Summary

• In 2012, George Lucas, sold Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney, handing them the keys to the Star Wars franchise.
• While George Lucas wasn't invloved in the Sequel Trilogy, he did share some opnions on the Star Wars projects Disney developed.
• In some instances, George Lucas' sentiments lined up with fans reactions, and in other cases, proved completely different from the fanbase's thoughts.

When George Lucas sold Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney in 2012, he walked away from any chance of telling more stories set in a galaxy far, far away. Although he had story treatments and ideas of his own, the Star Wars sequel trilogy was ultimately made without his involvement. Surely, then, Lucas had his own thoughts about the three films.

Beginning with the 2015 release of The Force Awakens and ending with 2019's Rise of Skywalker, the Star Wars sequel trilogy stirred strong opinions among fans. While some praised the nostalgia fuel and the return to more practical effects, others criticized the story and some of the new characters. But what did Lucas himself think about the sequels? Did the films faithfully continue his vision that began in 1977?

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on March 19, 2024: The Star Wars franchise is officially back to developing new cinematic entries, with a slew of new projects on the slate for the next few years. Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian & Grogu is headed for a 2026 release date, and Dave Filoni's Heir to the Empire isn't far behind it. Additionally, James Mangold is currently developing a story set thousands of years before the prequel trilogy, while Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is set to direct a story following Rey Skywalker after the events of Episode IX. With so many Star Wars projects in the works, one must wonder what franchise creator George Lucas really thinks about all the recent additions to his sci-fi world.

George Lucas' Thoughts About The Force Awakens Were Conflicted

The Force Awakens Trivia:

• According to The Numbers, The Force Awakens earned a worldwide gross of $2,064,615,817, becoming the highest-earning entry in the Star War franchise.

Although the initial reception for The Force Awakens was generally positive, George Lucas felt differently. "They wanted to do a retro movie," he told Charlie Rose in a 2015 PBS interview. "I don't like that. Every movie, I worked very hard to make them different... I made them completely different — different planets, different spaceships to make it new." While the film itself is generally praised as the least divisive installment of the Sequel Trilogy, Lucas reserved his harshest criticisms for The Force Awakens, revealing that he was disappointed by its lack of originality, sacrificing boldness for a safe and nostalgic ride down memory lane. Many fans shared his initial criticism, condemning the first installment of the Sequel Trilogy for essentially repeating the storyline of A New Hope.

This sentiment was elaborated upon by Disney CEO Bob Iger in his 2019 memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime, in which he addressed Lucas' disappointment with The Force Awakens. After watching an early cut of the movie, Lucas had expressed to Iger that "there's nothing new" and that "there weren't enough visual or technical leaps forward." Despite the creator's feedback, Iger and Disney proceeded with the film in much the same way as planned, ultimately disappointing Lucas with the final cut.

However, that's not all the filmmaker had to say about The Force Awakens. In fact, not all of his feedback about the film was negative. During a lifetime achievement ceremony in 2015 at the Kennedy Center Honors, Lucas delivered a different verdict. "The fans will love it," he said. "It's very much the kind of movie they've been looking for." It would appear that, in some way or other, Lucas recognized The Force Awakens would work for fans of his original films, even if it didn't quite work for him. To a certain extent, Lucas was correct, as the seventh film in the Skywalker Saga is undoubtedly the best-loved installment of the Sequel Trilogy.

George Lucas' Comments on The Last Jedi Were Limited

The Last Jedi Trivia:

• According to The Numbers, The Last Jedi had a worldwide gross of $1,331,635,141, becoming the second-highest-grossing Star Wars film in the franchise.

Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi was easily the most divisive installment of the sequel trilogy. However, George Lucas was more positive about the 2017 film, even if his comments were more limited. One of the filmmaker's representatives said Lucas thought The Last Jedi was "beautifully made"; he even went so far as to have a conversation with Johnson, the film's writer and director. It should be noted, however, that Lucas himself hasn't spoken publicly about the movie.

Lucas's apparently positive thoughts on The Last Jedi were not shared by many members of the Star Wars fanbase. The film heavily divided critics and audiences. The former heavily praised The Last Jedi and the latter claimed it had ruined the entire franchise. Rian Johnson's signature style rubbed many fans the wrong way as he actively subverted the tropes that audiences had come to expect from a Star Wars movie. Perhaps the biggest point of contention, however, was the handling of Luke Skywalker's character. Many viewers, including Mark Hamill himself, claimed that The Last Jedi woefully misrepresented the hero of the Original Trilogy.

George Lucas Hasn't Spoken Publicly About The Rise of Skywalker

The Rise of Skywalker Trivia:

• According to The Numbers, The Rise of Skywalker earned $1,072,767,991 at the worldwide box office, making it the lowest-grossing entry of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy.

George Lucas hasn't given any public statements — not even through his representatives — about the final entry in the sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker. Directed by JJ Abrams, the 2019 film is the worst-reviewed live-action entry in the Star Wars franchise since Lucas' The Phantom Menace.

However, one thing that stands out is The Rise of Skywalker contradicts Lucas' position on the status of Palpatine following the events of Return of the Jedi. According to actor Ian McDiarmid, Lucas believed the Emperor was "absolutely dead." In contrast, The Rise of Skywalker revealed Palpatine not only survived the destruction of Death Star II but also orchestrated the events of the sequel trilogy. Though Lucas hasn't publicly spoken about the film, the fanbase has been decidedly split on The Rise of Skywalker ever since its release in 2019.

How George Lucas' View of the Sequels Differs From the Disney+ Shows

Star Wars Trivia:

• The next Star Wars film will be The Mandalorian & Grogu, which has a release date of May 22, 2026.

George Lucas has admitted that selling Lucasfilm was a painful experience. As part of the $4.05 billion agreement, Disney wasn't obligated to use Lucas' story treatments for his proposed Star Wars sequels, and it ultimately didn't. He may not have had the highest praise for Disney's finished products, but it's easy to understand why. Spending almost 40 years developing the saga and then seeing it completed differently by someone else must have been difficult.

But not everything is as bad as it seems. Lucas reportedly was "very complimentary" about The Mandalorian, despite his initial concern about Grogu. He even visited the set of the Disney+ series. While Lucas no longer has a say in the franchise's direction, the father of Star Wars can now easily sit back and enjoy his creation as a viewer and, most importantly, as a fan.