George Lucas Is Ready to Roll the Credits

[Corky]

George Lucas Is Ready to Roll the Credits

This was a new feeling for George Lucas. He made a movie about a plucky band of freedom fighters who battle an evil empire — a movie loaded with special effects like no one had seen before. Then he showed it to executives from all the Hollywood studios. And every one of them said, “Nope.”


One studio’s executives didn’t even show up for the screening. “Isn’t this their job?” Lucas says, astonished. “Isn’t their job at least to see movies? It’s not like some Sundance kid coming in there and saying, ‘I’ve got this little movie — would you see it?’ If Steven (Spielberg) or I or Jim Cameron or Bob Zemeckis comes in there, and they say, ‘We don’t even want to bother to see it. . . .’ ” Lucas sighs. It’s true that the movie, “Red Tails,” is a biopic about the Tuskegee Airmen rather than a space opera starring the Skywalker clan. But the snub implied that Lucas’s pop-culture collateral — six “Star Wars” movies, four “Indiana Jones” movies, the effects shop Industrial Light and Magic and toy licenses that were selling (at least) four different light sabers this Christmas — was basically worthless. When “Red Tails” opens in theaters on Jan. 20, it will be because Lucas paid for everything, including the prints.
Lucas, who is 67 and still in possession of the full pompadour, told me his story of rejection on a cold December morning at Skywalker Ranch, in Marin County, Calif. He was sitting on a maroon sofa in the animation studios, wearing his standard billionaire-casual outfit — a flannel shirt with rolled-up sleeves, jeans and Nikes — while Padmé Amidala, the heroine of the “Star Wars” prequels, peeked down from two paintings arranged on either side of his head.
“I’m retiring,” Lucas said. “I’m moving away from the business, from the company, from all this kind of stuff.”
He was careful to leave himself an out clause for a fifth “Indiana Jones” film. But otherwise, “Red Tails” will be the last blockbuster Lucas makes. “Once this is finished, he’s done everything he’s ever wanted to do,” says Rick McCallum, who has been producing Lucas’s films for more than 20 years. “He will have completed his task as a man and a filmmaker.”...

(Cont'd at link)http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/magazine/george-lucas-red-tails.html?_r=2&hpw=&pagewanted=all

 

[Edward]

It does seem a bizarre choice for studios to make from a commercial perspective. There are many of us I'm sure who are immediately wary about George Lucas' involvement in anything. I certainly don't rate him as a director. I'm not a fan of 90% of Spielberg's work either, fwiw.... but they're both big box office, and for every one of us who believe Lucas destroyed Star Wars with his "Special" Editions, there are plenty more would go and watch a blank screen for three hours and pronounce it a vision from God if it had Lucas' name attached to it. Very, very odd.

 

[Undertow]

I'm not a blind fan of Lucas' work, or Spielberg's for that matter, but I typically give their films a chance. I agree with Edward that there are those who would praise George and Steven regardless of what they've created; perhaps reality is finally catching up with Lucas?

On the other hand, it is strange that Hollywood execs would turn this film down up front. Plenty of stinkers are plopped out of Hollywood, so I'm sure this film wasn't lacking in entertainment value. Makes you wonder, no?

 

[Edward]

It does indeed. And in an age when there are so many big name actors who are "other than white" the notion that it is the ethnicity of the cast (which is, of course, the whole point of the story) which makes it unsaleable is ridiculous.

 

[RichardH]

It does indeed. And in an age when there are so many big name actors who are "other than white" the notion that it is the ethnicity of the cast (which is, of course, the whole point of the story) which makes it unsaleable is ridiculous.

I think that's naive, especially since racial relations in USA are probably more tense than what the media portays it to be. Why would average Joe watch a movie with no actors of his own ethnicity? Movie studios have to SELL movies to exist, why would they cater to the minority? That would be suicidal.

 

[Edward]

I think that's naive, especially since racial relations in USA are probably more tense than what the media portays it to be. Why would average Joe watch a movie with no actors of his own ethnicity? Movie studios have to SELL movies to exist, why would they cater to the minority? That would be suicidal.

To be fair the US market may be very different, and yes they're there to make money, not art... but naive or not I just find it unfathomable that someone wouldn't be interested just because they wren't black too. Then again, we live in an age where some English audiences are demanding their money back on discovering The Artist is a silent feature, http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jan/18/the-artist-silent-film-refunds , while others complained bitterly when they discovered that Burton's Sweeney Todd was a musical.

