George Lucas was the creator of Star Wars. He created one of the most iconic stories and brands and then in 2012 he sold his company, Lucasfilm, to The Walt Disney Company. Many people for the last few years have wondered why he would do this. Why not just let someone else run the company and continue on as a silent owner? This question has finally been answered.
George Lucas was asked about selling Lucasfilm and Star Wars for a new book called The Star Wars Archives: Episodes I-III 1999-2005. The answer, to put it simply, he wanted to spend more time with his family.
“At that time, I was starting the next trilogy; I talked to the actors and I was starting to gear up. I was also about to have a daughter with my wife. It takes 10 years to make a trilogy — Episodes I to III took from 1995 to 2005,” Lucas says in the book. “In 2012 I was 69. So the question was am I going to keep doing this for the rest of my life? Do I want to go through this again? Finally, I decided I’d rather raise my daughter and enjoy life for a while. I could have not sold Lucasfilm and gotten somebody to run the productions, but that isn’t retiring.”
In the book, Lucas also talks about the prequels and some of his expectations for the sequels. This included what he had in mind for Darth Maul. However, Disney went in a different direction with the series.
The book, The Star Wars Archives: Episodes I-III 1999-2005, is already available for those who live in the UK. It will be available in the United States on December 13, 2020.
