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Monday, May 6, 2002
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George Lucas
It's the epic saga that changed motion pictures forever. "Star Wars" is a classic duel between good and evil that captivated the world and launched the career of director George Lucas.
He says, “My job is to do the best job I can telling my story. I have to tell a story that I basically came up with a long time ago."
The son of northern California walnut ranchers, George's dreams were always among the stars, both outer space and Hollywood. As for influences, George says, “Probably Francis Coppola had the strongest influence on me. He was my mentor when I got out of college."
The "Godfather" director helped George produce his first sci-fi feature, 1970's "THX 1138." While it was a box office failure, George's next film proved he was a force to be reckoned with. "American Graffiti" earned Lucas a nomination for best director and launched Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, and Harrison Ford.
From "Star Wars" to "Return of the Jedi," Lucas's sci-fi saga cemented his place in cinema history. Combining his box-office billion with his merchandising millions, Lucas built his own empire. From the "Indiana Jones" series he produced with close friend Steven Spielberg to his companies, visual effects powerhouse Industrial Light and Magic, Skywalker Sound, and video game giant Lucas Arts.
But despite his other successes, Lucas was once again drawn to that galaxy far, far away. He says, “I just have to finish the story. I knew that when I started the series that I was going to be in big trouble. I was starting out with completely new actors. I was starting out with a 10-year-old kid as the lead, but there wasn't much that I could do about it because that is the story."
"Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" received mixed reviews, even from its creator, but it turned out to be the most successful “Star Wars” of all. Young star Natalie Portman says the force is Lucas. She says, “George Lucas is one of the greatest creators of our time."
Now, the Jedi are back with "Episode II - Attack of the Clones." But will the film win the box office battle against such heavyweights as the already record setting “Spider-Man” and the upcoming “Men In Black 2.” George says, “This isn't a beauty contest. I wouldn't be surprised if ‘Star Wars’ comes in 2nd or maybe even 3rd."
So do stars ever call up George looking for a spot in his “Star Wars” films? George says, “Sam [Jackson] mentioned that he would be interested in being in the films and so I immediately called and said, ‘Hey if you're interested, I’m interested.’"
And while "Episode II" hasn't even hit theaters yet, Lucas says he's already working on "Episode III" and expects it to be a very dark film. He says, “Well in III, Anakin becomes Darth Vader. That's about as dark as you can get."
No doubt that's one journey to the dark side audiences will be ready for.
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