George Lucas Says He's Retiring

George Lucas may well be one of the most controversial figures in modern
moviemaking. His unwavering devotees declare that he is a
groundbreaking genius who not only created an incredible six-part space
saga, but also validated the science fiction genre. His detractors,
however, insist he's spent the latter half of his career undermining his
early glory and destroying his legacy. Both sides are sure to have
plenty to say about Lucas's latest ambition.

"I'm moving away from the company, I'm moving away from all my
businesses, I'm finishing all my obligations and I'm going to retire to
my garage with my saw and hammer and build hobby movies. I've always
wanted to make movies that were more experimental in nature, and not
have to worry about them showing in movie theatres."


While the filmmaker retirement cry is often an idle threat, Lucas has
been making movies for more than 40 years, and does have enough accrued
wealth to live out his days devoting his time to any odd little interest
he may have. Still, as much as I personally loathed many of his most
recent works--especially the soul-crushing disappointment that was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull--I'm
hoping this is not Lucas' farewell to film. Instead, I'd like to think
these "hobby movies" will be something that may never see movie
theaters, but will be released on the web.


Perhaps without the massive budgets, demands, and hype that are
inherently attached to a Lucasfilm production, Lucas the filmmaker will
rediscover his muse. Sometimes without a framework of expectation, true
and fresh creativity can truly thrive. Just think of Joss Whedon, who
weathered the Writers' Strike of 2007 by crafting the quirky and
wonderful pop opera Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog for the
internet. Without the constraints of TV/studio execs, Whedon was able to
tell a tale unfiltered, and the results were uniquely electric.


For all his faults, Lucas is an innovator who has long been intrigued by
cinema's next step. Maybe retreating from feature-length cinema is his
next step, one that could draw him into a freer creative space that
could remind those who lost faith why they celebrated him to begin with.