I despair of humanity, I really do.

 

[Undertow]

I think that's naive, especially since racial relations in USA are probably more tense than what the media portays it to be. Why would average Joe watch a movie with no actors of his own ethnicity? Movie studios have to SELL movies to exist, why would they cater to the minority? That would be suicidal.

I don't think Edward's statement was inaccurate. Certainly, racial tensions in the US do exist, but to make an "all black cast" film should be no less advisable than, for instance, an all animated cast, or an all child cast, or an all "unknown" cast, etc.

Furthermore, most stories specifically cater to a minority audience - that is precisely what makes an interesting story. Coming from the creative end of storytelling, one quickly realizes that no matter what you write/film, you are catering to a niche; whether that is African American history, or criminal suspense, or action adventure. And more often, you are catering to a sub-niche; e.g. Drama - Young Adult - Vampires, or Documentary - Finance - Global Economy - US Recession.

If anything, one must find ways to overcome their genre and appeal to a broader base of people. This is why you see so much crap come out of Hollywood; i.e. there are a number of studios selling over-produced, lowest-common-denominator junk.

Now if the studio execs are claiming the film was boring, or badly written, or poorly filmed, fine, don't consider it. But if there is only a silent objection to a non-white cast, then I think the public should be aware of said bigotry and folks should vote with their dollars.

 

[Edward]

Oh, no I wasn't dismissing the idea that race is an issue in the modern US (believe me, I've seen what gets written about the Obamas on other US-based sites), but I simply don't believe that there are enough people wouldn't go and see a film because of the ethnicity of the cast to make it a non-viable project.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Of course, there already was a movie about the Tuskegee Airmen back in the 90s... and as I recall, it wasn't so warmly received. (Though when I finally saw it on TV, I liked it.)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114745/

Correction: it was an HBO made-for-cable film, so it didn't have a domestic theatrical release. No wonder I don't recall it doing boffo box office!

 

[Doctor Strange]

So far, the reviews are pretty underwhelming - while most agree that the digital dogfights are very exciting, more than one has said that the characters are one-dimensional and the film's dramatics are undercooked. And in particular, that the 1995 HBO movie does a much better job of portraying the prejudice that the Airmen had to overcome, an aspect of their story that's equally - if not more - significant than their airborne prowess.

http://www.metacritic.com/movie/red-tails/critic-reviews

 

[Gene]

Let's get back to the original post. George Lucas is FINISHED! Does this mean we can wait for him to die so we can re-make his prequel trilogy then take out all of the CGI he added in to the originals and destroy all copies of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?"

I sure hope so!

 

[Undertow]

So far, the reviews are pretty underwhelming - while most agree that the digital dogfights are very exciting, more than one has said that the characters are one-dimensional and the film's dramatics are undercooked. And in particular, that the 1995 HBO movie does a much better job of portraying the prejudice that the Airmen had to overcome, an aspect of their story that's equally - if not more - significant than their airborne prowess.

http://www.metacritic.com/movie/red-tails/critic-reviews

This is what I'm wondering; i.e. was the film just kinda blah, and Lucas is being sore for no good reason.

 

[Edward]

so we can re-make his prequel trilogy

Why would you want to? Some stories are better left untold.

then take out all of the CGI he added in to the originals

I'd be interested to see if that made them watchable again.... Star Wars was huge to me as a kid, but I lost all interest after the SEs and the first prequel. Still never even seen the third of the prequels and have zero motivation so to do. I could have seen it for free at a cracking local cinema five minutes walk from my home back on first release, and I couldn't be bothered.

and destroy all copies of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?"

That I liked. The aging hero coping with his own mortality is a great story, and by bringing Mutt in when he was an adult, he could be interesting (hate the type of kids that show up in Hollywood). As clever a pastiche of the Fifties sci-fis as the original three were Thirties adventure serials. I could have lived without seeing the alien with skin on or the flying saucer, but I didn't find either necessitated any more suspension of disbelief than key sequences in the original three. As I film I consider it to hold up better than Temple, though I retain a lot of affection for the latter as that was my first Jones film.

This is what I'm wondering; i.e. was the film just kinda blah, and Lucas is being sore for no good reason.

Distinct possibility...... Lucas always strikes me as someone who could have made great video games, but has no idea how to direct people.

