George Lucas has revealed that when he retired from filmmaking, he wasn’t actually fully finished with Star Wars.
In fact, the creator of the galaxy far, far away says he still had three more Star Wars movies he wanted to make.
During a new interview with Norah O’Donnell for CBS Sunday Morning, Lucas discussed his decision to step away from filmmaking and focus on the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
Lucas Still Had Another Star Wars Trilogy Planned
Speaking about the enormous commitment required to create the museum, Lucas revealed that pursuing the project meant giving up plans for another Star Wars trilogy.
“I decided to retire from making movies, which was a big deal because I had three more ‘Star Wars’ to make.”
Lucas explained that he realised he was “running out of time” and had to choose where he wanted to focus his attention.
In the end, he chose the museum.
The existence of Lucas’ plans for Episodes VII, VIII and IX isn’t entirely new. Before selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, Lucas had developed treatments for his own sequel trilogy.
However, those plans were not used for Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy.
What Would George Lucas’ Sequels Have Looked Like?
Lucas previously discussed Disney’s decision during a 2015 interview with Charlie Rose, saying the company “decided they didn’t want to use those stories.”
Over the years, Lucas has also revealed some details about what his trilogy could have explored.
Speaking with James Cameron for James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction, Lucas said his sequels would have delved deeper into the microbiotic world of the Force, including the Whills and their relationship with midi-chlorians.
That’s right, George Lucas heard the overwhelming love for midi-chlorians and was going to give us even more of them.
Never change George.
Why George Lucas Didn’t Make The Sequels
Rather than simply running out of ideas for Star Wars, Lucas says he had to choose between spending years making another trilogy or dedicating that time to the museum.
He ultimately sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, ending his direct creative control over the franchise. His final film as a director remains 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. He did have some parts to play in future projects such as directing a scene in Solo.
Whether audiences would have embraced three potential movies exploring the Whills and the microscopic side of the Force is to never be answered, but considering Star Wars fans are still debating the sequels Disney actually made, it seems Star Wars will start fights no matter who is in charge.
