George Lucas has advice for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams — and anyone else attempting to tackle his space fantasy franchise: “There’s more to it than just spaceships.”
Whether or not he ever followed his own advice has sparked debate for decades, but the 71-year-old filmmaker has put to rest any question as to why he isn’t directing the next installment of his beloved Star Wars franchise in an interview with Vanity Fair posted on Wednesday.
“You go to make a movie and all you do is get criticized, and people try to make decisions about what you’re going to do before you do it. You know, it’s not much fun,” Lucas said.
The THX founder went on to grouse, “You can’t experiment. You can’t do anything. You have to do it a certain way. I don’t like that — I never did. I started out in experimental films, I want to go back to experimental films, but of course nobody wants to see experimental films.”
When asked if that last statement foreshadowed what we can expect next from the famed director, Lucas said, “I will be directing movies, but not movies, generally, that will be shown anywhere.”
Elsewhere in the video, Lucas is given the opportunity to ask Abrams via recorded message what eventually becomes of Darth Vader’s grandchildren.
“Oh, George, this is great,” Abrams says. “Uh, you tell me, man. You made all this shit up.”
Perhaps taking another opportunity to jam a thumb in the eyes of his aforementioned critics, Lucas chose the franchise’s most divisive character when asked which is his favorite.
“I like all the characters. Jar Jar Binks,” he says.