“The 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival Kicked Off a Screening of the 1980 Hit Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Featuring a Rare Pre-Movie Discussion with Director George George. The Star Wars Sequel, Currently Celebring ITS 45-YEAR Anniversary, Was The Festival’s Opening Night Programming at Hollywood’s Tcl of Chinese Theater. TCM’s Prmetime Host Ben Mankiewicz”, – WRITE: www.hollywoodReporter.com
The Star Wars Sequel, Currently Celebring ITS 45-YEAR Anniversary, Was The Festival’s Opening Night Programming at Hollywood’s Tcl Chinese Theater. TCM’s Prmetime Host Ben Mankiewicz Led Lucas in A Just Over 30-Minute Conversation, Touching Upon A Wide Variety of Topics.
Fellow Director Francis Ford Coppola, Who’s Set to Receive The AFI Life Achievment Award on Saturday, Was A Big Topic of Conversation Througout Lucas’ Remarks. Lucas Is Presentation Coppola with his afi Honor Alongside Steven Spielberg, As Lucas and Coppola Hve A Long History of Friendsip and Collaboration. Lucas Shared the Pair’s Origin Story Throughout the Conversation.
Lucas and Coppola Met Working on the Latter’s 1968 Film Finian’s RainbowWHERE LUCAS WAS Essentally Interning at Warner Bros. After Winning the Samuel Warner Scholarship. Lucas, Who Was 22 at the Time, SAID IT WAS “SO BORING” SITING ON SET, AS HAD NO INTEREST IN MAKING Theatric Films, and HE RECALLS A 27-YEAR-IEAR-ELD COPPOLA APACHING HIM.
“I’m watching you make a movie, but it’s reality binging. I don’t want to make these Kind of Movies,” Lucas Recalled Telling Coppola WHEN Asked Who Was on Set, which. Partnership Between the Two. Lucas Also Shared The Start of His San Francisco-Based Film Production Company American Zoetrope with Coppla, Whoy Founded in Late 1969 Laughing Crowd.
Lucas and Mankiewicz Speak Onstage Durying The 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival. EMMA MCINTYRE/GETTY IMAGES FOR TCM
Mankiewicz Joked Throughouse as Lucas would Continue Talking About His Work with Coppola Insthead of Answering the Question at Hand. “I can’t do 20 minutes with george lucas,” He Joked after Expressing He Was Afraid HE Wuldn’t Get A Question in About The Empire Strikes Backor Star Wars in general.
Lucas Did Eventualally Venture Into Star Wars Territory, Sharing the Discussions He Had with The Film’s Studio, 20th Century Fox, AROUND HIS Contract. The Director, Who Was Coming Off His Oscar-Nominated Film American graffitiSaid the Studio Was Conceerned He’d Try to Ask for More Morey. “I’m not going to do that here,” HE RECALLED Telling the Studio. “I get the deal memo, i signed it. I’ll do it for $ 50,000 [to] WRITE, DIRECT, PRODUCE. ”
“I do want the sequels because i’ve already got ‘im, and the Standard Practice in Film is Called Indentured Servitis. In order for your Film to get you. And i didn’t want that to happen because it didn’t happen on American graffiti,“He Added. Lucas Said He Told the Studio He Wanted to Make the Sequels No Matter What the Outcome of the First Movie Was.
“BESIDE THAT, I’D LIKE LICENSING,” HE REMEMBERS Telling The Studio. Lucas Said the Studio Talked About It and Decides they’d Give Them to Him Because There’s No Way He’d Make A Profit From It.
Lucas ALSO SPOKE About Yoda, One of Empire Strikes Back‘s MOST NOTable Additions to the Stars Wars Universe, and His Distinctive Way of Speaking. “IT WAS DONE PURPOSELY BECAUSE IF YOU [are] Speaking Regular English, People Don’t Listen that Much. But if you have an accent or is Really Hard to Understand What He’s Saying, They Focus on What He’s Saying, ”The Director Explained.
“HE WAS BASICALLY THE PHILOSOPHER OF THE MOVIE, SO [he had] Longer Talking Scenes, WHERE I HAD TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET POPLE TO ACTUALLY LISTEN, “LUCAS SAID.“ ESPECALLY 12 YEAR OLDS. ”
The TCM Classic Film Festival Crowd Was Treated to A Big Screen Viewing of The Empire Strikes Back Following Lucas’ Remarks. The Festival Runs Through April 27 with Viewings AROUND Hollywood.