George Lucas has candidly addressed giving up creative control of the Star Wars franchise after selling it to Disney 13 years ago. Having crafted six industry-altering Star Wars movies between the late 1970s and the early 2000s, George Lucas sold the rights to the Star Wars brand for a whopping $4 billion in 2012.
Since then, the response to Disney’s interpretation of Star Wars, which includes animated series, a theatrical sequel trilogy, numerous Disney+ live-action shows, and a sweeping transmedia publishing initiative, has been decidedly mixed. While some productions, such as the Emmy-winning Andor, have been well-received, others, like Solo: A Star Wars Story, have been criticized for diluting the franchise’s cultural standing amid ballooning budgets.
Even so, Disney’s controversial handling of Star Wars has not changed Lucas’s reasons for selling or how he viewed his role within the franchise afterward. In a new feature for The Wall Street Journal, in which Lucas and his wife, noted business executive Mellody Hobson, discuss their ambitions for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the Star Wars mastermind was asked if he’d “let go of his instinct to manage [Star Wars].”
Lucas‘s response was simple: “Disney took it over and they gave it their vision. That’s what happens. Of course I’ve moved past it. I mean, I’ve got a life. I’m building a museum. A museum is harder than making movies.”
In 2024, at the Cannes Film Festival, Lucas explained his reason for selling Star Wars to Disney. Having recognized the impending impact of streaming on the theatrical industry, Lucas felt that it was time for him to retire and focus on other pursuits.
“Streaming is really powerful, and it’s great, it’s really upped the movie business because the theatrical movie business… we could see the problems, and it was not good. So everybody was looking to save it, but nobody knew streaming would,” Lucas told French outlet Brut at the time.
“And that’s when Netflix took off, and at that point, I said, ‘I don’t know what this is gonna be, there’s gonna be a giant transition in the business, I don’t know that much about it,’ and I sold the company, and I retired,” Lucas continued.
Given the controversy and online chatter surrounding Disney’s Star Wars output, it’s easy to forget that Lucas’s own prequel movies were highly criticized at the time of their release — and for years afterward. The vitriol endured by the cast, the crew, and Lucas, especially in the wake of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, was just as charged as what Star Wars is experiencing today.
It’s only recently that the public has begun to re-evaluate Lucas’s and everyone else’s work on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, helped in part by Disney’s exploration of that era of the Star Wars timeline. Now, though, George Lucas is focused on an even bigger goal.
The Lucas Museum, due to open in 2026, has a simple mission: to show “how narrative art influences societies—shaping beliefs, communicating values, inspiring imagination, and creating communities. We empower people to engage with artworks through the compelling stories they tell.” Given George Lucas’s role in Hollywood and Star Wars history, his desire to preserve and share visual art is wholly understandable, a natural continuation of the director’s iconic legacy.
Star Wars
- Created by
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George Lucas
- First Film
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Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
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Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
