After handing the Star Wars franchise over to Disney back in 2012, George Lucas has had almost nothing to do with Star Wars since. Lucas has visited some Star Wars sets—most notably The Mandalorian—but aside from this, he has no creative say over what happens in a galaxy far, far away. But despite initially receiving a lot of backlash for the prequel trilogy and the special editions of Star Wars, Lucas might finally be starting to be looked at in a more favorable light. And while nothing has been rumored or confirmed, having Lucas return to work on a new Star Wars project is no longer seems entirely out of the question.
Now that the hate for Lucas’ prequels has stopped being a central focus, it's easier to see Lucas’ original vision for Star Wars. Hiding behind Anakin and Padmé’s corny lines lies the tragedy of the downfall of the Republic—which leads beautifully into the triumph of the Rebellion in the original trilogy. One of the perks of Lucas’ saga was in some of the larger continuity he sewed between all six movies. As the writer and director for most of them, and with no overhead authority to keep him in check, Lucas had more creative freedom in designing the stories exactly the way he wanted them.
George Lucas' Star Wars Return Seems Like A Good Idea - But Isn't
In this age where nostalgic comebacks and cameos reign supreme, the thought of bringing the progenitor of Star Wars back for a new project sounds better than ever. And while it sounds like a great idea to bring George Lucas’ original Star Wars ideas back to the franchise, there are several reasons why it just wouldn't work. Disney has already distanced itself from Lucas’ vision for Star Wars in their choice to discard his drafts for the sequels. If Lucas did return to direct a Disney project that became a huge hit, it would likely undermine the work Disney has put into reinventing Star Wars.
While a successful Star Wars project by Lucas wouldn’t align with Disney’s vision, a failure by him wouldn’t help either. If Lucas were to come back to direct something only for it to crash and burn, the nostalgic value of the original movies would take a further hit. Fans have only just forgiven Lucas for his past mistakes in Star Wars, and for Disney to bring him back—only for him to fail—would only cause more controversy and strife within the community. Regardless of whether a George Lucas project succeeds or fails, neither option would bode well for Star Wars as a whole.
Why George Lucas Could Return To Star Wars
Despite the risks involved with bringing Lucas back for another Star Wars project, it's not something that can be completely ruled out. Lucas has not been involved with any projects on paper, but he still is heavily consulted by prominent Star Wars creators such as Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, and Kathleen Kennedy. For example, Lucas pushed Disney to use his Boba Fett casting for The Book of Boba Fett. So given Lucas' contribution and guidance on some of the current Star Wars series, it's not out of the question for Disney to ask him to return to direct something.
As far as blockbuster films go, Lucas has not directed anything since Revenge of the Sith back in 2005. And though it's not official, he has seemingly mostly retired from directing, instead focusing his efforts on philanthropy. So regardless of whether Disney asks him to return to Star Wars or not, it's unclear whether he would even be interested in jumping back in the saddle. His directing days may be over, and there is a reason why George Lucas didn’t direct Disney’s sequels in the first place.
Andor Proves Star Wars Doesn't Need A George Lucas Return
Perhaps the final reason why a George Lucas return doesn’t need to happen is that Star Wars has finally found its footing without him. After the semi-catastrophe of the sequel trilogy, Disney experimented with several different Star Wars series—most of which had moderate success. The anchor between most of them has always been a cameo from Lucas’s characters and locations; in other words, fan service. But Andor is different from the rest. With Andor, Disney has broken the mold and proven that Star Wars can stand on its own two feet without leaning on what Lucas built.
When Disney first took over Star Wars, they cast aside Lucas’s plans for the sequels. Even so, Disney and Lucas have remained on good terms. Lucas’s opinion on Disney’s movies has also been favorable for some of them—such as Rogue One and The Last Jedi. And it seems like he favors the ones that bring something fresh and new to the Star Wars galaxy—with Andor being a prime example. While Disney fondly remembers Lucas’s contributions, it has shown that Star Wars' galaxy far, far away can spin on without his help.