So far, the reviews are pretty underwhelming - while most agree that the digital dogfights are very exciting, more than one has said that the characters are one-dimensional and the film's dramatics are undercooked. And in particular, that the 1995 HBO movie does a much better job of portraying the prejudice that the Airmen had to overcome, an aspect of their story that's equally - if not more - significant than their airborne prowess.

http://www.metacritic.com/movie/red-tails/critic-reviews

Interesting they should play down the prejudicial angle - a marketing thing? Could a proportion of the US audience take it as criticism of the military flying in the face of the popular "support our troops" meme?

 

[Doctor Strange]

I think it's more his misbegotten idea that he's making an old-school, rabble-rousing 1940s-style war movie (but with new technology), and so he's playing up the action angle more than the drama. He says he wants to get teenage boys excited, but he's using his own personal experience back in the fifties to determine what gets teenage boys excited... not what today's kids are actually into.

It just seems another instance of George not having a worthwhile idea since the seventies...

 

[Atomic Age]

Let's get back to the original post. George Lucas is FINISHED! Does this mean we can wait for him to die so we can re-make his prequel trilogy then take out all of the CGI he added in to the originals and destroy all copies of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?"

I sure hope so!

Unlikely because his oldest daughter will likely take over the business, and she is a staunch support of his work.

And I actually liked Crystal Skull a lot.

Considering the boxoffice that his movies still make, I think there are far more people who like what he is doing with his films that don't.

Doug

 

[Edward]

I think it's more his misbegotten idea that he's making an old-school, rabble-rousing 1940s-style war movie (but with new technology), and so he's playing up the action angle more than the drama. He says he wants to get teenage boys excited, but he's using his own personal experience back in the fifties to determine what gets teenage boys excited... not what today's kids are actually into.

It just seems another instance of George not having a worthwhile idea since the seventies...

Supposedly he plans to go back to his college days of making "art" pictures. The main commonality between that and most of his blockbusters is both lack credible narrative.

THX1138 was fun, though. I saw that for the first time a year or two ago. At first I hated the ending, but it grew on me more and more.

Unlikely because his oldest daughter will likely take over the business, and she is a staunch support of his work.

And I actually liked Crystal Skull a lot.

Considering the boxoffice that his movies still make, I think there are far more people who like what he is doing with his films that don't.

Doug

He's a brand, and a big one at that. For everyone of us who can see the naked emperor, there are ten fanbois who would go and see anything with his name on it. Same exact thing as the Apple fanbois who will show up at midnight to buy any old rubbish onto which apple can slap their logo. Yay capitalism!

 

[Feraud]

I think that's naive, especially since racial relations in USA are probably more tense than what the media portays it to be.

What "racial tensions" are you referring to that are not portrayed in the media? Are we Americans not being told something?

I agree the film will not do well in the U.S. due to the prejudices of the moviegoing public. Race is an issue but so is subject matter. WWII films are a hard sell to audiences that flock to see another Mission Impossible or Twilight film.
To categorize these factors as racial tension is incorrect.

 

[Feraud]

Supposedly he plans to go back to his college days of making "art" pictures. The main commonality between that and most of his blockbusters is both lack credible narrative.

Psaw! Lucas has been making the art picture claim for years.
Once a filmmaker hits a certain level of success there is no going back to their "glory days".

 

[Edward]

What "racial tensions" are you referring to that are not portrayed in the media? Are we Americans not being told something?

I agree the film will not do well in the U.S. due to the prejudices of the moviegoing public. Race is an issue but so is subject matter. WWII films are a hard sell to audiences that flock to see another Mission Impossible or Twilight film.
To categorize these factors as racial tension is incorrect.

Interesting, I didn't realise a WW2 picture would be a hard sell like that in the US - maybe that's my prejudice showing, but elsewhere online I'd encountered plenty enough folks from that side of the pond whose knowledge of WW2 is gleaned entirely from Sixties war films (you know the time - "you would be speaking GERMAN if it wasn't for US!") to have thought there certainly was a market for it!

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

Movie subjects aside, we used to go see both movies at the theater (two screens) most weekends, but we didn't buy the popcorn and the movies were only $2.00. Now it's $7.00 for a matinee, and $10 or $12 (3D) at night, and now it's not worth the price. I go to see 3-4 movies a year now instead of 5-6 movies a month. Sherlock Holmes 2 was good, but I could have waited until it come out on Cable.

In order to make money, you have to make what the teenagers want to see, and that's Twilight, and ?

Just my $0.02 and worth every penny.

P.S. Dammit George SHOULD make the first trilogy before he dies, nag, nag, whine, whine.

Later