after I sold the company, a lot of the ideas that were in [the original] sort of got lost. But that’s the way it is. You give it up, you give it up.”

George Lucas’ Lucasfilm Sale Passed the Star Wars Baton to Disney

George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney for a staggering $4.05 billion in 2012. At that time, the director had released his original trilogy and the prequel trilogy, with distribution being handled by 20th Century Fox. Seven years after the sale, Disney’s acquisition of Fox also handed them the distribution rights to the first six movies in the franchise.

The reasons for the director selling Lucasfilm have fluctuated over the years. When he sold the company, he was 68-years-old and was considering retirement. Reportedly, his thought process at the time was that he wanted to pass on his company to an entity that would treat it well. Lucas had a positive relationship with Disney in the past, so they felt like the best fit. Other reports suggested that Lucas fell out of love with Star Wars following the mixed reaction to the prequel movies, and that he was ready to give other creative minds the chance to take over the franchise.

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After the sale of Lucasfilm, Disney forged ahead with more movies, releasing the divisive sequel trilogy, Rogue One, and Solo. The brand has also thrived on television through the Disney+ streaming series The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and Ahsoka. More shows are coming this year with the release of The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew. After five years without a new theatrical release, Lucasfilm is now gearing up to hit cinemas again with a number of new projects that will also continue to expand the timeline of the franchise beyond the Skywalker saga.