Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
EntertainmentFilm

George Lucas, Producer of ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Red Tails,’ Calls It Quits

By | Published on June 3, 2012
CommentsComments (3) Add as a preferred source on Google i

Legendary movie producer and director George Lucas has announced his retirement via this month’s Empire Magazine. Responsible for blockbuster series such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones, and most recently the producer of Red Tails, Lucas will be calling it quits to focus on his own personal “hobby” films.

“I’ve always wanted to make movies that were more experimental in nature, and not have to worry about them showing in movie theaters,” Lucas said.

Lucas will also be stepping back from LucasFilm, the special effects and production company he founded, and named producer Kathleen Kennedy as his successor on Friday.

“I’m moving away from the company, I’m moving away from all my businesses, I’m finishing all my obligations and I’m going to retire to my garage with my saw and hammer and build hobby movies,” Lucas said.

During his promotion for Red Tails earlier this year, Lucas hinted at his departure from the movie industry. He has been the subject of scrutiny recently, as the newer iterations and re-releases in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises have been somewhat poorly received.

“Why would I make any more, when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?” Lucas said.

Since founding LucasFilm in 1971, Lucas has managed to raise his total net worth to approximately $3.2 billion.

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top