For fans of “Star Wars” that have grown up with the films, especially the first six “episodes,” the new trilogy that began in 2015 with ‘The Force Awakens’ is bittersweet. New films are always a welcome thing, as fans are excited to see where the story goes. However, these new entries in the lore don’t have the George Lucas seal of approval, as the filmmaker sold Lucasfilm to Disney years prior. But according to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, though Lucas isn’t involved in the day-to-day aspect of the upcoming Saga-ending “The Rise of Skywalker,’ the creator of the galaxy far, far away definitely had input.
Speaking to EW, Kennedy explained that before they began work on the upcoming ninth Skywalker Saga film, the folks involved sat down with Lucas and took lots of notes about what he thinks should happen in the finale.
“We sat down with George for a long meeting before we ever put pen to paper on this final episode, so we had the benefit of his thoughts. We took a lot of notes.“
She added, “As Yoda would say, there’s great responsibility that goes with doing this, and I think we all take that seriously.”
In another interview, this time with Rolling Stone, Kennedy explained why she thinks Lucas hasn’t been more happy with the two most recent “Star Wars” episodes. In her estimation, she believes that the filmmaker is just so emotionally connected to the material, it’s hard for him to hand it off to other folks.
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“And I think there’s plenty of examples where people create something that is fundamental to who they are, where it’s difficult letting go and watching that become something different,” Kennedy said. “So I think initially, that was difficult for George — I don’t think he anticipated how hard that would be.”
She added, “He may not agree with every choice J.J. [Abrams] made. He may not agree with every choice Rian [Johnson] made. But he appreciates the filmmaking. That I know.”
Kennedy continued by explaining how she enjoyed seeing Lucas get excited when he visited the set of Disney+ series “The Mandalorian.” And she thinks that there’s maybe some underlying issues that influence Lucas’ thoughts on the new trilogy.
“So I see him get caught up in this again, and I think there’s a little bit of regret that he’s not on the stage and directing movies and in it still,” she said. “And that may filter into it as well. I can’t really speak on behalf of what George is feeling all the time. But I know that he’s very, very proud of what he created. And to see people go on and enjoy this now into almost 2020 is pretty remarkable.”
We’ll have to see how well fans react to ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ as 2017’s ‘The Last Jedi’ turned out to be the most divisive film to hit “Star Wars” fandom ever. Well, we’re only a few weeks away, as ‘Skywalker’ arrives in theaters on December 20.
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