Legendary Star Wars screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan opens up about George Lucas’ storytelling approach. After writing the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Kasdan came to work on the Star Wars franchise by co-writing the screenplay for The Empire Strikes Back with the late Leigh Brackett, based on the story by developed Lucas. He would later return to work directly with Lucas on the screenplay for Return of the Jedi.
In 2012, Lucas sold his production company Lucasfilm - along with the rights to the Star Wars franchise - to Disney in a record-making deal worth over $4 billion. Seeking to capitalize on their acquisition, Disney shortly put the sequel trilogy into production, and Kasdan was tapped to assist with the script for The Force Awakens with J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt. Lucas himself was asked to consult on the project but instead chose to distance himself from the sequel trilogy as he felt he would be more of a hindrance no longer being in direct creative control.
Most recently, Kasdan directed the new Disney+ docuseries Light & Magic, and during a promotional interview with Inverse, he talks about what it was like to work with Lucas during the early years of Lucasfilm. Suggesting that his approach to storytelling was not impacted by budgetary concerns, Kasdan says Lucas’s approach to storytelling would be similar to that of another iconic director. Check out his full comments below:
When I started doing the big movies, I had George guiding the ship. His imperative was to do the best thing you can think of. Akira Kurosawa, who is my favorite director, used to say when he was writing, ‘What’s the best thing that can happen next?’ George is of that school.
As the Star Wars franchise continues to expand with a full slate of streaming television shows and plans for more films, both fans and filmmakers alike are often questioning how Lucas himself would approach the continuation of his most famous story. While audiences are set to revel in more original Star Wars content than had ever been produced under his direct tenure, some portions of the fandom are concerned with a potential “watering down” of his original vision for the franchise. As the inclusion of the Mods in The Book of Boba Fett proved, the fandom would be quick to mobilize against any inclusions to Star Wars lore they felt were inconsistent with Lucas’s original films. However, Kasdan's comments show that Lucas was always interested in pursuing the best possible story, and that sometimes leads to unexpected places.
Of course, Lucasfilm still has the benefit of working with several creatives and storytellers who have their own experience working directly alongside Lucas. In addition to franchise veterans like Kasdan, other voices such as Dave Filoni are well versed in Lucas’s creative process and storytelling mindset. While the future of Star Wars will continue to introduce the contributions of countless new filmmakers, it is probably more important than ever for Lucasfilm to honor the visionary approach of the franchise’s original creator.
Source: Inverse